4-H Happenings

A NEWSLETTER FOR HANCOCK COUNTY 4-H PARTICIPANTS

June 2007 Issue

Government Day

It was that time again… time to visit our capitol in Augusta and learn the inner workings of our state government.  We boarded the bus in Bucksport at 7:00 am with ten of our 4-H’ers, two leaders and two parents.  Once again the bus and driver were generously donated by Laidlaw Bus Company.  We arrived in Augusta at 9:00 for the opening of the Maine State Museum.  The 4-H’ers were especially excited to visit the museum, as most of them had never been there.  We spent an hour and a half visiting all the display areas and purchasing souvenirs in the gift shop.  We then crossed the road to enter the State House, or the Maine State  Capitol Building.  Our host for the day was Sen. Richard Rosen from Bucksport, but when we arrived, he was busy in a Senate closed session.  Since we heard the “gong” sound for the opening of the House of Representatives session, we decided to go to the gallery there.  We watched the various Republican and Democrat representatives work through the bills brought before them for that day.  We then witnessed  the passage of two bills through the House.  We were given a tour guide to take us to the State room and we were able to visit with Sen. Dennis Damon from Hancock County.  He explained how legislation is initiated, then given to the appropriate committee and, if passed there, sent to the House of Representatives for discussion and voting.  If passed, it goes to Governor Baldacci for his signature or veto.  It’s a VERY long process!  The 4-Hers were given lunch money by the Hancock County Leaders’ Association, and were able to eat in the dining room with many of the legislators.  Justin figured the price list out and was able to buy two meals with his money!  At 1:00 we had a photo session with Governor Baldacci in his office.  He invited Kate to sit in his chair behind his desk.  We all grouped  together for a photo with the Governor.  We were also able to ask him   several questions pertaining to 4-H and agriculture and livestock in Maine.  He was very gracious and welcoming to us!  Our last appointments for the day took place in the Hall of Flags, where there are flags from all the eras in Maine history on display.  We met up with Sen. Rosen and also Rep. Bob Crosthwaite from Ellsworth.  We were able to ask them questions and have our pictures taken with them.  The final dignitary we met was the Sec. of State, Mr. Dunbar, who is originally from the Southwest Harbor area.  The 4-Hers had many questions for him   concerning driver’s licenses and speeding tickets.  Hopefully, we won’t be having many of those!  Perhaps next time we will plan more time for the museum or maybe even a trip just to visit the museum as we ran out of time this trip.  There is a lot to see there!  The 4-H group learned a great deal in a short time about our state government.  Hopefully some of these same kids will want to visit our nation’s capitol with CWF in the near future!  Submitted by Heather Linnehan, Leader.

Upcoming Events

NORMA’S NOTES - From all of 4-H to the graduates, we wish you the best. I really like the words of Howard Nevells, former president of the University of Maine, at University of Maine Commencement Exercises. “Your families, your teachers and I look on you with pride, not because you have reached the summit but because you are on your way. We are proud not because you will follow in our footsteps – but because we see in you the promise of climbing beyond us. The challenge to you is not to reach what we can reach. It is to reach what we cannot.”       Congratulations! 

CLUB CHAT: It is sad to have a club leader move away, but it is great when someone steps to the plate and fills in. Such is the situation with the Busy Bees. Michelle Farnham has moved away and we wish her well. Molly (Gross) Varnum is now the leader and bringing in Troy Staples and Angela  (Bowden) Hamilton. All three are former 4-H’ers who give a lot of credit to the 4-H program in helping them grow up. Now we give them a lot of credit for providing a new generation the same opportunity.   Congratulations and welcome to the 4-H family.

Hancock County 4-H Website - has had a face lift.  This should make it much easier for you to view our newsletters - to find forms - or view the current calendar.  Check it out at:http://www.umaine.edu/umext/hancock/4-H/newslettertoc.htm

Our Sincere Sympathy - is extended to 4-H member Aimee  Stormann for the loss of her mom.

No Leaders’ Meeting Minutes - Again there were not enough leaders at the May 9th Leaders’ Meeting to make a quorum so there are no minutes this month.

