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On July 4^th fourteen 4-H youth and three chaperones arrived by airplane into Washington D.C to attend Citizenship Washington Focus. First thing on our agenda; how do we get down to the fireworks? With a little instruction from the national 4-H center staff, we were on our way via metro and subway to the center of the city. It was a very memorable time, and cool to see the fireworks over our Nation’s Capitol.

At first I was skeptical about going on this trip because I didn’t know anybody who was going on it. But during the plane ride there I made a few new friends who I hung out with through most of the week. But also during the trip I met a lot of cool people from different states who I still keep in touch with.

Some of my favorite parts of the trip were going to the monuments and the office buildings. I enjoyed going to the capital and getting a very well guided tour of it. I thought it was cool that I got to meet all of the states representatives and our two state senators. They even took the time to take portraits with us which they have already sent to us.

Although the week was jammed packed with site seeing opportunities, we were also put into committees and workshops all week and learned about our own government processes. The committee I worked on was health and fitness. During this committee, we came up with and created a derby day which was jammed packed with fun active activities. My job was to direct the kids to the activity stations.

My absolute favorite part of the trip was going to the National Cathedral. I wish we had a little more time to spend there and look around more though. I would highly recommend 4-H youth in Hancock County to take advantage of this opportunity and getting all the educational benefits from such a rewarding trip.
Submitted by Tyler Baez, Snapdragons & Hollyhocks

Sept. 1	Exhibit Check In at the Blue Hill Fair - 3:00-7:00 pm
Sept. 3-7	Blue Hill Fair
Sept. 7	6:00 - 7:00 pm - All exhibits must be picked up at the Blue Hill Fair
Sept. 7	Labor Day - Extension Office Closed
Sept 9	Leaders' meeting - 7:00 pm - Extension Office Election of officers and By-law changes will be voted on!
Sept. 25	Project Records due in the Extension Office

NORMA’S NOTES - How many times have you said or have someone say to you, “Let’s get together sometime?” And how many times does that actually take place? We all know the percentage is very small. Rebecca Rule, Humorist, Storyteller and Author from New Hampshire, and I beat the odds and really made it happen. Last fall at the Northeast Leaders’ Forum in New Hampshire, Rebecca was one of the delightful entertainers. When I heard one of her stories about Donnell Pond in Maine, I talked with her after the show. Rebecca would be in Maine at camp writing her book and of course the usual “let’s get together” was said. Rebecca and I had a delightful lunch at Porky Sue’s Place in Waltham. Her husband John also joined us. They got to see some of the local scenery, meet some town folks, 4-H kids, former 4-Hers and taste some local hospitality just as the travelers to New Hampshire Leaders’ Forum experienced.
P.S. We plan to get together again. Want to bet we will make it happen?
By Norma Hardison, 4-H Program Aide

CLUB VISIT: I visited what I believe is the first 4-H Science Camp in Hancock County. The Young Scientist Academy 4-H club held a five day science camp at the Blue Hill Consolidated Elementary school. Day one was Forensics Science. They must have felt like CSI Agents learning about body measurements, positions of the body, blood stains detecting (UV light) and making casts to capture footprints. The day of my visit was Math, the language of science. They had fun working with numbers, codes and solving problems. Day three was Physics Science and they dealt with the structure of matters and atoms; electrons, building the simple electro motor, electromagnet and Galvanometer. Day four was Chemistry Science and working with invisible ink, making natural soap and diagnosing signs of trouble in soap. The last day was Biology Science and the DNA isolation from wild berries and fun Slime Experiments. Monica Jodrey, Jolly Juniors, was with me and she was invited to join in and she told her mother what a good time she had and the math problems were fun. Thanks to the club for including another 4-Her. That is the 4-H way. Ilona Rankin, club leader, pointed out that many of the activities are “fun tricks” and “things to do” when you have friends over to visit or have a party. Some participants were asking for more things to take home—sort of like homework—wow that is a switch! Ilona was very happy with the good responses from the 4-Hers and parents and oh, yes, she plans to do another Science Camp next year. By Norma Hardison 4-H Program Aide

Don’t Forget - All exhibits for the Blue Hill Fair must be checked in on Tuesday, September 1st between 3 and 7 pm. Please note new location. All 4-H exhibits will be in the Ross Eckenroad Building. Due to limited space in the hall, leaders are encouraged to bring the exhibits with completed paperwork. All exhibits must remain in the 4-H hall until 6 PM Labor Day, or forfeit the premiums. If you cannot pick them up at this time - arrange for some one else to pick them up. Prize money will be awarded at Cloverfest in October.

