August 2019 4-H Newsletter
4-H Happenings
A monthly newsletter for Hancock County 4-H Members
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Table of Contents
Upcoming Dates| County News | Club News | State News | Leaders Meeting Minutes | Cooking with Kids
Upcoming Dates to Remember
August 13 – 6:15 pm – Leaders’ Meeting and Lemonade Social – Extension Office
August 23 – Steer Tickets are due in the Extension Office
August 27 – 3-7:00 pm – Exhibits are due at the Blue Hill Fairgrounds
August 29 – September 2 – Blue Hill Fair – Blue Hill Fairgrounds
September 14 – Eastern States Bus Trip – See State News
County News
Camp Capella
– The Hancock County 4-H Aquaponics Tanks have a great home this summer at Camp Capella in Dedham! Camp Capella is a lakefront summer camp at Phillips Lake that provides diverse recreational and educational opportunities for children and adults with disabilities. The campers have been learning about how to grow plants using the wastewater from goldfish using our kid-friendly aquaponics systems. They enjoy caring for the fish and plants daily, checking to see how fast wheatgrass and lettuce can grow, and coming up with new names for the fish each week! We are so excited to collaborate with an organization as amazing as Camp Capella. Big shout out to Ila, the “Wild Adventures” Educator, who has created incredible learning experiences for her campers using the 4-H aquaponics systems.
Leaders’ Meeting – Hancock County Leaders’ Association will meet Tuesday, August 13th starting at 6:15 with a lemonade social! We encourage all enrolled Hancock County 4-H volunteers to join us for this important meeting as we get ready for the Blue Hill Fair!! The agenda includes fair preparation and fall activities. Many hands help spread the “Seeds for Success” to all 4-H members! If you cannot attend in person – join the meeting by computer! Contact the Extension Office at 667-8212 and we will send you a link.
Maine Association of Livestock Exhibitors Application – Don’t forget, now is the time to get your application in to the Maine Association of Livestock Exhibitors. Membership in this organization covers families with liability insurance. This insurance is a requirement at all fairs in the state of Maine. You can now renew or join on line. Doing it online means getting your membership cards quicker, but don’t delay. You must show proof of this membership before you will be able to show.
4-H @ The Blue Hill Fair – Please check out the new information booklet titled “4-H @ The Blue Hill Fair”. This is a place where you can go to find the information you need to know about everything 4-H during the fair. It includes a schedule of 4-H events, Exhibit Hall rules and categories, Livestock Projects, Food Booth Info, Forms, and more! Please also check out the Blue Hill Fair section of our website for all of this information and more. If you have feedback about this info packet, the website, or anything else you would like to have before or during the fair, please let us know!
4-H Cake Contest – Friday, August 30th, 7:30 PM, at the Blue Hill Fair Livestock Show Ring. 4-H Clubs, Groups, and Independents may enter. 4-H Clubs and Groups may enter up to three (3) cakes. Independents may enter one (1) cake. The Theme this year is: 4-H, Seeds for Success! All counties may participate. Create a great tasting cake that is also a delight to look at and helps promote 4-H in Maine. Prizes will be awarded! Audience will enjoy sampling the cakes. See complete rules in the “4-H @ The Blue Hill Fair” info packet. 4-H’ers are also encouraged to enter the Beef Recipe Cookoff. The details can also be found in the “4-H @ The Blue Hill Fair” info packet.
4-H Summer Staff Member – If you haven’t already met her, we hope you will enjoy meeting Chrissy Siddons at the Blue Hill Fair! Chrissy is a Hancock County 4-H Volunteer as well as the 4-H Special Projects Assistant who has been working with us this summer to deliver the popular 4-H Summer of Science program in Hancock County. She has also been helping around the 
office with a variety of special projects, and she will be supporting 4-H activities throughout the Blue Hill Fair. You will have a chance to meet her when you drop off your exhibits for the 4-H Exhibit Hall, and throughout the fair weekend. She is super friendly so make sure to smile and say HI when you see her!
Exhibit Your Projects at the Blue Hill Fair – We have updated all of the 4-H Exhibit Hall categories this year,so check the fair book and/or our website for entering your projects! Lots of fun and exciting new categories such as “Aquatic Life”, “Leadership”, “Nature Collections”, “Outdoors”, “Writing Sampler”, “Fair Theme”, and more! Remember that there are options to enter individual exhibits as well as club exhibits – and that everyone receives a cash premium! The 2019 Fair Book and 4-H Information is now updated on the Blue Hill Fair section of our website. The 4-H theme of the 2019 Blue Hill Fair is “4-H Seeds for Success”. We look forward to displaying your work to the public!
Annual Steer Ticket Raffle! – The Steer Ticket fundraiser is the premier fundraiser for the Hancock County 4-H Leaders’ Association. Tickets are $1 each; 15 cents go directly to the 4-H Club that sells the tickets, 85 cents go to the Leaders’ Association to support 4-H programming, scholarships, county events, and more.
