June 30, 2008

Good Morning! We actually have a week when very few 4-H events are scheduled. We’re using this week for preparation time for all our activities coming up in July. It is our hope that parents could use this week for family vacations.

We have a few groups meeting this week to continue preparations for camp. Our final CPR/First Aid session for counselors is today at 9:00. Evening Rec. Committee then meets at 2:00.

Clubs or individuals that would like to make donations for camp may do so by sending a check to 7868 CR 140, Suite B, Findlay, OH. Checks should be made payable to 4-H Advisory Council. Sponsorships for snacks, crafts, waterslide, dance, high ropes, scuba, t-shirts, bus transportation or camper scholarships will be appreciated. We are doing everything we can to keep camper fees down so more kids will get a camp experience.

Goat Council has been moved to Wednesday the 2nd. Jr. Goat Council begins at 6:30, followed by Sr. Goat Council at 7:00 at the Agricultural Service Center. The Skill-a-thon will be set up for members to practice.

Our Demonstration Contest is next Wednesday, the 9th. Please pre-register so we know how many to expect that day. The contest begins at 9:00 a.m. at the Agricultural Service Center.

We have field crop, garden and Home Design judging next week. It might be a good idea to get out in those gardens this week and get those weeds pulled.

Clothing judging is also next week. Judging and Style Revue will be at Central Church of Christ on the 10th.

Our office will be closed this Friday, the Fourth of July. Regular office hours the rest of the week are 8:30-4:30.

Have a great week!!!!

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June 23, 2008

Good morning! We have another busy week of 4-H activities. We start with Camp Counselor/CIT training on Tuesday. We meet at the Ag Service Center at 1:30. Our first CPR/First Aid training for counselors will be offered that evening at 5:00. The remainder of counselors will need to attend the CPR/First Aid on the 30th.

Wednesday is our Health Bowl competition. This begins at 10:00 a.m. at the Ag Service Center. This contest is a quiz bowl format and all the questions are about nutrition, fitness and first aid. There is a junior and senior division. Members may pre-register at our web-site or arrive by 10:00 a.m. on the 25th.

Our final QA is scheduled for Thursday, the 26th at Central Church of Christ (East Hardin Street).This session begins at 1:00. Members must attend QA to show livestock projects at the Hancock County Fair, or Ohio State Fair. Call our office if you have missed all opportunities for QA. Other counties have some dates scheduled.

Hancock County Dog Fun Match will be this Saturday at the Hancock Co. Fairgrounds. Showmanship classes begin at 9:00. The show is held in the show arena at the fairgrounds.

At this same time, a state fair qualifying horse show is being held in Hardin County. This is the 2nd year we have teamed up with Hardin County to conduct our PAS show. Members have two opportunities to qualify. The first will be Saturday in Kenton and the second will be July 8th at the Hancock County Fairgrounds. Members must be pre-registered to participate.

Ohio Sate Fair Scholarship deadline is just one week away. You must be a senior to be eligible and you must have taken projects to the Ohio State Fair. The deadline is July 1st, and applications are available at our office, or at the Ohio State Fair web-site.

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June 16, 2008

Good Morning! Camp Registrations are due today; however, I received permission from Camp Ohio to continue to take those registrations throughout this week without raising the fees. We know that it has been challenging for parents to come up with the money to send their children to camp this year due to rising fuel and food prices. Please give me a call if we need to work out a payment plan, or if a little more time is needed to come up with the fees. We don’t want to see anyone miss out on the camp experience!

Our County Health & Safety Speaking Contest is Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. There is a Jr. and Sr. Division and the topic of speeches may be any health or safety topic that affects family living at home, farm, highway or public places. General guidelines are available at our office. The skit contest will follow the speeches.

Tuesday evening is our next Jr. Leadership Meeting. We will be meeting at the Bluffton Pool at 6:00 for swimming. We will travel to the home of Calvin Ice at 8:00 for a bonfire. Calvin’s address is 19544 TR 59, Rawson. Young people may be picked up at the Ice home by 9:00.