Attention All Sewers & Crafters - We have received a wonderful gift of fabric from Cynthia Lawrence of Trenton, ME. Cynthia thought of 4-H when she was cleaning out her aunt’s home. She has donated yards and yards of material. There are several large pieces of beautiful wool. It is not too soon to consider material for a 4-H sewing project. Here is your opportunity to get free cloth. Pick your pattern later. The cloth is here at the Cooperative Extension Office on a first come – first choice basis.

Talent Show - We’re considering a talent show for this year’s Cloverfest - ”4-H Has Talent.” Would each leader discuss this with your members and report to Joyce at the Extension Office to see if there is enough interest in this. We’re looking for music, skits, dance, magic - a variety of talent.

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 announced later. Watch your mail for more information.

Project Records - are due Sept. 25, 2009. If any leader is willing to judge, please contact the office or Terry Swazey at 469-3564. Want to know how your project record is judged? Check out the Rubric Judging Guidelines on our 4-H county website: http://www.umaine.edu/umext/hancock/4-H/newslettertoc.htm
4-H members are encouraged to complete and submit end of the year project record sheets to their local county extension office for 4-H county recognition. 4-H project records are important documents that are necessary for state and national opportunities, awards and future scholarship consideration. Awards will be presented at Cloverfest!

Re-enrollment 2010 - Another 4-H year will begin soon! Watch the mail for your club’s re-enrollment packets. Enrollments are due December 31st.

Blue Hill Fair Results - The winners from the Blue Hill Fair will be posted in our upcoming Special Edition. Congratulations ahead of time to all our 4-H’ers on a job well done!

Photo Contest - Wonderful pictures again this year! We had 22 entries representing 8 4-H members and 10 pictures from 13 different Cloverbuds. The photos will look so nice at the Blue Hill Fair exhibit hall. Our judges this year were 4-H leaders Sarah Swazey and Vicki Koehler, plus Vicki’s husband, Gerd. Sarah did photography as one of her 4-H projects and is continually studying it. Gerd has been in the photographic and gravure arts business for 50 years both in senior management and as quality expert. He is known throughout the industry as an expert in color reproduction and quality issues. He has done this work both in Europe and the USA. Vicki has worked for Ilford Photographic LTD. as a technical consultant and sales representative servicing professional photographers, newspaper photographers, and major corporations both in NYC and New Jersey. She also worked for the Boy Scouts of America as a photographer for several years. These judges gave careful consideration to the quality of the pictures and made some very helpful comments. Think about these hints when you are taking pictures next time. Thanks to everyone for making this contest such an exciting event! After the Blue Hill Fair, they will be on display at the Ellsworth Library and ribbons will be presented at Cloverfest. Special thanks to the Leaders’ Association for making this event possible.

Election Time for the Leaders’ Association - Elections will be held at the next Leaders’ Meeting on September 9th, at 7:00 pm. Current slate of officers:
President: Terry Swazey
Vice-President: Joey Wilbur
Treasurer: Barbara Hopkins
Secretary: Lisa Carney
Board: Wendy Hesketh, Brenda Jordan and Dwight Sargent

Ideally we would like to see at least two people per position. If you are interested, please contact Terry Swazey, Lisa and/or Bill Carney. We highly encourage everyone to come and vote and to nominate candidates from the floor. The Leaders’ Association is such an important part of 4-H. By working together the leaders earn the funds to help promote many of the programs, they represent 4-H to the outside world, they bring in new members, and they are the glue that holds the program together. So vote for the candidates that are best suited to accomplish these goals and that will make “The Best Better.” We’re looking forward to another good year.

Norma On the Lookout - It was my first 4-H Horse show ever and we had a super fun time! We got there real early and the 4-H families were very welcoming. They even gave up one of their stalls so that my horse, Maggie could have a place to rest that was shaded from the sun. We got right to work and I warmed up Maggie in the arena. The show started with the showmanship class. There were about 11 kids in my Junior class and I got one of two blue ribbons given out. I did two English riding classes, an English pattern class, then two Western riding classes. I got blue ribbons in all of my classes! Then, at the end of the day, after the game classes, they announced that I had won the high point trophy for my age group! I was so proud of my horse Maggie for doing such a good job! It was a really good time, the kids were great and we can't wait to do it again next year! I encourage other 4Her's to add the Bangor Fair 4H Horse show to their show schedules for next year, you won't be disappointed. Here are a couple of pictures from the day… Destiny, Mix n’ Match

On Saturday, August 8th, Justin, Mix n’ Match, took Best Doe in Show at the 2009 Bangor State Fair ADGA Sanctioned 4-H Dairy Goat Show. He is posing with CH Alpenglow Storin Sugar. Justin and Sugar live in Mariaville on a working Goat Dairy farm. Sugar is a 4 year-old Oberhasli Dairy Goat, which Justin has raised since she was 12 weeks old. Sugar, with many other dairy goats produce fine goat's milk which is used to make a variety of cheeses labeled under Garden Lore.