Be A Good Apple! Project - Don’t forget to contact the Extension Office to let us know if your club is in on this community project.  The Leaders’ Association is sponsoring a $50 club award for the club that collects the most names!  For more details contact Lore Lipkvich at 537-5673 or chowderpatch@prodigy.net

 Congratulations To Our Seniors!  The 4-H family would like to extend their congratulations to the following 2007 high school graduates:
· Kamilla Bramham - Horse of Course - George Stevens Academy
· April Davis - Lock, Stock & Barrel, Homeschooled
· Edie Kershner - Horse of Course - Homeschooled
· Cait Powell - More Trot Tribe - George Stevens Academy
· Elan Ward - Independent - MDI High School
 

Beef Steer Tickets - have arrived!  The report is that this year’s steer is   growing well and will be a fine animal by Blue Hill Fair time according to Dwight  Sargent of Coronado Farm and Independent 4-H leader.  You may pick up  tickets from Dwight or at the Extension office.  Each ticket sells for one dollar. Eighty-five cents of that goes to the Leaders’ Association to help defray the cost of County events, scholarships, and many other projects. The club decides how the remaining 15 cents is  distributed.  The individual selling the most tickets receives a nice plaque and the club selling the most receives $50.00. Just think – if each of the 159 Hancock County 4-Hers sold ten tickets a piece, that would be $1351.50 for county 4-H support.  Amazing isn’t it!  So get your tickets and  SELL — SELL — SELL!

 Is Your Club  Doing a Roadside Cleanup?  This is a great community  service project!  To make it safe as well as fun, 4-H has the bright   orange vests you may borrow.  Call the office to reserve

 Photography Contest Update - Sue Baez, Norma Hardison, and Judy Hellum, photography contest committee members, are just dying to know how your photo taking is coming along for the photo contest. Are you taking plenty of photos so that you will have a lot to choose from? Are you  remembering that   digital photos must not be  edited? Are you remembering the deadline of August 1^st?   If you have lost your Photography Contest guidelines and labels, call the office soon to get your copy.  Good luck and keep “snapping!”

 Changes in Our Newsletter!    Beginning with this issue we will post our newsletter on our Website.  Each month you will receive an email with a link to the newsletter. If your email address had changed or you have acquired email since the last enrollment, we would appreciate you   contacting the office with this information.  For those that do not have internet access, you still will receive a copy in the mail.  The University is pleased with the amount of    savings each county can save by  using this method. As Waldo County 4-H states:
Receiving the newsletter electronically …
· Is faster than US surface mail
· Helps the University of Maine Cooperative Extension (UMCE) 4-H Program save county and state money
· Will make a positive impact on our environment and natural resources by saving paper, print cartridges, electricity, stamps and more!
· Uses science and technology
Provides options for opening the 4-H newsletter in a text version (HTML) or a PDF file (which offers pictures and color)

 Equestrian Knowledge Challenge - The Horse of Course club held an Equestrian Knowledge Challenge on Saturday April 28^th at the Orland Town Hall. Five teams competed using a quiz bowl format with nineteen young people participating.  In the Junior division the first place winners were Horse Feathers coached by Lisa Kingsbury from Winterport. Second place winners were The Ponytails coached by 4H leader Heather Linnehan, and third place went to the Wranglers coached by 4H leader Lisa Carney. The scores were very close. The senior team called Nightmares, coached by 4H leader Annie Smith did not have another team their age to compete against so the adult coaches and a parent volunteered to go against them.  Each team member won a   rosette ribbon and chose something from the gift table.  All participants received a gift for coming and trying. The Horse of Course Club felt it went very well and that it was a fun experience.  One of the nice things that happened was that the Horse of Course Junior team called Seahorses, only had two members come that day but a Winterport Junior team and the two 4H Junior teams offered to let them participate on their teams so they got to test their knowledge.
Participating 4H Members were: Jocelyn Lane, Jillian Dow, Destiny Hesketh, 4-H Wranglers, Kate Pontbrand, Brianna  Springer, Annie Abbott, Horse and Rider, Edie Kershner, Katlyn Sargent, Ginny Marston, Hannah Pusey, and Kamilla Bramham, Horse of Course.

