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FAIRFIELD – Six years ago, Piper Miller was a quiet girl who didn’t have many friends, and she wanted to change that.

Piper thought that by joining a local 4-H club, she could meet other kids who share her passions, and she was right. Now in her sixth year of 4-H through the Ceniteers Club, Piper said it was the best decision she ever made.

“When I started in 4-H, I didn’t like talking to people,” said Piper, who is 15. “Now I have voluntarily done projects where I’ve had to talk in front of people. I actually like talking to people I don’t know at the fair to tell them about animals or projects.”

Piper is the eldest of Eric and Melissa Miller’s three children. Her younger siblings are twins Brenna and Blake, who are also in 4-H. Brenna does photography and art projects, while Blake has shown a pig and done exhibits such as welding and Legos. Piper said she occasionally gives advice to her siblings, and does help them write their papers, but mostly she lets them do their own projects.

Piper participates in both the livestock and exhibit sides of the Greater Jefferson County Fair. Last year, she created a slideshow and gave a presentation on the history of 4-H. For the last two years, she’s done extemporaneous speaking, where she was given a topic and then had 30 minutes to prepare a 4-minute speech. Piper said her extemporaneous speech went well at the county fair this year, but when she got to the state fair, her speech didn’t quite last four minutes, so she’s eager to return to the state fair next year and make the time.

On the animal side, Piper showed two goats and two cows at this year’s county fair. Her goats are named Jenny and Beezus. The name “Beezus” comes from the Beverly Clearly book “Beezus and Ramona,” and it was fitting since Brenna’s goat is named Ramona. Piper’s cows are named Sirloin and Abigai.

The most exciting part of 4-H is showing at the county fair, Piper said, but she also enjoys her daily chores with the animals such as washing them and talking to them.

“I like doing things that make them more gentle and tame,” she said.

Along those lines, the most difficult part of raising animals is getting them used to wearing a halter. Piper said goats are stubborn, so sometimes there’s no alternative but to drag them around. Cows, on the other hand, are too big to drag.

“They’re several hundred pounds, so you can’t make them do anything they don’t want to do,” Piper said. “You have to make them trust you by being gentle before you can start halter breaking.”

Piper said she’s only got three more years left in 4-H, so she wants to use them wisely. Next year, she plans to buy a sheep to show at the fair.

“I’m trying to get as many things done as I want to try,” she said.