4-H Happenings

A NEWSLETTER FOR HANCOCK COUNTY 4-H PARTICIPANTS

July 2007 Issue

Jamboree Happenings
NICE DAY — LEARNING TIME — GOOD FOOD — FUN TIME 

Justin, Mix n’ Match, was very helpful to Arthur, Jolly Juniors, who wanted to climb in the pen with “Little Bit.” Sure come on in.  Justin explained to Arthur that “Little Bit” did have a broken leg earlier but is doing fine now. Far left: Annie, Horse & Rider, is following the instructions of Emily, a pretend judge from Washington County. Emily explained that using a bale of hay and a wooden head of a horse was easier than dealing with a live horse who might not cooperate when you are first learning. After you learn where to stand when the judge is doing the  actual judging, you practice with your horse.
Good job Annie & Emily and to the other participants.

 4-H Upcoming Events

Blue Hill Fair Books have been mailed to each 4-H Family.  Check your mail!

CLUB CHAT: You never know what doors will open up and when they do, the stories can be very interesting. This article is written by Linda Woodworth, leader of The Clover Club. This tells about the door that has opened for them. 

“Chris Woodcock phoned me one day sometime in May. She realized that I lived not too far from her and wanted to know if I had a group going. I told her that I did and she would be  welcome to come. So she offered to come every other Tuesday. One Tuesday she brought in her baby goats as pictured below. We were so thrilled. She was going to show us how to do felting for our last meeting for the summer. We canceled that meeting and I phoned her to let her know we appreciated the offer but had decided to end the meetings for now. While talking, she mentioned how when she was young an adult took her under their wing and taught her a lot about horses.  She now wants to give back the same opportunity.  She wanted to do something with her horse and one girl and asked if Sheyan Snow (our granddaughter) would be interested. I told her I was positive she would. She took riding lessons last summer but we could not afford to do it again this summer. So Shey was elated when she heard that Chris had chosen her. Chris has also offered to help with other classes and to have the club come to her farm for some meetings. It just gets better. Chris has offered to be co-leader with me next year. Between the two of us, we have so many ideas of things to do with this club.”
This is exciting news for The Clover Club and I predict a very good year in 2007-2008.     

Blue Hill Fair Reminders - While planning for the 4-H exhibits (club and individual) please refer to the guidelines in the fair book. All questions regarding the 4-H Exhibit Hall should be directed to Methel Wilbur at 565-2308.  Please call at least 2 weeks before the fair.  All exhibits must be checked in on Tuesday, August 28th between 3 and 7 pm.  Due to limited space in the hall, leaders are encouraged to bring the exhibits with completed  paperwork.  Please be aware of the changes made this year.
2007 Theme:  Promote and  advertise 4H in a way that will encourage new members to join your club.
Awards:  Top three club exhibits will receive $35 each; $10 gratuity awarded to non-winners.
Point System:
25 pt Theme - Does the exhibit clearly express one idea?
20 pt Originality - Was it creative and imaginative?
15 pt Exhibit Title - Is it creative and catchy?  Is it prominently placed?
15 pt Lettering - Is it neat?  Is it the appropriate size?  Has use of color and placement been  considered?
15 pt Exhibit can not exceed 4’x4’.  Can items/exhibit be recognized at a distance of 6 feet?
10 pt   Did the club supply a neatly printed 3”x 5” card which includes: club name, town and county on it.  (This card will be displayed on the exhibit for the general public after the judging has  occurred.)

Scholarships Announced - Hancock County 4-H Leaders’ Association awarded one scholarship this year.  The  recipient is: Kamilla Bramham, Horse of Course, for $300.  Congratulations and best wishes from your 4-H family!

 4-H EDGE Weekend - was a great success!  Youth from all over Maine attended and had a great time.  At the end of the EDGE program, youth were asked to create 30 second videos about their EDGE program and their experiences at the University of Maine.  Go to http://umext.fastgrants.org/video/Maine_4H_EDGE/ to view video clips.  Can you pick out our Hancock County 4Hers?

