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When 10-year-old Austin Garner brings food to his three pigs, two eagerly eat while the other sulks alone in her pen.

"She weighs 306 but she needs to get down to 300 so she's on a strict diet of nothing," said Austin, one of more than 1,300 children preparing to compete at the Butler County Fair, which opens today, July 20.

The children, many of them in 4-H club, spend the better part of the summer preparing projects that range from plant-growing and archery to historical recreation and cooking.

"A big part of my summer has been preparing for the fair," said Jenna Van Weelden, 12, of West Chester Twp., who made a mosaic table for the fair. She also competed in the historical recreation contest as literary icon Anne Frank. "Anne Frank was about my age, but she went through so much because of the war," Jenna said. "I researched her and read her diary so I could play the role."

Competing at the fair gives kids a positive summer activity while also teaching leadership and responsibility, said Erin Simpson-Sloan, program assistant of 4-H Youth Development.

"It keeps them busy, and projects grow as kids do," Simpson-Sloan said. "The kids just get better every year."

Some competitors, like Tyler Forrest, 17, won't stop their hobby when the fair is over Saturday, July 26. The Talawanda High School senior raises lambs with his brother Cody, 16. He won first-place in last year's competition, and hopes to study animal science.