We have project workshops on Wednesday. Cake Decorating, Self-Determined, and Recreational Dance will be at 10:00 a.m. Then beginning at 1:30, sessions for Skill-a-thon Preparation and Understanding the new Dog Projects will be held.

The Livestock Judging Contest will be held on Thursday, June 19 in the Show Arena at the Hancock County Fairground. This contest begins at 9:30 a.m. Participants should bring a clipboard and pen to use during the contest.

All State Fair Livestock entries are due on Friday, June 20. Those should be mailed directly to the State Fair Livestock Office. Also on Friday is the Market Lamb weigh-in. That will be at the fairgrounds from 6:00-8:00 in the evening.

Emily Altvater and Katie Cole are participating in Citizenship Washington Focus this week. They will participate in many legislative activities at the 4-H Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland, visit their Representatives and Senators on Capitol Hill and tour Washington D.C. during the week. Congratulations to both ladies for being selected to represent Hancock County on this trip.

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June 9, 2008

Good Morning! We continue to accept 4-H Camp registrations this week. Those have been coming in pretty steady and members have until the 16th to register before the fee goes up. Now that school is almost out, we’re getting pretty excited about camp. A bus is available at $25 round trip. We will fill that bus on first come basis. At this time we only plan to secure one bus. It’s a beautiful drive and if parents have not visited 4-H Camp Ohio, it’s a great opportunity to see what your kids love about camp.

Horse Council will meet at the Hancock County Fairgrounds on Wednesday at 7:00pm. This group always moves their summer meetings to the fairgrounds. Our members enrolled in horse projects will have two opportunities to qualify for the Ohio State Fair. They may participate in Hardin County on June 28 or our county on July 8. If planning to participate in the PAS Shows, members must submit the registration form to the Extension Office by June 13, this Friday. No registration forms will be accepted after that time. I believe those are available at our web site.

Project Workshops have been moved to Thursday, June 12. Those had to be changed to the 12th so we got all the kids out of school. Workshops will be offered for Food & Nutrition and Photography at 10:00 and Flower & Vegetable Gardening and Scrap Booking at 1:30. If you plan to attend, we are making a list as you call in so we have plenty of handouts. However, you’re welcome to attend regardless of pre-registration.

Thursday evening is the next Jr. Fair Board meeting at 6:30 at the Hancock County Fairground.

We do have several summer contests coming up and we remind 4-Hers that they should either call our office or go to the web site to pre-register for most events.

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June 2, 2008

Good Morning! We’re working at getting through our deadlines this week. Today is the last day that we will accept Horse ID Cards, Liability waivers, Safety & Ethics papers and lease agreements for the horse projects. All videos must have been watched by each member before attending any riding meetings. Please get everything to us today.

Today is also the last day for members to make any changes to projects. They may only add or drop a project until 4:30 today. After that time, we will go with whatever information we have. We would encourage members to follow through on commitments and complete all project work.

Today is the final day to join a 4-H Club to be eligible to exhibit project work at the county fair. Of course, we will accept new members at any time, but this is the final day for participation at the fair.

We have two 4-H teens that will be recognized tomorrow evening at the State 4-H Awards Banquet. This banquet will be held in the new 4-H Center in Columbus. Brooke Woodward, a senior at Cory Rawson High School will receive a plaque and meet her donor as she accepts the state award for the Health Program area. Brooke will attend National 4-H Congress later this year. Mitch Wilson, a senior at Arlington High School, will receive a $2500 Smith Scholarship and meet his donor. Mitch will be attending Ohio State University, Lima branch in the fall. Congratulations to both of these young people as they are recognized for their accomplishments!

Sr. Goat Council will meet on Thursday evening in the Conference Room at the Agricultural Service Center at 7:00. The Rabbit Club will be meeting at that same time in the other conference room.