Welcome Two New VOLTed Leaders - who have just completed their training and paperwork and are ready to get involved.  
Welcome to alumni Ralph Jordan of Waltham who will be working with the Union River  Valley, the club he was in as a youth.
Welcome to Aimee Stormann, junior leader of Ellsworth.  Aimee is anxious to get involved and will be working at the Horse Camp.
We would also like to welcome back Salie Davis of Mount Desert.  Salie is working with her independent daughter, Amerosity.
Congratulations and best wishes as you join the 4-H family!

 Lost Cameras - two digital  cameras have been missing since  Jamboree.  One camera is a 4Her’s and the other is a club camera.  If you accidentally picked them up - please  give us a call as soon as possible.  Thank you.

Be A Good Apple! Project - What a exciting way to help support our county’s farmers and increase food security for all Hancock County.  Don’t forget to contact the Extension Office to let us know if your club wants to get involved.  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 email her at chowderpatch@prodigy.net

 Last Reminder Photography Contest - The deadline to submit your photos is August 1^st.   Good luck and keep “snapping!”

 Beef Steer Tickets - Don’t forget to pick up your steer tickets.   You may pick them up from Dwight Sargent 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. So get your tickets NOW and SELL - SELL - SELL!

Food Booth Sign Up - It’s that time of year again! We need volunteers to work at the 4-H Food Booth during the fair. Barbara Hopkins, Methel and Joey Wilbur are scheduling 4-H leaders, parents, and teens. We encourage everyone to do their part and help out for a few hours.  Call Barbara at 469-7142 or Methel and Joey today at 565-2308 to pick your preferred time and date.

Norma Is Always On the Look-Out For Interesting Stories About 4-H'ers!  See What She Found! 

4-H is proud of member’s 4-H work but they are also very proud to hear of other activities they are involved in such as:

First grader Bailey, Jolly Juniors,  from Cave Hill School gets locks cut at Highlight Salon in the Mill Mall in Ellsworth. This hair goes to Locks of Love which is based in Florida. Donated hair is made into hairpieces for children who have cancer or other diseases. They require ten inches or more. Bailey, you look cute no  matter what length your hair is!

Six year old Sally, from Union River Valley 4-H Club, and two newborn kids were a big hit at Capri Street School in Brewer, ME.  Sally lead three 40-minute demonstrations in front of 114 kindergarteners and 17 teachers.  She talked to her audience about 4-H and all the wonderful things you get to do and learn.  Sally showed her audience her 2005-2006 goat project, which included everything she learned about caring and showing dairy goats.  She also displayed all of the ribbons she won while doing her project.  Her audience was very attentive and fascinated by her wealth of knowledge about goats, especially when she showed them the different parts of a goat.  Sally got the chance to show off her newborn kids that she purchased from Kenona Farms with the money she had earned from 4-H, and everyone in the audience got the chance to hold one of the goats while having their pictures taken. Everyone involved in the  demonstration, including Sally, had a fun  and educational experience. 

Arthur was a five year old Jolly  Junior when his art work was chosen by his art teacher to be submitted to the Maine Arts Commission. Then he and family were invited to a Maine Artist Recognition Tea for Youth Excellence in Art. The tea was held at the Blaine Mansion with Mrs.  Baldacci making the award  presentations. Arthur proudly shows the medal he won.

Animal lover Destiny, Mix ‘n’ Match celebrated her 12th birthday at the SPCA of Hancock County in Trenton.  Instead of gifts for herself, Destiny asked her friends to buy gifts for the dogs and cats at the shelter.  “It is humbling to witness firsthand children expressing their compassion and generosity to animals.  To be willing to give up birthday    presents to better the lives of animals is very special,” said Doug Radziewicz, executive director of the SPCA of Hancock County.  “All of these girls deserve a word of thanks, especially Destiny for making the request to skip presents and asking her friends to give to the shelter.

