MYRTLE POINT — A visitor to a fairgrounds stable receives a cheerful greeting from a preteen girl. With freckled cheeks and businesslike blond braids, she wields a hose and smiles warmly.

“Are you enjoying the fair?” she asks.

The self-contained welcome wagon is 11-year-old Jamie Colter, a 4-H horse exhibitor who lives between Coos Bay and Charleston. As a member of the Rock ‘n’ Riders 4-H Club, she’s one of the many youngsters for whom the fairgrounds this week is a temporary home, a classroom, a performance venue, a workplace and a playground.

This is Jamie’s fourth year in 4-H, but her first season for showing her mustang, Bridget. By Wednesday night, she had collected a fistful of ribbons, including a grand champion award in horse judging.

Jamie’s friend and fellow club member Hannah Martin, 13, lives on a ranch between Coquille and Bandon. Also a first-timer at showing horses, she likewise has earned her share of ribbons this week.

For Jamie, “The best part of the fair is game night.” That’s when riders compete in events such as barrel and pole racing.

Many 4-H’ers camp with their families at the fairgrounds all week. Jamie and Hannah explained that, during fair week, they’re usually up before the birds.

“We’re up at 6, getting ready to clean stalls and start a new day,” Jamie said enthusiastically.

They feed their animals at 7, then clean stalls and tidy up the stable area. At 8 they meet with their coach, Melissa Hermann of Myrtle Point.

“She demonstrates our patterns” for the various competitions scheduled each day, Jamie explained. It’s a final review of skills the riders and their mounts have worked on all year.

“We have to study really well for six to eight months,” Jamie said.

Between the group session and the day’s individual competitions, the riders usually spend time in the practice arena.

“You want to make sure your horse can do turns right, and stop and back on command,” Hannah said. “You work on your patterns, and make sure you have your tack ready.”

Four-H’ers have other duties at the fair. Each Rock ‘n’ Rider pulls two hours of stall-cleaning duty daily. They also clean up around the stables, water the flowers, greet the public and answer questions for visitors. The club is judged on the cleanliness of its stalls and the tidiness of its tack. Members also earn points for their club by volunteering elsewhere on the fairgrounds.

Competition is vigorous among the half-dozen 4-H horse clubs in the area, partly because the points they earn yield cash awards that help pay club expenses. Individual 4-H’ers win cash prizes as well.

“I just found out last week that you get money for ribbons,” Jamie said. She’ll use hers to help pay back her folks for supporting her efforts in 4-H.

Fair week embodies 4-H’s tradition of helping turn youths into full-fledged citizens.

The two young equestrians’ long work day ends with their horses’ 5 p.m. feeding.

After all those months of preparation, how do they feel about the fair?

Almost in unison, they reply, “The fair is where we get to go and show off what we learned all year long.”

Then, their chores done, they join their friends and gleefully scurry toward the midway.