There will be a Horse Clinic presented on Saturday, June 7 at the Hancock County Fairground. Tiffany Krock, from Columbus, is the clinician and the program begins at 9:00 a.m. Members may enter the clinic for $10 for the day. Participants will learn how to show horses better. Parents are invited to attend. Pizza and pop will be available at the conclusion of the clinic.

That should get us through the first week of June. Have a great week!

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May 26, 2008 - Memorial Day

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May 19, 2008

There will be a Camp Counselor/CIT meeting this evening from 6:00-8:30 at the Hancock County Agricultural Center. Topics to be discussed include Risk Management and What’s Appropriate at Camp and What’s Not. This year’s theme is “4-H Camp Rocks,” and will be held July 14-18 at 4-H Camp Ohio. Registrations will be accepted June 1 through June 16, and is open to all youth ages 8 and in the third grade through 14 as of January 1.

Jr. Leadership Club will meet on Tuesday, May 20 from 7:00-8:30 at the Ag Service Center. A brief meeting will be held followed by a program on cell phone etiquette. Jr. Leadership Club is for all teens 14 and older. We will also review responsibilities for 4-H activities throughout the summer.

Camp Credits will be decided this evening and all those that are awarded credits should be notified this week.

Next Monday is a holiday, so there will be no weekly update or radio on May 26.

Next Tuesday, May 27 is the 4-H Advisory Council meeting at 7:00 at the Ag Service Center. The Activities Sub Committee will meet at 6:15 to discuss summer activities coming up.

Our next Quality Assurance session is scheduled for May 28 at Van Buren High School. Only one session remains besides the May date and that is June 26 at 1:00 at Central Church of Christ. If a member is unable to attend any of the four offerings we’ve had, please call 419-422-3851 to obtain dates for surrounding counties. There is a cost to attend sessions offered by other counties.

Have a great week!

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May 12, 2008

Good Morning! We have a few camp committees that will be meeting at our office this evening. The Flags/Citizenship group and the Campfire group will be meeting at 6:00. I believe I was told they should plan on 1-1 ½ hours for those meetings.

Horse Council will meet on Wednesday evening at 7:00 at the Agricultural Service Center. This will be the last meeting before they move out to the fairgrounds for the summer. I think they’re getting pretty anxious to start riding their horses.

There will also be a meeting at 7:00 that same evening for 4-H members that have been selected to represent Hancock County on State trips. We will be completing required paperwork and reviewing expectations when representing our county. All teens should plan to attend along with one parent. It should be a brief meeting.

The Livestock Skill-a-thon schedule should be posted to the web site today. Members may go to the web site to find out assigned times to complete the skill-a-thon this summer. We always get lots of calls around this time as parents are trying to schedule appointments around 4-H events, so that information is now available.

The last day for members to add or drop a 4-H project is June 1st. Please get those changes to us as soon as possible.

Deadline for Teen Camp registration is June 1. That camp is held at Kelley’s Island on June 13-16 and is for all teens 13-16 year olds. You may call the Ottawa County Extension Office with questions.

Cloverbuds will be held on Thursday evening at 6:15. They have a noisy evening planned as they make music and discover interesting things about sound. RSVP to Karen by the 15th!

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May 5, 2008

Good Morning! I can’t believe we’re into May already. We’re trying to keep 4-H activities to a minimum to give these kids a chance to finish the school year. We’ve got several meetings this month, but most of our deadlines are past for awhile.

Jr. Fair Board meets this Thursday evening at 6:30 at the Hancock County Fairground. If you ordered flowers from a Jr. Fair Board member, they should be delivered this week.