When Haley and Laddy were about three and a half years old their dad started teaching them chess.  In her first rated chess tournament (the Boston Youth Chess Fest in Jan. 1999) at age five, Haley won the top female trophy in the K-8 section. Since then she has participated in thirty-six rated tournaments including numerous local, state and national events. In 2006, she led her K-3 Airline Community School Team to their first state title with a   perfect score. Later that year she traveled to Denver, CO to represent Maine at the National Elementary Championships. So far in 2007, Haley has participated in seven rated tournaments and has elevated her United States Chess Federation (USCF) rating to its second-highest in her chess career.
 Laddy has an amazing natural talent for the game but is less interested in the competitive aspects that are inherent in chess. Having said that, Laddy has been a leader on two consecutive (2006 and 2007) state championship K-3 teams and also made the trip to Denver, CO in 2006 to represent ME at the Elementary National competition. In two outings at the state team championships, Laddy scored seven out of a possible eight points. In 2006, she received a commendation for winning a game that turned out to be one of the biggest upsets of any rated game in the state including those games played by adults--she defeated a player whose rating was 500 points higher than her own.
To learn more visit www.ChessMaine.net  
Special thanks to dad for supplying this great story.

State 4-H News - July, 2007

1. 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.

2. 4-H Healthy Lifestyles Team The Healthy Lifestyles Team formed as a program leadership team about a year ago, under the new 4-H leadership structure, in order to  increase, organize and broaden the state-wide efforts to educate youth in healthy lifestyle choices. Currently our team, with the help of a Kraft Foods Healthy Living grant, is working together to design and implement a health and wellness activity kit which will be available for loan through county offices.
We are excited to be sponsoring upcoming workshops at both the Maine 4-H Days and the Youth in Action Teen conference. Some of the materials and curricula we have been working on will be showcased at these two events. We hope you will join us, strap on one of our new pedometers, and help us reach our goal of a healthier Maine population!
GREAT OPPORTUNITY!  With the support of the Pine Tree State 4-H Foundation, we will be selecting and paying for three teams consisting of one adult and 3-4 youth to attend the Northeast Regional Volunteer Forum on Healthy Lifestyles (NERVF-HL) to be held in Portland, Maine on October 11-14th. In return, the teams will be expected to teach at least one Healthy Lifestyles workshop in the year following the training and to join the statewide 4-H Healthy Lifestyles program leadership team. If you are interested in applying for this great opportunity, please contact Karen or Ellie for an application. To find out more about the NERVF-HL, see:  http://www.umext.maine.edu/4-HVolLeadersForum
Please consider joining our team in our efforts to provide meaningful health and wellness opportunities for Maine’s youth. We meet by phone conference calls, the UNET video system, and in person. To find our more about our/your Team, please contact Karen Hatch Gagne at 1-800-287-1481, e-mail: karenhg@umext.maine.edu  or Ellie Libby at 1-800-244-2104, e-mail: elibby@umext.maine.edu

3. Morris Scholarship Every two years Maine has the opportunity to select an Eastern States Exposition team member to receive a $500 scholarship towards continuing his or her education beyond high school.  The award will be presented during 4-H Day at ESE on Saturday, September 15, 2007.

Criteria: To be eligible for the Maine 2007 Big E Morris 4-H Scholarship, nominees must:
1.  Be a member of a 2007 or prior Maine ESE team (Beef, Dairy, Dog, Goat, Horse, Sheep or Working Steer)
2. Graduate from high school in 2007 or 2008 and continue their education beyond high school in one of the following: two or four-year colleges or universities, technical schools, professional training, or apprenticeship programs.
3. Have demonstrated leadership as a Maine 4-H member, at the local, state, or regional level.
4. Be a junior or senior in high school and in good academic standing.
5. Be recommended by their Animal Science Committee.
Application Process: Applications will include these three components:
1. A letter from the applicant regarding their qualifications for the scholarship that includes information about their:
a. Participation on a Maine ESE team in 2007 or before.
b. Intention to continue their education beyond high school in 2007 or 2008,    including area of study or training and possible location.
c. Leadership as a Maine 4-H member at the local, state, or regional level.
2. A copy of the applicant’s high school transcript or equivalent.
3. A letter of recommendation from the Activity Coordinator of the appropriate Animal Science Committee.  If the Activity Coordinator of your commodity is an immediate family member, have someone else on the committee write the recommendation.
Mail or fax application materials to: Jessy Brainerd, 5741 Libby Hall, Room 103,  University of Maine, Orono, ME  04469-5741.  Fax: 207-581-1387
*Faxed entries will be accepted up until 4:30 pm on August 17, 2007
*Mailed entries must be postmarked by August 17, 2007
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
The winner will be notified by Friday, August 31, 2007.  ESE has requested that the scholarship recipients be present at ESE on 4-H Day on September 15 to receive their award.  If you have any questions, please contact Donna Flint at 1-800-287-1535 or Michaele Bailey at 1-800-287-0274