 THE EDGE - 4-H Edge weekend program at U-Maine was awesome!  We got to do a lot of fun things like, locate stuff with GPS systems and swimming and even rock climbing!  We got good meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. At dinner time we went to the Union and got to eat. That was the best food, especially the steak n’ cheese subs and the pizza.
    While I was there I met a lot of new people and learned a lot about different 4-H clubs.  Some of the people I met I became good friends with and got their phone numbers.  We’re planning to hang out some time. 
    While we were there, an unexpected accident happened at midnight. One of the girls smelled smoke in their room and called public safety then pulled the fire alarm and we had to run out of our dorms, with no room keys or anything.  A fire truck came and so did a cop.  It was one of the funniest experiences I have ever had in my whole life.  But other than that, it was an awesome day and night.  I can’t wait to go to the Teen Conference in Bangor and go to the EDGE weekend again.  I am also thinking about going to U-Maine when I go to college because of all of the cool stuff you can do there. 
    At the end of the weekend we got to film our own video advertisement that they are going to put on the 4-H website.  It should be funny all put together.
    Written by Tyler Baez, Snapdragons and Hollyhocks  

4-H Members Having Fun at the Edge

State 4-H News

1. Market Lambs for Windsor and Fryeburg You are no longer required to send an Intent to Participate Form for Market Lambs being shown at Windsor and Fryeburg Fairs, however, if you are planning to show at these fairs, you still need an Approval Form and to have your lambs tagged. There are four lamb tagging sites this year and bringing your lamb to one of them for tagging will constitute your intent to participate. When your animal is tagged, you will be given an Approval Form that must be signed and embossed by your county educator or professional. The deadline is June 30.
Tagging Sites:
May 19 NE Livestock Expo, Windsor Fairgrounds, tagging will start after the sale. June 2 Cumberland County 4-H June Jamboree, Cumberland Fairgrounds, 10-12 am June 9 Franklin County 4-H June Jamboree, Farmington Fairgrounds, 10-12 am
June 16 Oxford County June Jamboree, Oxford Fairgrounds 10-12 am

2. Maine 4-H Days Mark you calendars now for Maine 4-H Days this summer at Windsor Fairgrounds, July 6, 7 & 8. It will be a weekend full of personal enrichment workshops as well as livestock events. Camping is encouraged and entire families are welcome.

 3. VOLT Training VOLT training will be held Saturday, July 21, 2007 at Penobscot County Cooperative Extension Office, 307 Maine Avenue, Bangor, ME from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Register and bring a lunch. No charge. Contact Brooke brookfw@umext.maine.edu to register or Barb bbaker@umext.maine.edu for questions. 

4. Have Summer Fun at Camp Tanglewood The staff at Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center is getting excited about the warm weather and the approach of Tanglewood’s 26th summer. There are still openings available in many of Tanglewood’s great programs. Be sure to call (207) 789-5868 or visit www.tanglewood4h.org soon to reserve your spot in one of these programs: Tanglewood 4th of July Celebration (Ages 8-14):  Residential summer camp’s first week-long session will celebrate Independence Day the Tanglewood way, with outdoor celebrations, music and special games.
Discovery trips including Blueberry Cove Adventure, Teen Quest, Outdoor Living,  Appalachian Trail Expedition, and Islands and Sea Exploration (Ages 9-15): Rain or shine, these campers spend all their time outdoors, on the trails, in tents, or in boats.

Blueberry Cove Day Camp (Ages 6-10): In Tenants Harbor, the activities are centered on the salt-water living themes and exploration: marine ecology, creative arts, boating, water safety and sustainable living. The perfect way to beat the summer heat!

5.  Dog Camp at Maine 4-H Days and the Bangor State Fair Dog Show Dog Camp will begin on Friday July 6 and continue through the 7 and 8 at the Windsor Fairgrounds. This camp is mandatory if you plan on participating in ESE for Dog this year or next. Dog Camp is open to 4-H participants of all ages even if you don’t wish to attend ESE. This year our focus will be on the Terrier Group. There will be presentations about the Canine Good Citizenship Program, Earth Dog Trials and much, much more. There will also be a chance to take the CGC Test on Saturday. As usual, we will have Showmanship, Obedience and Quiz Bowl workshops. New this year, are Agility workshops, a pizza party/movie night and Candy Bar Bingo. On Sunday at 2:00 there will be a fun practice show using 4-H judging rules. The practice show is a great opportunity to show off what you learned during camp. Dog camp is always a fun experience for everyone. The Bangor State Fair Dog Show will be held at the Bangor Fairgrounds on July 28 at 1 P.M. This is also a requirement if you plan to attend ESE for Dog. This is the only state 4-H show in Maine. Showmanship and Obedience will be the primary award winning classes and there will be a fun agility class. All classes are judged using the Danish System. All award winning classes come with a ribbon and premium. For more information go to www.bangorfair.com  and click on Contest and Premiums to find the rules and registration forms. 

