4-H Happenings

A NEWSLETTER FOR HANCOCK COUNTY 4-H PARTICIPANTS

October 2009 Issue

2009 Blue Hill Fair

           The fair is old but the 4-H Exhibit Hall and Activity   Center was new this year. The exhibits were well arranged in the Eckenroad Building and we noticed a large increase in the number of visitors in comparison to the old location. The Activity Center was in a tent and was a success. As with any new program, there are things that will be done differently by the committee next year. It is certainly something new for 4-H to look forward to. There are a lot more pictures taken by the    Coordinators to be shown in the Special Edition. (For more photos - see Oct 2009 PDF page 4 & 5)

Special Thanks ~ You Are Awesome! - To all our volunteers: enrolled 4-H volunteers,  parents, youth, judges and people who just plain wanted to “help out a good cause”, THANK YOU for all you did to help make 4-H participation at the 2009 Blue Hill Fair a success!  From the  Exhibit Hall to the Food Booth,  to the new Activity Center, the Steer Raffle project to the livestock barns, the animal shows to the “helping out a fellow 4-Her” in need, we couldn’t do it without you.  The hours not only during the event, but the time  dedicated to preparation for the fair and the time to close down and clean up are many.  Thank you so much for all that you did at the fair to make the best better! 

 Upcoming Events

There will be NO October Leaders’ meeting.
The November 10^th banquet serves as the next meeting.

NORMA’S NOTES - Time to Catch Up - Norma  Hardison, 4-H   Program Aide, will be making her yearly calls to 4-H leaders starting the last of October.  She will be checking in to see how things are going, any questions, and anything she can help you with.  She looks forward to catching up on the 4-H news with you and learning more about what helps you as a leader.
 

CLUB CHAT - Lock, Stock & Barrel - Norwood Ames, leader of Lock, Stock and Barrel welcomed an impressive number of parents and youth to the sign up meeting for the year 2009-2010. He has been running the club with Becky at his side for about 25 years and the theme hasn’t changed a bit. Norwood says, “Safety is number one and everything else is extra. The club has fun but to be in this club you must follow the safety rules. That is the bottom line. You will be asked to leave the class after only one warning for inappropriate conduct. That’s how we keep Shooting Sports safe.”  Norwood added, “Chess has more injuries than Shooting Sports."
Norwood announced a thank you for the generous use of the Blue Hill Rifle Range. Wednesday nights are saved for 4-H. Also he gave a big thank you for the third donation from the Safari Club International Maine Chapter of $500 for another target rifle.  A crowd of over 72 was served the usual delicious pot luck supper.  It certainly is shaping up to be a very good year. The final activity was the drawing of the ticket by Alice Bowden. The wildlife designed quilt was made by Gladys Smith of Brooksville and won by Carol Hartman of Stillwater, Minnesota. Becky talked with her and she is thrilled. She has never won anything before so a touch of Maine will be traveling to MN and $813.05 will go to help the club’s finances.
 

SECRETARY’S NOTES - With the start of the new 4-H year, Norma is preparing for her club visits.  When she does these visits, she loves to see what the 4-Hers are doing or planning to do.  It gives her a chance to get to know the members a little better and see some of their accomplishments.  She also gets to see creative ideas and the enthusiasm of the club leaders.  She’ll come with her camera and be ready to feature you in the Club Chat section of the newsletter.  Have something special going on that Norma can’t get to?  Feel free to write up a short summary (or better yet, have one of the youth do it!) of your club’s activity and email a picture to me at jfortier@umext.maine.edu so we can let everyone know about the great work that is happening in your club!  As secretary, I learn a lot about 4-H and love to     feature your accomplishments.  (Joyce Fortier, 4-H secretary)

 4-H NEWS

Pumpkin Daze - Mark your calendar!  Pumpkin Daze will be held on Saturday, October 10th at Simon’s Farms from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm.  The pumpkin drop will be at 4:00 pm this year.  Rain date will be October 11th.  This is a fun day and your opportunity to help make others aware of the neat things you do in 4-H.  Contact the Extension Office at 667-8212 to let them know how you will be participating or if you have any questions.

