4-H Happenings

A NEWSLETTER FOR HANCOCK COUNTY 4-H PARTICIPANTS

March 2008 Issue

A Trip to Australia

Victoria was a member of the Hancock County 4-H Wrangles but didn’t join for the 4-H year of  2006-2007.  She was busy raising money to go on a trip. Lisa Carney helped her acquire a scholarship from the Hancock County Leaders’ Association. She didn’t join 4-H but she had this fabulous trip to Australia through the People to People Program. She is back to tell us about it and to join 4-H again. Her Dad said she missed Horse Camp and her 4-H friends. Welcome back Victoria.

I’m Victoria.  Over the past summer I spent a month in Australia.  The trip I took was through People to People, and covered much of Australia.  While I was down under, I learned about their culture and history.  We visited a few old jails, a war memorial, and an old gold  panning site to learn about the history of Australia.  To learn about the culture, we went to malls, farms, cities and stayed with a family. There were times when it wasn’t all about learning and we could just have fun.  We went snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, shopping, and went to a zoo.  At the zoo we got to hold koalas and feed and pet kangaroos.  I had visited and seen so many things in Australia.  I had the experience of a life time.  I recommend that if given the opportunity to go to  Australia, take it and don’t pass it up.  Submitted by Victoria

          Upcoming Events          
                
        

NORMA’S NOTES -This month I am going back 25 years in time. Larry Poulin was our Extension Educator. The Jolly Juniors club was over 50 years old and we thought there ought to be a celebration. A committee was formed and we started planning. The town of Waltham was 150 years old so we combined to include both. As we plan to view the film and open the time  capsule this July, I have been going back over the records. The town was small and we had never done anything like this before. Certainly not a parade! 4-H really came to the rescue. The committee included Norma Hardison as Co-coordinator, Beatrice Jordan of Jolly Juniors, Terri Blanchard former Jolly Junior, Noni Silsby and Pete Larson of Union River Valley, and Barbara Hopkins of Millvale Helping Hands. 4-H leaders in charge of other activities: Maggie Eckenroad of Gouldsboro the parade, Pete Larson of Aurora the chicken barbeque, ceremonies honoring Vida Haslam (Assistant Leader when club started), Boyd Hopkins of Millvale Helping Hands, Photographer Chris Kravitt and Raffle tickets Juanita Wilbur (both from Jolly Juniors). We had a bus load of 4-Hers come from Oxford county to participate. Many former 4-Hers helped. Of course there were many helpers from the town but I just wanted to show what an important part 4-H played in our celebration. We were grateful then and we still are. 4-H  helped make it a huge success!

CLUB CHAT: To set the scene for this Lock Stock & Barrel visit, you need to have a sudden chill. The sun was bight but the air was “brisk.” Norwood has been sent to the fire pit to check on the Pineapple Up-side-down Cake in the cast iron kettle that the boys made. Now the boys are inside where it is warm and the air smells of good food. They are making corn bread and putting it in iron skillets which will go into the oven. The 4-Hers have already prepared and wrapped in foil a potato, carrot, mushroom, onion and  beef  in a barbeque sauce mixture that is cooking on the outdoor grill. Their seafood chowder is all done and the girls “sausage in a blanket” is being sampled.

Everything is about ready so there is time to go to the range and shoot at drifting balloons. The  balloons did not cooperate in the cold air as expected but the shooters made the best of it. The back side of Blue Hill Mountain is a beautiful back drop for this fun activity. Earlier there had been three deer roaming around feeding. So now feel the warmth from the woodstove and imagine how good all that food tasted. Maybe you can get a feel for what it is like to visit this club, see how they work together, how safety conscious they are taught to be, how they learn from the Outdoor Cooking Class and how much fun they have.

4-H NEWS

Cloverbud Activities Record - The new Cloverbud Activities Record form can be found on our Hancock County 4-H website at: http://www.umaine.edu/umext/hancock/4-H/resources.htm. Instructions are listed separately.  If you do not have access to the web, please call the office and we can mail copies to you.  This replaces the Beginners Project Record forms which are no longer used.