6. 4-H Earth Connections Sustainable Living Team The 4-H leadership structure includes an active team focused on environmental education – the Earth Connections Sustainable Living Team.  Our team brings together 4-H members and staff to discuss and make decisions on supporting environmental education in the 4-H program across the state. 4-H Earth Connections began in Maine in the mid-1980’s out of a deep and growing concern among ordinary people about the environment and our ability to adopt sustainable living practices. Rather than using the conventional youth environmental education model of teaching about nature, 4-H Earth Connections teaches that humans are part of nature; part of the interconnected web of all life. The overarching goal of 4-H Earth Connections is to educate and mobilize youth, adults and families so that they recognize themselves as part of an interconnected world and become committed to sustainable living. If you’d like to learn more about Earth Connections & Sustainable Living, check out the Maine 4-H earth Connections web site:  http://www.umaine.edu/umext/earthconnections/ We are recruiting new members, seeking funding to support teams, creating new resources, preparing marketing materials and curriculum for  counties to use, and supporting statewide efforts. The ECSL Team generally meets at Tanglewood, in part to avail us of the great staff resources there.  The team is open to meeting elsewhere around the state and by phone and video conference if there is interest to do so.  We are seeking volunteers to join us in our work, so please help us get the word out. The Earth Connections Sustainable Living Team welcomes all to join our efforts. To find our more about the ECSL Team please contact Jon Prichard at 1-800-287-1535 or 324-2814. 

7. Maine 4-H Teen Leadership Conference
Who:  Maine 4-Hers and Teens from 12-18 years old
Why:  To give teens a fun overview of skills important to leadership.
What: An awesome 4-H Leadership learning opportunity.  Fun and games will be used to teach, emphasize and reinforce leadership skills you never outgrow.   
When:  Thursday, June 21, 4:00pm to Saturday, June 23, 1:00pm
Where:  Columbia Street Baptist Church, Bangor, Maine (in the Education Building)
How Much:  $30 (Scholarships may be available.) Includes all meals, workshop materials, and lodging for 2+days – sleeping bags on carpeted floor - well chaperoned.
Learn: Communicating, Getting Along with Others, Learning to Learn, Making Decisions, Managing, Understanding Self, Working With Groups
Why we are different: Special Surprises!  The Bravo Brothers!  Teens Teaching Teens!  Learn the “Leadership Skills You Never Outgrow!” 4-H Program, Lots of time to make new friends!  Stay Up Late!  Get Up Late!  Teen Night Owl Schedule!  Community Service
Registration Deadline: May 18 [Extended to June 6]
To Register: send your name, age (as of 1/1/07), address, phone number, county, any food allergies and whether you need a parking pass. Include a check for $30 made out to the Pine Tree State 4-H Foundation. 
Mail to:  Penobscot County Cooperative Extension Office, 307 Maine Ave, Bangor, Maine 04401
Confirmation and more information will be mailed out soon after registration deadline about directions, parking, and a list of things to bring.
Sponsored by:  Pine Tree State 4-H Foundation, Youth In Governance PLT, Penobscot County 4-H Junior Leaders
Contact: Kelly Hamilton at 234-7274 or swroguekelly@hotmail.com for more             information

4-H Happenings

An informational source for 4-H leaders in Hancock and Washington Counties

 4H Exhibit Hall ~ Time to Begin Preparing!

4H Club Citizenship Exhibit
4H programming focuses on four essential elements of positive youth development which include belonging, mastery, independence and generosity.  As you begin to reflect on all that you and the members of your club have accomplished this year, I encourage you to think about the area of generosity and how you can help tell the story about the good things that 4H members are doing in their communities.  One way to do this is to create a 4H Club  Citizenship exhibit for the Blue Hill Fair.  Your club simply needs to put       together a scrapbook displaying all the  citizenship your club has worked on throughout the year.  Check out the Blue Hill Fair book for details or call Methel Wilbur at 565-2308 if you have questions!  And by the way, you could earn up to $50 for your club! 

