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SDSU Extension hosts successful inaugural 4-H Gala

January 06, 2026
A teenager in a black blazer accepts an award from a woman with long auburn hair and glasses
Delaney Zoss, of Sanborn County, received the Youth Service Award during the 2025 4-H Gala.

The first-ever 4-H Gala was on Nov. 22, 2025, at the SDSU Alumni Center in Brookings. Themed “Bright Lights, Bold Legacy,” the event included live and silent auctions, entertainment by Dueling Pianos, awards and guest speaker Callee Bauman-Wachter, a 4-H alumna and precision planting sales agent at the family-owned Bauman Agency in Huron.

Funds raised will go toward the Family Consumer Sciences National Championship and Conference trip to San Antonio, SkillsX by 4-H, summer performing arts, camps/outdoors education and the State 4-H Ambassador program.

In addition to the fundraising, Delaney Zoss, of Sanborn County, received the Youth Service Award. Agtegra Cooperative, an agricultural cooperative based in Aberdeen, received the Friend of 4-H award.

Three people hold up a wooden "Friends of 4-H" award plaque
Agtegra Cooperative received the Friends of 4-H award during the 2025 4-H Gala.

The night also featured accomplishments and innovations from 4-H members across the state and showcased stories of service, problem-solving and progress led by South Dakota’s 4-H youth.

Photos of the event are available online at SmugMug.

For more information on the 4-H Gala or youth development programs, visit the SDSU Extension 4-H page or email sdsu.4h@sdstate.edu.

A woman with blonde hair and wearing a red dress speaks behind a podium
Callee Bauman-Wachter, a precision planting sales agent at the family-owned Bauman Agency in Huron, provided the keynote speech during the 2025 4-H Gala.