 Seniors Don’t Forget - The Hancock County 4-H Leaders’ Association offers scholarships of varying amounts. Applications are available at your local high school guidance councilor’s office or the   Hancock County Extension office. Scholarships must be postmarked or received at the Extension Office on or before April 25, 2008.

Photo Contest - Information on the upcoming photo contest will be mailed out shortly.  In the meantime - be sure you’re snapping pictures in preparation. Be ready for those “Kodak” moments.

Baby Congratulations - are  extended to Independent leader, Carolyn Pelkey and her husband  Jeremy. They are the proud parents of Ava Wynn Pelkey.  She was born at 7:57 pm, on Nov. 26, 2007, weighed 6 lbs. 1 oz. and was 19 1/2 inches long.  Ava (future Hancock County   Cloverbud) joins sister Lexi Pelkey, Independent Cloverbud. Congratulations are also extended to proud grandmother, Karen Bender, Independent leader.

Demonstrations - will be held on Saturday, March 8 at 1:00 at the Cave Hill School. People are asked to bring finger foods to share. Directions to the school:  Turn onto Rt 179 by Sunrise Glass, about 12 miles to Rt 200; go approximately 3 miles; school is on the left at the bottom of big hill.

Ethnic Festival - We’re still looking for a leader to step forward and accept chair for this event.  If you’re willing to do so - please call the Extension Office at 667-8212.

 Tanglewood -  is accepting registrations for all of their summer programs!
Be sure to visit their website for information on:  
· Residential camp
· Day Camp
· Family Camp
· Outdoor Discovery Programs
· Leadership Development Programs for teens
Tanglewood offers affordable, hands on, nature based learning for ages 6-17 In Lincolnville and Tenants Harbor.  Visit www.tanglewood4h.org

Tanglewood Scholarships - The Hancock County 4-H Leaders’ Association - is offering three $200 scholarships (one per youth) to Hancock County 4-H members on a first come first serve basic.  Interested parents or youth must call the Hancock County Extension Office at 667-8212.
 

Jolly Juniors Cloverbud’s Annual Sewing Bee - Five year old Lucas sews his pillowcase with his sewing helper, Gail Fletcher.  “Pushing the pedal was fun.  Aunt Gail told me to slow down!  I learned how to make a pillowcase.”  This is Lucas’ first year as a Jolly Junior Cloverbud.
 

What Demonstrations Means to Me - By Bailey I like demonstrations because it makes me happy when I go to county.  I like seeing my friends go up and do their demonstrations, too.  Sometimes it’s hard to find a demonstration to do.  Bailey is 7 years old and a Jolly Junior Cloverbud.  This is her second year representing her club at the county level.  Bailey shows her finished sock puppets at her club’s recent demonstrations.
 

Get Well Wishes - are extended to Barbara Hopkins.  She broke her hip and required surgery.  She will be recuperating at Methel Wilbur, her daughter’s home.  Cards can be sent to 75 Silver Hill Farm Rd., Eastbrook, ME  04634. 
Wishing Dwight & Gail Sargent well also after their car accident.  Gail is a little sore but both are doing well according to their daughter.
 

Peanut Butter - Suet Mix - You can form this mixture into blocks for a basket feeder or pack it into a pine cone or into holes drilled into a small log.
1 cup melted suet
1 cup peanut butter
   (smooth or crunchy)
1 cup flour
4 cup yellow cornmeal
Mix the suet and peanut butter, then add the flour and cornmeal.  You may need to adjust the amount of cornmeal if the mixture is too sticky or too dry.  For variety, try adding one or more of these:  1 cup sunflower chips “Conifers of Maine”, 1 cup currants, or 1 cup chopped peanuts.
University of Maine Cooperative Extension Bulletin #7124