Cloverfest 2009 - will be held on    Friday, October 16th at the Surry   Elementary School from 6:00 - 8:30 pm. Be sure to bring your family to help us celebrate all the wonderful accomplishments of the year.  A talent show is planned this year with members from several different clubs participating.  Sure to be a fun night for all!  More  information will be mailed out soon. 

Re-Enrollment - If any leader or any independent member has not received their packet or if you have any  questions, please contact the Extension Office as soon as possible.  Leaders please be sure to complete ALL paperwork by December 31st.  There will be no exceptions.

A Second Chance - If you missed the photo contest entries at the Blue Hill Fair you can still see them. They are now being displayed at the Ellsworth Public Library.  A special thank you to Brenda Jordan for handling this project. 
 

Election Results for the Leaders’ Association - Elections were held at the last Leaders’ Meeting.  Slate of officers:
   President: Terry Swazey
   Vice-President: Joey Wilbur   
   Treasurer:  Barbara Hopkins
   Secretary:  Lisa Carney
   Board: Wendy Hesketh, Brenda Jordan and Dwight Sargent
We’re all looking forward to another exciting new 4-H year!

Jolly Juniors Club Report:  On September 19, 2009, the Jolly Juniors had their sign up meeting. Four Cloverbuds moved up to make it a whopping fifteen members at the meeting.  We will be having our Cloverbud’s sign-up next week. After filling out all the enrollment forms, the Jolly Juniors started a cooking project with Methel Wilbur and Barbara Hopkins. We made Baked Stuffed Chicken with potato salad, tossed salad, biscuits and no bake cookies! Our parents said it was a fabulous meal and hoped we would do it again. Although we never got a count, we had a good turn out. We would like to thank Methel and Barbara for helping us with the cooking project. We would like to do it again. Katherine Jordan Reporter Pro tem
Extension Office Note: Thank you for submitting your club report.  We would love to hear from other clubs - and don’t forget pictures of special activities!

State 4-H News
September 2009

1. 2009-2010 Maine Association of Livestock Exhibitors Membership The 2009-2010 Maine Association of Livestock Exhibitors membership form is now available on the 4-H website.  Please note that when you send your form in, you are signing up for a membership in the Association, one of the benefits of membership is exhibitor liability insurance.  For more information and access to the form, go to:  http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/forms/webdocs/maleform.htm.
 

2. Animal Science Committee Nominations
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Maine 4-H Animal Science Committee is Saturday, November 7, 2009. It is time for 4-H volunteers who wish to serve on those committees to be nominated or re-nominated for a three-year term. You can visit our website at http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/manual/partb/b18.htm to learn more about serving in this position.  You can find a nomination and re-nomination form at       http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/forms/ASCnominationform.pdf. Deadline to send nomination forms to the State 4-H Office is October 1, 2009. If you are unsure when your term ends, you can contact the Activity Coordinator of your commodity, or Michaele Bailey. Membership to the Animal Science Committees is gained by a nomination and re-nomination process. Nominations can be made by an extension educator/professional, any member of the committee, and/or the nominee him/herself and occurs prior to the Fall ASC meeting. Nominations will be reviewed and voted on by each committee. Successful first-time nominees will be sent a welcome packet and an invitation to the Fall Animal Science Committee meeting. It is recommended that teenage 4-H volunteers be given seats on the Animal Sciences committees. Teen members will follow the same membership process as adults. If you have any questions about the animal science committees or the nomination process, please contact Michaele Bailey at mbailey@umext.maine.edu 1-800-287-0274 or Donna Flint at dflint@umext.maine.edu 1-800-287-1537.
 

3. Horses – EEE Information
Do you know what to look for if you think your horse has EEE, Eastern Equine Encephalitis? If you vaccinated this spring, is your horse still   protected? Take a look at this very interesting list of Frequently Asked Questions by Dr. Anne Lichtenwalner and Dr. Donald Hoenig on our website at: http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/resources/horse/eee.htm.
 

5. VOLT Training Corner
VOLT Training will be held on Saturday, November 7^th from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm at the Penobscot County Office, 307 Maine Avenue, Bangor.  To register, please call 207-942-7396, or email bbaker@umext.maine.edu. Bring a lunch. $5 donation for materials (scholarships available).

