Franklin County 4-H News June

May 30, 2023 Franklin County 4-H Newsletter, News

Table of Contents

Franklin County 4-H Calendar

  • June 17: Pride Festivities in Portland
  • June 21&28: Start Your 4-H Volunteer Journey
  • June 21: Registration Opens for New 4-H Teem Leadership Program: YOUth Have a Voice!
  • June 25–30: Citizenship Washington Focus
  • June 30: Animal Approval Form Due (required if you are bringing an animal to fair)
  • June 30: Animal Lease Form Due (riding & showing) – June 30
  • June 30- July 2: Franklin County 4-H Days, Farmington Fair Grounds
  • July5 – August 10: 4-H Summer Learning Series
  • July 22-23: Maine 4-H Days, Windsor Fairgrounds
  • June 21–July 26: 4-H Adulting SPIN Club

Franklin County 4-H Leaders’ Association

The June Leaders’ Association meeting will be held in person or via zoom. Please bring your questions and ideas! We all look forward to seeing you all at 7:00 p.m. on June 15th.

Zoom information will be included in the Agenda for the meeting.

All enrolled 4-H Volunteers are members of their county Leaders’ Association. Your leadership support is encouraged and vital in deciding the focus of our county 4-H programs.

County 4-H News

Congratulations to 2023 Graduating Seniors4-H logo with graduation cap

The Extension Office would like to congratulate all graduating seniors. You have been great assets to the Franklin County 4-H program. We wish you the best of luck with all your future endeavors.

Amber S. – Franklin County Beef Club

Alexis C. –  Franklin County Beef Club

Cowen Y. – Brookside Acres 4-H Club

Colin D.  – Supper on the Table 4-H Club

Franklin County 4-H Fair June 30, July 1 and July 2

The Franklin County 4-H Fair  will take place all day on Saturday, July 1st at the Farmington Fairgrounds. Activities begin at 9 a.m. This is a free event and the public is invited to attend.

Registration is required.   

Visit: Franklin County 4-H to register and see a schedule of events

The 4-H Fair is an annual event that celebrates the 4-H philosophy of “learn by doing” through hands-on workshops, as well as demonstrations and panel discussions led by 4-H members and volunteers. The 4-H Fair also provides opportunity for the public to learn first-hand what 4-H is all about.

Schedule of Events:

Friday, June 30th: Move in day. Campers are welcome if you would like to stay for the weekend

Saturday July 1st:  Franklin County 4-H Fair

9:00 am: Registration (Entries for photo contest must be in by 9:30am)

9:30 am – 10:00 am: Opening Ceremony
Pledge of Allegiance
House keeping reminders
Ice Breaker activity with the Beef 4-H Club

10:00 am: Robotics demonstration by Maine Stream Place
Photo contest judging

10:30 am: Create your own smoothie with Bella Russo, Community Education Assistant with Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) in Franklin County

11:00 am: Plant dissection with Nicholas Rowley, Sustainable and Horticultural Professional for Franklin County

11:30 am: Painting activity
Virtual Google Goggles, take a tour of nature with these Google goggles with Kristen Grondin, 4-H Community                     Education Assistant for Franklin County

12:00 pm: Lunch (hot dogs, chips, drink and dessert) Cost: $5.00

12:30 pm – 1:00 pm: Tie Dye your favorite item! Bring your own t-shirt and tie dye it! With Carrie Jenness, 4-H Beef Club Leader

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Cooking Contest

4:00 pm: Scavenger Items due

5:00 pm: Crockpot Dinner (bring an item to share and your own chair)
Ice Cream Social to immediately following crockpot dinner

Sunday, July 2nd: 

4-H Club Clinic Day- All commodities are welcome to use the fairgrounds for individual workshops.

2023 4-H Franklin County Extension Association Scholarship Recipient

Congratulations to Amber Smith on being chosen as the 2023 recipient of the Franklin County Extension Association’s Annual 4-H Award. Your participation in your 4-H Club, at the county, state and national levels, as well as your involvement in your school and community programs are remarkable. The Franklin County Extension Association (FCEA) is pleased that we can reward your many years of hard work and dedication, and wish you continued success in pursuing your nursing career.

4-H Scholarship Recipient with family and Executive Committee member
Franklin County Executive Committee President Milt Sinclair, Judy Smith, 2023 4-H Scholarship recipient Amber Smith, and Matt Smith
4-H Scholarship recipient with EC members
Franklin County Executive Committee President Milt Sinclair, 2023 Franklin County 4-H Scholarship recipient Amber Smith, and Executive Committee Member Deborah Chase

Working Steer Club Update

For our May meeting we had a work day, so everyone brought their steers to the meeting. At the meeting we went over what to bring in a tack box when going to shows, then we went over chain safety when pulling an object behind your team. This was followed by yoke fitting and then a showmanship class. This was all done as a group, so each team of steers was able to socialize with the others. In the meeting time we went over each teamsters 4-H goal poster for 2023.

The Working Steer Club met recently at the Sillanpaa Farm to start preparing for their show season.  Melinda Larrabee Robinson, commented; “that it was a great yoke fitting workday, they worked cattle in mock showmanship classes and shared in some steer games.”  In addition to working their cattle, some of the team also contributed to the Oxford Fair grounds and completed their community service requirements.  Thank you, Ladies.

4-H working steer club with steers
Franklin County Working Steer Club
Working Steer Club and Families at their May meeting.