The Steer Ticket Raffle winner will receive a cut to order, freezer-ready Beef Steer raised by a Hancock County 4-H’er, OR $650 cash. The drawing is at 5pm on Labor Day at the Blue Hill Fair. The 4-H Club AND the 4-H’er who sell the most tickets will receive an award at Cloverfest .
Tickets are available for pick up by 4-H’ers at the Extension Office. Steer ticket money must be returned to the Extension Office to Joyce Fortier by August 23rd or the fifteen cent club money per ticket will be forfeited! Steer tickets are not to be brought to the Blue Hill Fair. Also, remember that we cannot sell raffle tickets to people under 16 years old and youth under 18 should not be handling money. Adults should not put youth’s names on the tickets.
Volunteers needed for 4-H Food Booth and Steer Ticket Table – Calling all 4-H families!
The 4-H Food Booth and Steer Ticket Raffle are the two largest fundraisers for the Hancock County 4-H Leaders’ Association. The funds raised are used to support the 4-H programs you love all year long – Cloverfest, June Jamboree, Public Speaking, Style Revue, Leaders Banquet, and so much more! We rely on our strong 4-H community to deliver quality youth programs in Hancock County, and we are asking 4-H Clubs, Groups, Independents, and Parents/Guardians to volunteer their time during the Blue Hill Fair (August 29 – Sept 2). We need:
- Youth AND Adult Volunteers for the 4-H Food Booth: “Front” of the booth (taking orders, distributing food), and “Back” of the booth (cooking burgers, hot dogs, etc)
- Youth AND Adult Volunteers for the Steer Ticket Table: selling Steer Tickets to fairgoers. Adults needed to handle the money.
- Volunteering here is a requirement to win the Razor Crosman Award.
If you haven’t volunteered at the fair before, please consider contributing to this important cause this year! To volunteer for a shift, sign up on line or contact Joyce at the Extension Office to sign up for shift at the Food Booth and/or the Steer Ticket Table: joyce.fortier@maine.edu or 207-667-8212.
4-H Photo Contest – Congrats to all the 4-H photographers who entered this years photo contest. Your photos were all wonderful! The photos will be displayed at the Blue Hi
ll Fair in the 4-H Exhibit Hall, and then at the Ellsworth Public Library through the fall. Ribbons and awards will be presented at Cloverfest.
Special thanks to the Hancock County 4-H Leaders’ Association for making this event possible and to Tina Smith, Fire Chicks Photography, and Sarah Swazey, 4-H Volunteer, for judging our photos!
Pictured are Judge’s Choice – “Highlighted Angles” and “Lupine Forest” which were both submitted by Zoe Sikkel from Rails N’ Trails. Congratulations Zoe!
Club News
Peninsula Explorers – on July 14 we met at Craig Brook Fish Hatchery. The youth got an exclusive tour with wildlife biologist and endangered species specialist, Chris DeVore. They saw a short film about Atlantic Salmon, saw Wild Atlantic Salmon, and learned how to Fly Cast! Chris set up a wonderful afternoon for us!!
On the 28th we learned how to dig clams from the Penobscot Shellfish Chair himself, Bailey Bowden! We also learned about the invasive Green Crab , and even harvested a few for garden compost! After digging a good haul we cooked the clams in sea water and had a good feast! What a day!! Submitted by Club Leader, Chrissy Allen
Horse & Rider – On July 24th the members of the Horse & Riders met at Ian Sargent’s house to honor him on his graduation. Friends and family members were treated to a barbecue with all of the fixings. Heather presented Ian with the 4-H graduation honor card and a card stating that he was selected to represent the Horse & Riders at the Blue Hill Fair Horse Show. Congratulations Ian. Best wishes for a bright 
and successful future from your Horse & Rider buddies, Heather & Sally Submitted by Sally Jordan, 4-H leader
Free 2 Be – Our club members are enjoying the summer vacation and busy with their various independent 4-H projects. Ren, Mya, Margaret Mae and Randi have been busy tending their laying hens and marketing their eggs as part of the Egg Business 4-H club and Ren, Randi, Ruth and Alan have also enjoyed going to Tanglewood 4-H Camp this summer. Mia, Mya, Margaret Mae, Randi and Bella are starting the hard work of getting their goats spiffed up and ready for the Blue Hill fair. Look for them there at the Painted Pepper Farm stall area and they will be happy to share all about their experience with the 4-H goat project. Many of our members will also be busy getting their exhibits ready for the 4-H exhibit hall with craft, sewing, chicken and gardening projects. Our whole club plans to be at the food booth on the Friday afternoon of the fair so stop by and say hi! Submitted by club leader, Lisa Reilich
Aquaculture Internship 2019 – The 4-H/CCAR Aquaculture Interns have been busy learning everything they can about sustainable aquaculture! They have taken ownership of caring for the yellowtai
l kingfish at the Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research (CCAR), learned about the engineering systems that make land-based aquaculture facilities tick, got down and dirty cleaning fish tanks, dissected and then grilled a delicious (and humongous) Halibut, taken water quality measurements, and so much more! Next week the interns are going on a field trip to Little Island Oyster Company, an oyster farm on the Bagaduce River in Brooksville, and Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery, a Maine Fish & Wildlife facility in Orland. They have started planning for their project which they plan to present at the Blue Hill Fair in the 4-H Activity Tent. The interns are planning lots of fun activities to educate the public about aquaculture – so please stop by their 
tent at the fair and come meet some of the sea creatures in the touch tank! Submitted by 4-H Professional, Carla Scocchi
Pictured is Lisa Phelps, 4-H Program Leader, visiting the 4-H/CCAR interns
Jolly Juniors – The Jolly Juniors Cloverbuds spent a morning at Lone Spruce Farm, home of another 4-H club “Spruced Up Homesteaders’. They thoroughly enjoyed the goats, garden, and play area! Thank you to Kristin for new learning and new friendships! Submitted by Club Leader, Brenda Jordan
State News
- Eastern States Bus Trip, Saturday, September 14, 2019
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, September 14, 2019.