VOLT Training will be held on Saturday, November 14^th from 10:00 am – 2:30 pm at the             Androscoggin/Sagadahoc Counties Office, 24 Main Street, Lisbon Falls.  To register, please call 207-353-5550, or email drickman@umext.maine.edu
 

6. Hippology Fun Show (Horse Show)
Saturday, October 10, 2009 there will be an Hippology Fun Show with traditional equine classes and equine games to follow at the Pittston Fairgrounds starting at 9:00 am.  For more information, and registration paperwork, see our website at: http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/resources/horse/2009funshow.htm.
 

7. Morris Scholarship
This year, the Morris Scholarship winner is Sara Conant of the Eastern States Dog Team. Sara is a senior this year at Windham High School. The Morris Scholarship is awarded once every two years to a member of one of the seven livestock and animal teams that represent Maine at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Massachusetts. Candidates must plan to attend a two or four year college, have excellent grades, and demonstrate leadership in 4-H. 

8. 4-H National Youth Science Day
As part of 4-H Week 2009, 4-H is celebrating the Second Annual National Youth Science Day(NYSD) on October 7.  This year’s experiment called Bio-fuels Blast is designed to help youth explore and understand more about the creation and use of bio-fuels.  You can learn all about this year’s project by going to www.4-h.org/nysd.
This year’s experiment lets youth carry out an experiment that creates models what happens during the creation of bio-fuels from sugars using corn (Karo) syrup and yeast. The creation of carbon dioxide is the indicator that the reaction is taking place. It is too late to purchase the kits for the experiment, however, the materials needed – an empty 20 oz. plastic bottle, a balloon, yeast, Karo syrup, and water are all easily available.
Experiment facilitator guides and youth work sheets can be downloaded from the website once you register.  There is also a “How to” video, a discussion section, and a place to access promotional activities if you would like to highlight 4-H SET in your community.
And new this year, there are exciting new prize opportunities!  Once you and/or your group have completed the experiment, go to the NYSD website (www.4-h.org/nysd) and record your results.  This must be done between October 1 and October 30.  Thanks to John Deere, the county in every state that submits the most reports will receive $400.00!  Not only that, of those who submit their results through the Biofuel Blast experiment survey, five youth names will be randomly selected to receive a 32GB third generation iPod touch. The five youth will also be able to designate a 4-H club, school classroom, or youth organization to receive one of the pictured Fuel Cell Car Experiment kits. Official drawing rules can be found at https://www.4-h.org/NYSD/results_rules.php.  And don’t forget to take pictures both for your county staff, for the Maine SET Team and to post to the National Youth Science Day website.
For more information, contact Christy Fitzpatrick at cfitz@umext.maine.edu or 1-800-287-1469
 