Knitting Class

A few of our independent members have been enjoying knitting classes by Suzanne LeDoux. Sue has been volunteering her time to help teach these youth a new skill.   They started out with “casting on” and a “knit stitch” to help them make their own potholders.  They since have moved on to working theirs Farmington Fair Exhibit Hall items.  The group will meet Tuesday, June 27 from 2:30pm – 4:00pm at the Cooperative Extension Office,  if you would like to join this beginner class, please call the Cooperative Extension office at 778.4650.

4-Hers knitting their projects
Phoebe W. and Tori W. working on their knitting skills.
4-Her and volunteers learning to knit
Lucia M., Suzanne LeDoux and Beckie Wills all participating in knitting workshop.

Conservation Posters

In May we celebrated our Conservation Poster winners with a nice afternoon with refreshments and a demonstration by Tara Marble, Franklin County 4-H Professional on water sheds.

2023 Conservation Poster Participants are Hannah C, Caleb H., Cayson C., Warren H., Rilyn D., Lindee W., Bion S., Lucia M., Kaden C., Katarina L., Wiekko S., Jade F., Matthew S., Amber S.

4-Hers learning about watersheds
Tara Marble teaching the group about watersheds.

State 4-H News

UMaine 4-H Invites You to be a Part of Pride 2023

4-H will be participating in Pride festivities in Portland on June 17, 2023.  A pride event is a celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community, the rights won, and recognition of these individuals as existing and loved members of our communities. 4-H will participate in the parade portion by walking with a banner. Participants should plan on being at the event from 10:30am – 2:30pm. This event is open to any 4-H member or 4-H volunteer. Friends, family, and 4-H alumni are
welcome but must have a 4-H member/volunteer hosting them. To register or for more information, go to this webpage. If you have questions you can email 4-hpride@maine.edu.

Register Now for the 2023 4-H Summer Learning Series

2023 marks the FOURTH year Maine 4-H is offering a Summer Learning Series!  This year, workshops will run from July 5 – August 10, and there is something for everyone. Registration is now open for all enrolled Maine 4-H members, and opens to all others on Monday, June 5. Would you like to learn more about the different birds in your backyard and beyond? How about a chance to bake along with a real chef – they will send you the ingredients in the mail!  You can
learn to paint different creatures in the ocean, or discover how ANY person can become a real scientist at home! Dive into the different workshop options! To register or learn more, head to our website!

New Project Records are HERE!

Co-designed with Maine 4-H volunteers, youth and staff; these project records have been designed to best serve the needs of Maine youth. Please visit our newly designed project record website https://extension.umaine.edu/4h/volunteers/project-records/. Project records are required for all Maine 4-H Youth. Stay tuned for upcoming trainings. Please contact your county 4-H staff with questions.
Did you know you can complete your project record through ZSuite? There are simple instructions
for getting started on the ZSuite User Help page. You can work on your project record through the
year – and even upload photos directly from your phone!

4-H Adulting 101 SPIN Club

The “4-H Adulting 101 Series” will introduce basic adult life skills by exploring a different topic each week including personal values; building healthy relationships; buying and caring for a car; youth entrepreneurship; mindfulness and stress management; and a topic chosen by the participants. UMaine Extension 4-H staff and guest speakers will lead the discussions. The club is free; limited to 20 participants. Register by June 10 on the event webpage to receive
the Zoom link and introductory email. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact 207.324.2814; erin.mcdonald1@maine.edu. Additional information also is available on the Extension 4-H Virtual Learning webpage.

4-H Tick Project

Registration is now open for the 4-H Tick Project, a community science project where youth collect, identify, and learn about ticks – while also contributing to real research about ticks in Maine! Sign up to receive tick collection materials, access to youth activities, educational resources, and UMaine Extension Tick Lab testing services. This is a great project for 4-H clubs, SPIN clubs, homeschool groups, and more. For more information and to register, visit the 4-H Tick Project webpage.

Save the Date for 4-H Dairy State Show!

The Maine State 4-H Dairy Show will take place on July 22nd and 23rd at the Windsor Fairgrounds in Windsor, ME in conjunction with Maine 4-H Days. The contest is open to all 4-H members who want to participate and will include educational workshops, a fitting contest, a grilled cheese contest, and more!
For more information on upcoming 4-H dairy events visit extension.umaine.edu/4h/dairy or contact
sadee.mehuren@maine.edu; 207.342.5971

Registration Opening June 21st for New 4-H Teen Leadership Program: YOUth Have a Voice!

YOUth have a Voice!: Youth in Governance and Civic Engagement is a nine-month program open to teens and recent high school graduates who are interested in taking a more active role in serving their local communities, the state, or the country.  Youth will learn leadership skills and ways to participate in civic action by completing a service project in a topic of their interest.  Youth projects will be in one of three categories:
1.)   Youth Board Member: Join a board or advisory council as a youth representative
2.)   Policy Leader: Provide input to a policy or rule being developed
3.)   Public Service Leader: Carry out a community service project.
Teens will be mentored by adults to assist their learning of civic processes and ways to meet their project goals.  The program will be from late August 2023 to May 2024 and the total time commitment may vary from 30 to 80 hours depending on the type of project. The program will be open for teens ages 14+ years old or entering high school in the fall of 2023.
Interested teens will need the following items to register for the program:

  •  Fill out the application form found on this link.
  • Two letters of recommendation from adults who are not related to the applicant
  • Briefly describing (100 to 500 words) why you are interested in this program
  • A signed Program Requirement Summary Form

Registration will be open from June 21 through July 31, 2023.  The program will be limited to
16 youth. To learn more about the program, you can attend one of the following 45 minute information
sessions on June 7th :

For questions, please contact Andrew Hudacs, andrew.hudacs@maine.edu, (207) 581-8204