Looking for a 4-H Club with Leadership! - The Northeast Livestock Expo is soon approaching. The youth committee is busy organizing many fun-filled, multi-species activities for all youth in the State of Maine. They are excited to present a fun opportunity for a 4-H club. They are looking for a 4-H club with energy, leadership and livestock interest. The club would organize a skill-a-thon that would take place the weekend of the Expo (May 16^th, 17^th and 18^th). The event would include information on beef, sheep and boer goats (club does not need to be affiliated with all species). Responsibilities would include creating a visual information booth, skill-a-thon packet and organizing people to watch the booth and score the packets at the end of the expo. This is a great way to get your 4-H group involved! Other volunteer opportunities are also available for adults and youth. Any clubs interested should contact Heidi Howard at 975-4415 or hhoward712@msn.com

Northeast Livestock Exposition – May 16-18, 2008 - Windsor, ME – Mark your calendars now for the second annual Northeast Livestock Exposition sponsored in part by the Maine Sheep Breeders Association (MSBA) where it will hold its second annual sheep show and sale at the Windsor Fair Grounds May 16-18, 2008 in Windsor Maine.  NELE is quickly becoming the most exciting livestock event in the northeast. NELE is a multi species event combining several past individual events, including the Maine/New England Beef Expo where you can enjoy shows and sales for purebred cattle, feeder calves, Boer Goats, and sheep, as well as education sessions for all producers at all levels and youth activities and shows.

Producers in the northeast have different challenges and opportunities than producers in other regions of the country. One of these challenges is the ability to buy and sell top quality stock. The sheep show and sale will offer producers throughout the northeast opportunity to do just that, buy quality breeding stock and market lambs that will support their overall program needs. The Sale Committee is currently seeking and considering top quality sheep consignments at this time, including all breeds of sheep (purebred wool and meat breeds as well as feeder lambs and market lambs).  The deadline for consigning sheep is May 1, 2008. If you are interested in consigning sheep to the sale or want more information on the overall event please contact Wendy Reinemann at (207) 785-2978 or guiniridge@gmail.com.

If you are interested in buying sheep at NELE please call or send an e-mail to be added to the sale catalog mailing list or visit our web site where consignment will be updated weekly beginning in mid-April.

Whether you are a sheep or other livestock producer makes sure you don’t miss NELE.  For more details, schedule of event, directions, forms, rules and list of vendors can be found at www.northeastlivestockexpo.org.

 State 4-H News
 February, 2008

1. Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF) - Start making plans now to visit our Nation’s Capitol during the week of July 5-12, 2008.  Citizenship Washington Focus is a leadership program conducted by the National 4-H Council for high school youth ages 15 to 18. Delegations of 4-Hers from across the country spend six days touring the city and attending leadership skill-building workshops. This summer, the Maine delegation will leave on Saturday July 5 and return on July 12. You will stay at the National 4-H Conference Center just outside Washington, DC. Visiting the most popular sites in Washington will be a part of the trip. Contact your county 4-H office to find out how to apply for this trip. Each county has their own selection process. 

2. Maine 4-H Days - Mark you calendars now for Maine 4-H Days this summer at Windsor Fairgrounds, June 27, 28, and 29. 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 Corner - On the following Saturdays in 2008: April 12, July 12, and October 11 VOLT training will be held in Penobscot and Piscataquis Counties. Select one of those dates to attend from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Please bring your lunch, completed   application forms, and a $5.00 fee for the notebook and materials. No one will be turned away for lack of money. Location will usually be in Bangor at the Penobscot County     Cooperative Extension office, 307 Maine Ave, but we may hold one in Piscataquis County in   Dover if we have enough requests. So, register ahead of time by calling 942-7396 and speaking with Stacy (Barb, or Theresa).

4. National 4-H Trips - It is time to apply for the National 4-H Trips, Conference and Congress. To apply please fill out an application and submit your 4-H Story and your Resume. Mail your completed application to the State 4-H Office. Guidelines for writing your 4-H story can be found at http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/events.htm and click on the event you wish to apply for. Interviews will be held in Orono on Saturday, May 3^rd.
You may also pick up an application at your local County Extension office. National 4-H Congress will be held 11/28/08 – 12/2/08 in Atlanta and National 4-H Conference will be held in Washington DC 3/28/09 – 4/2/09.
Applications must be postmarked by April 15, 2008.