Hancock County 4-H Leaders’ Association Minutes of Sept. 9, 2009

Members Present (13):  President Terry Swazey, VP Joey Wilbur, Treasurer Barbara Hopkins, Methel Wilbur, Dwight and Gail Sargent, Brenda Jordan, Norma Hardison, Wendy Hesketh, Carollee Tully, Frank Butler, Tina Chadbourne  and Jen Lobley, 4-H Educator.
Introduction: Tina Chadboure, new 4-H leader, came for the first time. She was introduced and we went around the table with introductions and what we do in 4-H. Terry Swazey reported that her new club is officially called “The Hen Huggers.”
· Secretary and Treasurer’s Reports: The August Secretary’s Report was accepted as written. The August  Treasurer’s Report was accepted as read.
Old Business:
· Steer Raffle: the winner was Kris Larabee from Sedgwick. She will take the steer but needs to get a freezer first. Gail reported that the steer wouldn’t go to Charleston for at least a month anyway. Dwight will report to Feed & Seed about the winner.
· Activity Center: Norma passed out the comments from the journal that Joyce had prepared. There were several comments and suggestions made such as printing on the sign bigger, Coordinators should see the Karoke    machine ahead of time to know how to run it, critters were a “big” draw, early shifts were too early, and Norma read a letter from Judy Nevells with her comments and compliments. It was in agreement that the   Center provided a place for the youth to show case what they are there for. Do to time, more discussion will take place at the committee meeting in the near future and then reported on.
· Exhibit Hall: There were many compliments as to how well Methel made the hall look. Methel reported 47 different members displayed 215 exhibits and there were three Club Exhibits. 6 year old Dalton Hamilton helped Methel in the Exhibit Hall. However, he sent word that he couldn’t help her on Monday because he was too tired. A thank you note will be sent to him.
· Razor Crossman Award: the winner was Chelsy Staples from the Barn Critters. We will need a write up about the things she did to accomplish this award.
· Food Booth: They ran out of food on Monday afternoon. Joey reported the running of the booth went very well. Barbara said that it appears to have been a good year financially. She will report next month. Norma read a letter from Judy Nevells suggesting investing in some mats for the front of the food booth. She will be looking for deals on mats before the next fair. Carollee reported that outside the grill mats, the floor area gets    dangerously slippery and that something should be done. A paint with sand in it was discussed.
· Bottle Drive: It was a success but there needs to be several improvements. Someone was taking the cans and bottles. Joey reported that Bill said there should be enough to pay expenses of setting up the project. Bill is  already thinking of changes for next year.
· Horse Show: Ten signed up but only five came. Terry said there would be extra effort into getting more horses next year.
· New Business: Cloverfest: Date is proposed for the 16^th or 17^th depending on the location. Gail will see about ordering the pizza from Angelo’s Pizzeria and the Leaders’ Association will furnish the drinks and chips.   Others may bring a dessert.  Joyce Fortier will be asked to come up with a talent show and an MC for the    entertainment part. Jen suggested a plan B, if the Talent Show doesn’t work. The shut off date for sign up will be October 9^th.
· Pumpkin Daze: October 10^th at 10-3. The committee will meet to put that together.
· Leaders’ Banquet: November 10^th (Tuesday night). Joey will check on places and prices.
· Project Records: Deadline will be September 25.
· The By-law: The change was accepted:
Meeting day and dates for 2009-2010: Terry passed out a list of the months and the typical things that need to get done. It should prove to be a very helpful list as we try this new format. It was voted to try for a year the second TUESDAY of every OTHER month. It was suggested that it be in bold letters on the newsletter. It will take getting used to but if the committees do their job, it should work. The Board may have the conference so early. They wanted to check to make sure everything is planned and taken care of. They can meet early that night and do Project Records (combine meeting dates) and then take home any unfinished records. Cloverbud records are going to come in early.
· Lisa Reilich sent an email to the office to propose Scholarships to attend the American Dairy Goat Association’s National Youth conference in Buffalo, NY. Lisa said, “I wanted the girls to present the proposal but unfortunately, we have had a farm emergency today and have just lost our herd sire.  I am now getting ready to drive to Orono for an autopsy.”  Wendy gave a description of the fund raising they had already done and that Maiah and Ella are requesting a $100 scholarship or whatever the Leaders’ feel they can do. It was also proposed to include Emma Foster but her parents are waiting on a decision. It was voted to   offer one hundred dollars each for a total of $300. Barbara reminded the leaders that the Eastern States participants automatically get $100 but they need to let Barbara know.
· Wendy informed the leaders that there was a youth that was interested in being an officer. It was suggested that it would be great to have a youth advisory board as the officers were scheduled to be voted on tonight. The opportunity to get VOLT trained will be on September 26^th.
· Election of Officers:
President: Terry Swazey, VP Joey Wilbur, Secretary Lisa Carney, Treasurer Barbara Hopkins, and Board members:  Wendy Hesketh, Brenda Jordan and Dwight Sargent.
There will be NO October meeting. The November 10^th banquet serves as the next meeting.
Norma Hardison, Secretary Pro tem

To All Blue Hill Fair Food Booth Volunteers
THANK YOU

This year was the Biggest Year Yet at the Blue Hill Fair food booth.  They sold 260 hamburgers in one day!  We’d like a special thank you to go to all of the volunteers who helped make this year such a success!  Thank you to the following:

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”

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Last Modified: 10/16/09
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