Pure Country Greenhouse and the Men & Women’s Garden Club of Findlay are co-sponsoring contests for children ages 5-8 to grow sunflowers and pumpkins. Pure Country Greenhouse supplies the seeds which are available at the greenhouse located at 6625 TR 34, Rawson and will be available soon at the 4-H Office at OSU Extension, 7868 CR 140, Suite B. With the seed packets, children will receive instructions about growing the plants. They will have the opportunity to display their sunflowers and pumpkins in the Youth Building at the Hancock County Junior Fair in August. For more information, contact Monica vonStein at 419-326-6525 or Ann Brickner at 419-387-7230. We want to thank the vonSteins for supplying all the seeds. We appreciate this major donation for children in Hancock County.

Self-Determined projects are designed to help members with goal setting skills. Members enrolled in project 365, please call the Extension Office to let us know the area of interest for your project. If you are currently enrolled in one of the idea starter projects such as 365.1, 365.2, 365.3, 365.4, etc. you do not need to call. This will be a big help when trying to schedule judging of the projects. Please call by May 9, 2008.

Congratulations to Brooke Woodward upon receiving a $500 College Scholarship through our 4-H Endowment Fund. Brooke is the daughter of Mike and Jill Woodward and a 10-year member of the Gold Star 4-H Club. She plans to attend Bowling Green State University in the fall majoring in Communications Disorders. Congratulations!

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April 28, 2008

Good Morning! This has been a busy week and it’s unusual for me to be writing this on Thursday rather than on Monday. We were at Liberty Benton School yesterday and conducted Real Money, Real World with the seniors. We will be at Cory Rawson High School on May 8th and finish out at Van Buren the end of May. Each time we conduct this program, we need no less than 15 volunteers. It is National Volunteer Week and we’d like for all our volunteers to know they are appreciated, and making an impact in the lives of young people.

Speaking of volunteers, in 2007 there were 23,168 adult volunteers working with the 4-H program in Ohio. 12,162 youth volunteers gave service to the 4-H program. The average length of service of adult volunteers in Ohio is 9.35 years, and in Ohio there are 642 volunteers with over 31 years of service.

Andrea Mitchell and her family will be visiting Washington, D.C. for a series of national recognition events as a state nominee in the 2008 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program. During the events, ten National Honorees will be named. (five high school students and five middle school students) These honorees will receive an additional $5,000, gold medal and crystal trophies for their nominating program, which is 4-H. Congratulations to Andrea, and best of luck in Washington, D.C.

Tonight, Goat Council meets at 7:00 at the Agricultural Service Center. County Rabbit Club meets at the same time in the other half of the conference room.

Two more opportunities to attend Livestock Quality Assurance are May 28 at Van Buren High School and June 26 at Central Church of Christ. Check with our office for listings in other counties. Most other counties will include a fee to attend.

Have a great week-end!

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April 21, 2008

Good Morning! We’re hoping for great weather on Tuesday for our Frozen Food Pick-Up Day. It seems like we always hit rain. Of course that’s only bad for the workers, because we don’t need you to leave your car as you pick up your items. We will do all that for you and it’s as easy as going through a drive-thru. We should be ready to start at 2:00 and we would like to have all items picked up by 6:00.

Wednesday evening is our next camp counselor training. Some groups are meeting at 5:30, but the main session is from 6:00-8:30. Everyone has been asked to bring a game that they can teach to the group. We will be gaining some insights to teaching styles. Of course all of our teens will be teaching sessions when they go to camp, so this is our night to write lesson plans and practice.

Friday and Saturday we will be at Camp Ohio for Counselor Camp. There will be teens from all over the state. We will be facilitating sessions that will assist these kids in planning camps in their own counties. It should be lots of fun, and once again, I’d like some warm, dry weather.

While we’re at camp, many other young people will be picking up trash for Spring Clean Up. This event is in conjunction with Keep America Beautiful Great American Cleanup. Club members will be picking up trash all week at various locations. A complimentary lunch will be served on Saturday from 11:00-1:00 for all registered cleanup volunteers. Club advisors should have registered their teams, and we ask that drivers use caution as they see these kids along the roadside picking up trash this week. Courtney Comstock heads up this event and we’d like to thank her for all her hard work at the Hancock Co. Solid Waste Management District Environmental Services Office.