4H Club Exhibit
Here is another great way to showcase what your 4H club is doing!  All clubs are invited to enter a 4H Club Exhibit.  This year’s theme is: Promote and advertise 4H in a way that will encourage new members to join your club!  Awards of $35 will be given to the top three club exhibits and a $10 gratuity will be awarded to non-winners.  For more  details, look for the insert in the Blue Hill Fair book this year.  Due to space, exhibits can not exceed 4’ X 4’.  Questions?  Be sure to call Methel Wilbur at 565-2308.

 Check This Out and Share with Your 4H Members!
This month, CYFERnet features a Game & Animation Contest that lets young people show off their creativity and programming skills. Using Scratch (available for free at http://scratch.mit.edu/), participants get a chance to develop their own computer games and/or animations. Youth may work independently or in teams, with an entry deadline of Aug. 5, 2007. Once they've finished, they can submit their work for all to view and enjoy. CYFERnet's panel of judges will notify the winners later this summer.

Media Literacy

Media Literacy is the ability to access, define, evaluate and create the media that is around us. You might say it is a very important life skill to learn.  In today’s society we are surrounded with many forms of media and some of those include the television, radio, internet, magazines, newspapers, satellite radio, blogs, and the list goes on and on.  It is important that we ask questions to try and understand the media that is so much a part of our lives.  Some of the questions we need to ask ourselves to help us understand the media that surrounds us are:
1. Who created this message?
2. What techniques are used to attract my attention?
3. How might different people understand this message differently from me?
4. What lifestyles, values and points of view are represented in or omitted from this message?
5. Why was this message sent?
(Questions taken from the “Center for Media Literacy” www.medialit.org http://www.medialit.org/> )

 Internet Safety
With the growing popularity of the internet it is not only important to become more   media literate we must also learn about internet safety issues.  To help us learn more about internet safety we discovered a helpful website that we would like to pass on to all of you.  NetSmartz.org is a website designed for parents, educators, law enforcement and youth and it is all about internet safety and includes resources and activities to use with all age groups.  We learned about this site through the Maine State Police as it is the site they recommend and it also endorsed by the Maine Department of Education as a credible resource.

Below are the dates for the trainings.  All you will need to participate is access to a computer with preferably high speed internet access (DSL, Broadband, etc) and access to a phone.  The audio portion of the meeting will occur through the phone (need a separate phone line) and there will be a toll free number you will call.   Here are the dates:
Media Literacy Training Dates - June 4th from 5:30-6:30pm
Internet Safety Training Dates - June 20th from 5:30-6:30pm
Here are the instructions you need to participate in the training:
At the meeting time, simply click on the following link or copy and paste it into your browser to enter the meeting: http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/maine/

When you go to that URL you will find yourself at a login page.  Simply click on "Click to Enter" under the "Enter as a guest" heading.  You will then be prompted for your name.  Enter your name and click "Ok" to enter the meeting space.  The instructions that detail how to join the integrated phone audio conference will be on the screen when you join the meeting.  

Anytime before the meeting you can visit the following URL to confirm your ability to connect to the Breeze server: http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

Also please call Lisa Phelps 1-800-287-8957 to register if you plan to join via your own computer (note, you will need a separate phone line for audio) or call Jen Lobley at 1-800-287-1542 if you would like to join the training  at the WA County Extension office.

Cooking with the Kids 

Father’s Day Chicken Yumsticks

Ingredients:       (Fresh air food from FamilyFun)
2/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt  
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. hot sauce, plus extra to eat with the chicken
1 tsp. ground cumin                            
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. salt 8 chicken breast halves
Lemon wedges (optional)

Directions:  Combine a few tablespoons of the yogurt with the brown sugar in a medium-sized bowl and mix until well blended. Add the remaining yogurt, hot sauce, cumin, garlic and salt.
Cut each chicken breast half into 6 to 8 equal pieces.
Add to the yogurt mixture and stir until well combined. Thread the chicken onto eight skewers. Place in a doubled  gallon-size ziptop bag (to guard against leaks). Chill for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Grill the kebobs over medium heat, rotating sides every few minutes, until cooked through, about 10 to 14 minutes total.

Serve with extra hot sauce and lemon wedges. Serves 6 to 8.
(Cook up some veggie kebobs to serve alongside the chicken.)

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Last Modified: 06/01/07
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