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. A bus is reserved for us, the northernmost bus will originate in Bangor, and there will be stops at several points on I-95, locations based on where passengers are located. Seats fill up quickly, and we will begin taking registrations immediately.
All youth must go with a chaperone, but because this event is primarily for youth; seats are limited to no more than two adults per child – chaperones must be the parent or legal guardian of the 4-H member, or an enrolled VOLT trained volunteer. The bus ride and admission to the “Big E” are free, and all individuals on this trip are expected to march in the parade at 5 pm. It works well if you wear a 4-H t-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 player on the bus), a pillow, and a blanket. There will be a rest stop 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 are not responsible for lost or stolen items.
Reservations can be made online or emailing Jordan Rhoten at jordanmarie.rhoten@maine.edu.
When you register, please give the name, age (for adults, just state “adult”), address, home phone, and cell phone number of each person in your group. Reservations are due by Friday, August 30th (call after this date to check on seat availability). A confirmation email will be sent to you a week before the trip giving you your time and pick up location. Pick up will be bright and early in the morning, and both buses will be leaving The Big E at 7:00 pm.
Volunteers are needed to serve as Bus Monitors. Bus Monitors will serve as the contact person for other passengers on their bus, and will make sure everyone gets back on the bus at the rest stop. If you’d be willing to serve in this capacity, please let us know when you sign up.
If you have questions, please contact Jessy Brainerd at 800.287.0274 or 207.581.3877. - 4-H Horse Show at Union Fair
Maine 4-H Horse members: You are invited to participate in the 4-H Horse Show at Union Fair on Wednesday, August 21 starting at 9:00 am at Union Fairgrounds in Union, Maine. Open to all 4-H members, 4-H ages 9-18, in the State of Maine who are enrolled in a 4-H Horse Project. For more information and entry form, visit or download the Premium Book under Information>Printable Documents. Questions? Contact Pamela Doherty, 207.32.0343 or email pamela.doherty@maine.edu. - Big E Ruby Morris 4-H Scholarship – This year Maine will select one recipient for the $500 Ruby Morris 4-H Scholarship. Potential candidates must have been a 4-H program participant at the Big E for at least one year, the year of the scholarship presentation, or prior. The scholarship must be used for two or four Year College, professional training, technical schools, etc.
Additional information and application materials can be found on our web. - WABI Covered the ribbon-cutting of Lafayette and Rawcliffe 4-H Science and Engineering Learning Center – WABI(channel 5) covered the ribbon-cutting at the Lafayette and Rawcliffe 4-H Science and Engineering Learning Center, established by University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Maine 4-H Foundation. “We’re fully connected via technology… if we need the ability to bring youth here in this area and connect them with other folks around the state and around the world,” says Hannah Carter, dean of Cooperative Extension. Youth can participate in workshops and connect with UMaine faculty and student researchers. The building also will house 4-H STEM Ambassadors, the 4-H STEM Toolkit Lab and Lending Library, Follow a Researcher™, 4-H Science Saturdays, and 4-H@UMaine.