5.Tanglewood Camp - Register today for Tanglewood programs! Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center, a program of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, has program descriptions and registration forms online at www.tanglewood4h.org. Affordable program offerings for 2008 include family camps and a variety of youth day and residential, discovery, and leadership camps for ages 5-18 years old. Several new programs are being offered this year including residential and family camp at Blueberry Cove in Tenants Harbor and a new Leadership Development program for teens where participants will get a chance to climb Mount Katahdin!
To see or request a catalog or to buy gift certificates visit www.tanglewood4h.org or call (207) 789-5868.

 6. 4-H EDGE Weekend 2008 - Don’t forget to mark your calendars for…
The 4-H EDGE Weekend: Connecting Kids to Campus – May 17 and 18, 2008
The 4-H staff is hard at work on plans for this year’s 4-H EDGE Weekend.  The event promises to be bigger and (dare we say) better than last year!  We look forward to a wide variety of workshops for all you 4-H members ages 11-15 along with the on-campus experience that we hope will set you on the track for college!  Sleep in a  residence hall, eat at the University Marketplace, take advantage of recreational activities, find out what interesting places are tucked away around the campus, and try out activities related to just some of the many majors and career paths available through the University.

 Older youth, ages 16-18, are invited to a day-long set of sessions on Saturday that will prepare you for the college life that is right around the corner for you.  Practice some of the skills you will need for admission, learn how to deal with some of the pitfalls of college life such as drug and alcohol abuse and (too) easy credit.  Find out how to position yourself to receive scholarships and financial aid.  Think the University of Maine is too close to home?  Find out how UMaine can be a springboard to study across the nation and around the world!  

Of course, there will also be parent workshops.  Get comfortable with the admission process.  Learn that application for financial aid does not need to be scary or impossible.  Find out what your child needs to do to be “scholarship ready”.  

The registration forms will be ready about the beginning of March so watch the mail and save the date!!  Get ready to get “connected to campus.”

7. Horse Tryouts for Eastern States - The Eastern States tryouts for the horse team will be held June 20, 21, and 22, 2008 at the Skowhegan Fairgrounds. Maine 4-Hers who would like to try out for the horse team can find the packet at www.umext.maine.edu/4h/resources/horse.htm     Members who cannot access the packet on the website can contact their county Cooperative Extension Office for a packet.

 4-Hers who intend to participate in the Horse Tryouts also need to fill out an Intent to Participate form and send it in by April 1. The intent form is at http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/forms/eseintents/horse.htm . Also your horse approval form is due by April 1 only if you are trying out for Eastern States.

8. The Horse Committee - The Horse Committee will be offering study sessions via video conference this spring for youth interested in trying out for the Hippology, Horse Judging, Quiz Bowl and the Horse Communications Teams. Tryouts for these teams will be this spring via video conference. The date will be announced soon.  The posting for this is on our website at http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/resources/horse/study.htm
The dates are: March 18, 6-8pm
April 15, 6-8pm
May 20, 6-8pm

These are the locations to join the video conference:
· Houlton High School
· Mt. Blue High School in Farmington
· Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in South Paris
· Searsport District High School
A 5^th site in Cumberland and/or York County might be added to this list.