4. The Bangor State Fair Dog Show The Bangor State Fair Dog Show will be held at the  Bangor Fairgrounds on July 28 at 1 P.M. This show is open to all 4-H members in the dog project that have reached their ninth birthday but not   exceeded their 19th birthday as of December 31, 2006. This is also a requirement if you plan to attend ESE for Dog. This is the only state 4-H dog 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 and 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. Registrations are due to the 4-H representative by July 23, 2007.

Hancock County 4-H Leaders’ Association Minutes of June 13^th, 2007

The meeting was called to order at 7:06 pm. The flag was saluted and the 4H pledge was recited.
Members Present (8):
President Terry Swazey, Treasurer Barbara Hopkins, Secretary Lisa Carney, Sarah Swazey, Becky Ames, Norwood Ames, Dwight Sargent, Bill Carney and Brenda Jordan.
Secretaries & Treasurers Reports:
The March minutes were approved as written.
The May Treasurer’s Report was accepted as read.  Barbara noted that there is still one Tanglewood scholarship available.
Club Reports:
Norwood and Becky had quite a busy winter with Lock, Stock and Barrel. They had basic rifle training, held practice sessions, participated in Postal League, and worked on the Archery course; held three outdoor cooking classes complete with moose burgers, deer sausages, trash can turkeys and cowboy beans; and held a four week shotgun course. They will be receiving a grant from the Safari Club to purchase some new equipment.
Horse of Course held a bottle drive to help with horse camp expenses.
Wranglers went to the Skowhegan AQHA show and attended Jamboree.
The Jolly Juniors participated in a photo contest, held a food drive to benefit the Mariaville food pantry, are working on a wood working project and are scrapbooking.
Old Business:
Jamboree - Dwight reports that there were about 76 adults and youth. The campfire was a huge hit, complete with toasted marshmallows.
Another group will be collecting the returnables at the Blue Hill Fair this year; we might be able to keep a can for 4H in front of the food booth.
New Business:
Fair Books- Brenda noted that it is hard to plan projects that can be entered into the fair when the categories can change from year to year. She thinks it would help if the fair books were available sooner, even if just online. She will ask Methel for this years’ specifics.
The Horse committee agreed to give this years $50 to Melanie Gay, who brought five well trained horses to Jamboree for the kids to use.
This year’s steer is a Black Angus that Dwight bid on at the Windsor Fair Livestock Expo. It will probably not be on display at the fair because Dwight volunteered to raise it after we failed to locate a youth this year. However, Dwight says he has several good prospects to raise next year’s steer.
Barbara reports that one of the fridges in the BHF food booth needs to be replaced. She has located a second hand replacement for $350. A motion was made to spend the money on the replacement fridge; seconded and approved.
Meeting adjourned 8:02    
Respectfully submitted,
Lisa Carney, Secretary

Cooking with the Kids

Watermelon Basket Fruit Salad

This adorable idea is a great for the Fourth of July

Ingredients:

1. To make the watermelon basket, first wash the outer rind with cool water. Then, use a sharp knife to slice off one end of the melon, removing about a quarter of it. With a large serving spoon, scoop out the flesh and reserve for later. Decorate the rind bowl by using the tip of a vegetable peeler or lemon zester to inscribe a star pattern on its outer surface.
2. Next, cut the cantaloupe in halves and remove the seeds from the center of each. Use a melon baller to remove the cantaloupe flesh from one of the halves. Use the second half to make melon stars. To do this, set this half on its side and cut it into 1 inch slices. Lay the slices on a cutting board and use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out stars. Repeat the entire process with the honeydew melon.
3. Remove the seeds from the scooped out watermelon and cut additional stars out of it. Wash the grapes and remove them from their stems. Fill the watermelon basket with the melon balls, stars, and grapes. Makes 10 to 12 servings.       Taken from FamilyFun Magazine