1. Eastern States Bus Trip October 3, 2009
It’s time to reserve seats for the buses traveling to Eastern States Exposition (ESE or also called the “Big E”) in West Springfield, Massachusetts for Maine Day on Saturday, October 3, 2009. This one-day trip is sponsored by the Maine Trustees of the Eastern States Exposition to encourage Maine 4-Hers who don’t presently participate in events at ESE to see the activities that go on for 4-H youth in hopes to bolster their enthusiasm to participate in the future. Two buses are reserved for us and the northernmost bus will originate in Bangor and they will stop at several points on I-95. Seats fill up quickly, and we will begin taking registrations on Monday, August 10, 2009.
All youth must go with a chaperone, but this event is primarily for youth so seats are limited to no more than two adults per child. The bus ride and admission to the “Big E” are free, but all individuals on this trip are expected to march in the parade at 5 pm. It works well if you wear a 4-H tee shirt if you have one and for clubs to bring their club banner to display during the parade.
Items you might want to bring along with you are: light snacks, water, a good book, Rated G movies (there is a DVD/VCR on the bus), a pillow, and a blanket. There will be rest stops along the way. Other items to consider bringing: clothing to identify your club, a comfortable pair of walking shoes, a hat with a visor, sun glasses, sun screen, a back pack, personal spending money, a camera, and a watch. If you have a cell phone, it will be helpful for logistics. Please include your cell phone number when you register.
Please leave valuable items at home. We will not be responsible for lost or stolen items. Bus stops will be determined based on location of riders. Reservations must be made in writing or by e-mail to: Jessy Brainerd 103 Libby Hall University of Maine Orono, ME 04469-5741 jbrainerd@umext.maine.edu
When you register, please give your name, address, home phone and cell phone number if you have one. Please give the names of all the people in your group and indicate if they are a child or adult. Reservations are due by Friday, September 4, 2009; please call after that date to see if there is still room. A confirmation letter will be sent to you two weeks before the trip giving you the time and pick up location. Pick up will be bright and early in the morning, but the return trip will be staggered. One bus will leave right after the parade; the second bus will leave after the evening events. So when you register, let us know if you’d like to return on the early or late bus.
For questions, you may contact Jessy Brainerd or Michaele Bailey at 800-287-0274 or 581-3877

2. Make It With Wool Contest
4-Hers in Maine are invited to enter the Make It With Wool Contest, a national competition sponsored by the American Sheep Industry Association. The state-level contest will be held on October 10, 2009 at the Page Farm Museum at the University of Maine in Orono. Contestants may enter garments made with wool that are sewn, knit, crocheted or felted. More information and rules for the contest are on our website at http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/events/other/wool.htm or you can contact Michaele Bailey at 1-800-287-0274 or mbailey@umext.maine.edu for more information.

3. Water Quality Project for 4-H Clubs
Crista Straub, a graduate student at the University of Maine is helping to implement the “GET WET!” program in 4-H groups across New England. This program works with local students and the community to create a long-term groundwater quality database for towns where there is shared use of groundwater resources.
For detailed information please read the GET WET! Website www.umaine.edu/WaterResearch/outreach/GetWet/index.htm. They already have schools scheduled to participate in GET WET! and are looking for different 4-H groups to start in the Fall of 2009. For a flyer with more information, contact Christy Fitzpatrick at: cfitz@umext.maine.edu.

4. 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.

5. Farmer Stress
The University of Maine Cooperative Extension has assembled a web page full of resources for farm families experiencing an unusual amount of stress during these difficult times. www.extension.umaine.edu/FarmersUnderStress/ There are links to information on recognizing the warning signs of suicide, good health practices for farm work, and managing in tough times.
There will be a two-hour free webinar entitled “Recognizing Farmer Stress” on Thursday, September 3 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. You will need a high speed internet connection for your computer to participate as well as speakers to hear the audio. The link to this computer conference is on the farmer under stress web page.

6. Results of the 2009 Maine 4-H Dairy Show and Eastern States Tryouts -
The Maine 4-H Dairy Show was held at the Windsor Fairgrounds on July 18 & 19, 2009. The judge for the event was Martha Seifert form Orwell, VT. There were 44 youth participating. For a complete list contact the Extension Office.

7. 2009 Skowhegan Fair
Thanks to everyone who came and helped us celebrate the 4-H Experience at the 2009 Skowhegan State Fair. We enjoyed meeting you and hope to see you all again next year. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if we can be of further assistance. Office phone 1-800-287-1495 or 474-9622. Thanks from everyone in the Somerset County Cooperative Extension Office.