Hancock County Leaders’ Association
Minutes of February 20, 2008

 The meeting was called to order at 7:08 pm. The flag was saluted and the 4H pledge was recited.
Members Present (10):
· President Terry Swazey, Vice President Joey Wilbur, Secretary Lisa Carney, Norma Hardison, Nona Silsby, Ken Silsby, Wendy Hesketh,  Lore Lipkvich, Carol Tully and Methel Wilbur.
Secretary’s & Treasurer’s Reports:
· The October minutes were approved as written; no minutes for November, December or January.
· No Treasurers Report 
Club Reports:
· Ken met with a farm animal rescue that was featured on the channel 5 news.  It is run by Doris Wilkes’ daughter, Debbie McClain. It is located in Deblois near Wymans. Members of Ken’s group donated grain. The rescue is planning more fundraisers for the spring. The number for the rescue is 638-3005.
· Mix n’ Match has been very busy with fundraising and demonstrations, and they are in the process of making a large display.
· The Wranglers and Horse of Course toured some local barns, including Iron Slipper, Apple Blossom Acres and Breezy Maples, the new red barn on route 3 on the Orland/Ellsworth line. They are busy getting ready for demonstrations.
Old Business:
· Jamboree- May 30^th to June 1^st at the Blue Hill Fairgrounds. This year the Wal Mart associates and their families will be attending. Wal Mart will also be providing cameras again this year. Terry suggested that we should design and have printed up some Hancock County 4-H T-shirts that members can earn by attending county events. There will be no dates on the shirts.
· Demonstrations- will be held at the Cave Hill School in Eastbrook on Saturday, March 8^th at 1pm. Please bring finger food if you are attending.
New Business:
· Food Booth- There is a Baptist revival group that uses the Blue Hill Fairgrounds every summer. This year they will be there June 17-20, Thursday-Sunday. Rick Kelley asked Ken if we would be willing to operate the booth for them for breakfast and possibly lunch. We asked Ken to get back to use with more info (# of people, # of other concessions etc).
· InfoVets- Terry saw these at the Maine 4H Animal Science Committee meeting. They are manuals for each type of livestock with medical information. They are updated annually. The hard copy manual costs $75, a CD costs $25. They could be kept at the extension office. Ken had purchased one and was disappointed that it would only play on a computer, not his DVD player. Costs for updates are unknown. Terry will procure more info on systems requirements and availability.
Funding for 2008:
· College Scholarship-Wendy made a motion to add $1000 to the fund this year. Seconded and approved.
· Tanglewood- Fees have gone up this year. A motion was made to give out up to three $200 scholarships. Seconded and approved.
· Office donation- Joey motioned to make the same donation as last year, $1000. Seconded and approved.
· Pine Tree State 4-H Foundation donation- Joey motioned to make the same donation as last year, $500. Seconded and approved.
· Style Review- Letters have gone out. Joyce requested the same level of funding as last year. A motion was made to give Style Review $350, seconded and passed.
Photo contest- Methel made a motion to give the photo contest $150, with the understanding that they could ask for more if needed. Seconded and passed.
Total funds voted to spend: $3600.
Meeting adjourned 8:11
Respectfully submitted, Lisa Carney, Secretary

 Cooking with the Kids

Pizza Meat Loaf "Muffins"

Ingredients: 
            1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
            3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs   
            1/2 cup pizza sauce
           2 eggs
           Shredded mozzarella cheese
           Oregano
 

Heat oven to 375ºF.  Coat 8 muffin cups with cooking spray.
With your hands mix beef, bread crumbs, pizza sauce and egges in a bowl. 
 

Pack into cups.  Bake 25 minutes until cooked through.  Top with shredded mozzarella and some dried oregano.  Bake 2 minutes until cheese melts.   

Great teamed with pasta and peas. 

Taken from www.precipes.com/28732/pizza-meatloaf-muffins.html   
 3/6/08

Maine 4-H Youth
Development Mission
To educate and empower Maine youth through hands-on and  community-based experiences.

 Maine 4-H Youth
Development Vision
Maine youth acquire the knowledge, life skills, leadership abilities and attitudes to help them succeed now and in the   future through effective collaborations, hands-on experiential education and self-directed learning.
 

“To Make the Best Better”
“Learn by Doing”

Member of the University of Maine System
Last Modified: 03/07/08
These pages are currently being maintained from the
Hancock County Office, University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
Send comments, suggestions or inquiries to jfortier@umext.maine.edu

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