Our next Quality Assurance session is next Tuesday at 7:00 at Cory Rawson High School. This is the second of four opportunities, so check out your calendar and see which date works best.

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April 14, 2008

Good Morning! We had a great time at our 4-H Endowment Dinner/Auction on Saturday Evening. Thank you to everyone that attended as well as all that donated items for the evening. We had over 150 people in attendance, and I believe raised over $11,000 for our County Endowment. Congratulations to that committee for an awesome job.

Congratulations to the 2008 State Horse Bowl Champions. Our team consisted of Maggie Firestone, Calvin Ice, Kara Hancock and Caleb Parke. The team was coached by Leslie Hancock. There were 24 teams in the competition. They will compete at Congress in October and Eastern Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky in November. A second senior team competing for the first time consisted of Caitlin Parke, Annie Firestone and Alissa Ice. Congratulations to both teams!

I believe most of our clubs are up and running by now. If you’re still looking for a club for your child, give us a call this week so they don’t miss out on the exciting things going on right now. We do have new Goat Project books and I just want to let people know that they have arrived. So if you had goat project books on back order, check with us because we may have them for you.

Hancock County 4-H Jr. Leadership Club meets on Tuesday evening at the Ag Service Center from 7:00-8:30. This is for 4-Her’s 14 and older. They meet on the third Tuesday of each month.

Our Shooting Sports program will be having a Family Fun Day at the Mt. Blanchard Gun Club on Saturday, April 19, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Come with the whole family to learn about the 4-H Shooting Sports program. You will have the opportunity to try archery, shotgun, rifle and pistol. There will be snacks prepared by our Living History Coordinator. Shooting Sports Club will meet on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month at 6:30 for rifle & pistol, 7:30 for shotgun & muzzle loader. All those meetings are at the Mt. Blanchard Gun Club. The archery participants will meet at the Dept. of Natural Resources and those dates and times will be announced soon.

Clubs should remember to sign up for Spring Clean Up on April 26th. Trash bags are available at our office or from Courtney.

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April 7, 2008

Good Morning! 4-H Enrollments were due last week. We’d like to get all that information into the computer this week, so if you have a few forms that need to come in please get that done soon.

Frozen Food Orders are due on Tuesday. This is a big fundraiser for the 4-H program. You may call our office or check our website and download the order form. Please get those in by Tuesday.

Horse Council will meet on Wednesday evening at the Ag Service Center at 7:00 p.m. This meeting is for all advisors of Horse Clubs and any interested parents. At least one teen from each club is also encouraged to attend. They are in the process of planning a clinic featuring Tiffany Krock on June 7. Be sure to get that on your calendars. That clinic will be at the Hancock County Fairgrounds.

Thursday evening the Jr. Fair Board will meet at 6:30 at the Jr. Fair Office. They are selling flowers as a fundraiser right now. The flowers are provided by Cherry’s Farm Market. You may order these from any Jr. Fair Board member or call the Jr. Fair Office at 419-423-1373. I have a few forms at our office also, so if you happen to be out our way, I can get you one. These orders are due on Thursday, and may be picked up May 8 and 9. All proceeds are used for the Jr. Fair.

Our big event takes place on Saturday as we have our annual 4-H Endowment Dinner & Auction. We are sold out for this event. We have lots of donated items and are hoping to raise another $15,000 for our Endowment. We currently have lots of items that have been donated. These include lots of OSU stuff, area rug, patio pavers, Cedar Point Tickets, Indians Tickets, OSU Football tickets, Weekend Van Rental, University of Findlay Football and Basketball Tickets, Trees, Golf packages, Steel Workbench, and lots more. Items also include many handmade things by 4-H members, advisors and alumni. We’re looking forward to Saturday evening when doors open at 5:30 at the Lighthouse. We will still accept donated items as well as cash donations.

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