8. ESE Horse Team
Tryouts for the Eastern States Horse Team were held at the Skowhegan Fairgrounds the weekend of June 26, 27, and 28, 2009. The Horse Team will compete at Eastern States in West Springfield, MA on September 23 to 27, 2009. Thirty six 4-Hers in the horse project tried out for the team and twenty members of the team were selected.
Congratulations to Katlyn Sargent, Horse of Course.

9. ESE Beef Team
The Eastern States Beef Team will compete at the Big E September 24 – 28, 2009 There are fifteen 4-H members representing Maine on the Eastern States Beef Team: For a complete listing contact the Extension Office.

10. 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

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm. The flag was saluted and the 4-H pledge was recited.
Members Present (12):
· President Terry Swazey, VP Joey Wilbur, Treasurer Barbara Hopkins, Secretary Lisa Carney, Methel Wilbur, Bill Carney, Gail and Dwight Sargent, Frank Butler, Carolee Tully, Norma Hardison, Wendy Hesketh and Jen Lobley.
Check In:
· Terry has started a poultry club with 5 members.
· The goat clubs showed at the Bangor State Fair; Justin received best Doe in show.
· Destiny showed at the Bangor Horse Show and received the high point trophy
· Norma is finalizing the agenda for the Activity Tent.
· Bill met with Rob Eaton about recyclables and where to put containers.
· Jen informed us that Time Warner will be sponsoring EDGE for the next few years and will help with statewide advertising.
· Carolee and the Horse and Rider group held their horse camp last week. On the last day they went to Bonnie Moretto’s and learned about ground driving, and they each got to ride for a few minutes. She has new chickens and is interested in Terry’s new club.
· Barbara, Joey and Methel are working to get the food booth ready. There are still open shifts. Methel lamented the brevity of summer vacation.
Secretary and Treasure’s Reports:
· The July Secretary’s Report was accepted as written; thank you notes from Tyler Baez and Justine Alexander will be brought in next month.
· The July Treasurer’s Report was accepted as read.
Old Business:
· All of the steer tickets that had been printed have been given out; we would like to know how many have actually been sold so that we will know if we need to print more. Anyone who could call and check with ticket recipients should call the office for a list of names.
· Food Booth- there are still times available! The 10-2 and 2-6 shifts on Friday and Saturday are particularly low.
· Exhibit Hall- no one but Frank showed up to help paint the exhibit hall, but through a monumental effort he managed to get the whole thing covered with at least one coat of paint. He especially would have liked to see some youth there. We need to plan out maintenance workdays and announce them earlier; Frank noted that some of the trim is rotten. He also suggested asking a painter what supplies we need before we purchase them; acrylic stain may be a better choice than latex paint. Perhaps we can set up a calling list to ask people personally
· The Oxen barn has been torn down.
· Jamboree- Terry received enough donations to cover the cost of the porta potties.
· Activity Center- some of the activity coordinators requested funding. One would like to purchase small prizes, and another would like to cover the cost of making cookie dough. A motion was made to set up a $100 fund at the office, from which participants could be reimbursed upon showing receipts. Seconded and passed.
New Business:
· The change in the bylaws needs to go in the next newsletter
· The Nominating Committee is looking for anyone who would like to be an officer. Contact Bill, Lisa or Terry if you know anyone who might be interested.
· The Safari Club has once again made a very generous donation! They have given the Shooting Sports program $500 with which to purchase a new target rifle.
· Returnables at the BHF- Bill will look for plastic tablecloths to cover the cans with. EBS may donate can liners. We will start collecting on Tuesday. We can store cans collected during the day in the horse jump section of the exhibit hall.
· Norma suggested putting out a bucket to collect more can tabs for the Shriners. It was pointed out that we should educate people about how they are used. It was also mentioned that we could collect for the Ronald McDonald House, which is a local organization.
· If anyone knows the whereabouts of the popcorn machine, please let Joey know.
Meeting adjourned 8:20 Respectfully submitted, Lisa Carney, Secretary

Cooking With the Kids

Pasta Salad

You need:
     2 cups of any raw cut-up veggies (carrots, bell peppers, green onion,
           corn, peas, celery, cauliflower, radishes, summer squash, broccoli)
     4 cups cooked pasta
     1/2 cup Italian dressing
     2 Tbsp shredded cheese

How to: Toss all together in large bowl. Top with cheese. You can add chicken or ham, too.

Taken from Building Better Health Healthy Maine Partnerships

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.

Member of the University of Maine System
Last Modified: 10/20/09
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Hancock County Office, University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
Send comments, suggestions or inquiries to jfortier@umext.maine.edu