- Congratulations to the following 4-H members for their selection to the Maine State 4-H Equestrian Team
Riders: Jordyn M. (Andro/Sag), Sophie P. (Cumberland), Jessica F. (Cumberland), Izabelle H. (Aroostook), Natalie D. (Cumberland), Anna R. (Aroostook), Ashlyn B. (Oxford), Mallory W. (Aroostook), Caitlyn P. (Franklin), Alex M. (Hancock), Carianne C. (Franklin), Mariah M. (Somerset), Ryan I. (Waldo), Emily C. (Waldo), Shannon R. (Cumberland), Mia W. (Franklin), Bailegh M. (Aroostook). Teen Leaders: Zoe S. (Hancock), Bailey C. (Andro/Sag), Abbie K. (Waldo), Samantha B. (Waldo) & Alternate Alison S. (Aroostook). Educational Horse Track Delegates: Emily G. (Waldo) & Grace W. (Franklin).
Congratulations! We are proud to have you represent our state at the Big E on September 18-21. - New England 4-H Horse Education Poster Contest
Situation: 4-H members and their horses are on display for the public at The New England 4-H Horse Program Activity at Eastern States Exposition. Most of those who go through the horse barn and watch the 4-H horse show are not knowledgeable about horses or safety around them. They often put themselves, their children, 4-H members and horses in potentially dangerous situations because of lack of knowledge.
Purpose: To educate the public about safety around horses and general horse knowledge.
How: A Horse Safety/General Horse Knowledge Poster Display in the horse barn.
Who: Any 4-H member is invited to submit a poster for the contest.
When: Posters must be at the Androscoggin/Sagadahoc Counties office or with an Eastern States Horse Team Member by Friday, Sept 13, so the posters can be transported to ESE for judging.
What: The poster may illustrate any aspect of Equine education or general horse safety. It can be a drawing, a cartoon, a collage, printed instructions, etc. The poster must be a minimum of 11″ x 14″ in size, or a maximum of 22″ x 28″ and should be readable at 30′. THIS POSTER SHOULD BE YOUR OWN WORK. Check with your 4-H extension office for tips on making posters and/or further information.
Leaders Meeting Minutes
July 9, 2019
Members Present- Lee Sargent, Dwight Sargent, Terry Swazey, Lisa Carney, Brenda Jordan, Heather Linnehan (6) and Carla (office staff)
The flag was saluted and the 4-H pledge recited. Lisa agreed to take minutes.
The June minutes were accepted as written, and the Treasurer’s report was accepted as read.
Club reports:
Horse of Course went to see Barbara Grindle’s farm. It was very picturesque and off the grid, the kids were fascinated. Rails N’ Trails was going to visit SirSarg stables but they will have to reschedule. The Jolly Juniors went to Lone Spruce Farm to visit the Spruced Up Homesteaders. Horse & Rider is getting ready for the fair and their horse camp.
Old Business:
Hancock County 4-H Service Award – want a Blue Hill Fair award for the non-livestock (including horse) 4-H youth who do things at the BHF. Terry shared a Google Doc with some of the parameters we might include. We should keep a list of things to do in the food booth, and post information about the award at the food booth. Terry will try to get it written up for comment. Leaders’ Association will be paying for the trophy.
New Business:
BHF- whoopie pies would be best in two batches, maybe Thursday and Friday. They can make them all and maybe just store them. New siding for the booth has to be white. Rick Smith in Bucksport is going to send Terry an estimate for siding. Dwight suggested raising the back roof. Send George Dunn an email asking if he can fix the hot water tank water line. Clean filters. Need to work on recruiting volunteers, Carla is going to set up an on-line option.
Activity tent- the aquaculture kids will be presenting. The touch tank will always be there. Carla is very open to ideas. Chubbs was always popular, Lee might be able to get him there again.
Hannah Carter, the new Dean, will be attending the BHF!
Guidelines for cards, flowers and donations- handout from Terry. Should designate gifts for milestone years. It might be nice to have a minimum hourly commitment for volunteers; Carla would like a method to keep track of volunteer hours (more accountability). There is now different training for volunteers vs full club leaders.
Office report– Rotary wants to give an Outstanding Club Award, Carla is working with them to define criteria. There is Fair info online. Chrissy Siddons is the temporary Community Education Assistant, will be working through the fair. The new CEA job description is done, a search committee is forming. Brenda expressed interest in being on the committee. The office just got livestock resource books from the Wisconsin Extension Office, they are very good and available to all 4-H youth and clubs. The office can add Hancock County 4-H to club FB pages.
Motion to adjourn made at 8:36; seconded and passed.
Respectfully submitted by Lisa Carney
Cooking with Kids
Veggie and Protein-Packed Breakfast Strata
Ingredients:
4 slices whole wheat bread
1 teaspoon oil
5 large eggs
1 ½ cups skim milk
¾ cup shredded lowfat cheese (cheddar or mozzarella)
2 cups chopped vegetables* (tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, or onions)
Salt and pepper to taste
*Prior to chopping, gently rub vegetables under running water to wash
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350º
2.Wash hands with soap and warm water.
3.Lightly toast bread, this will help the texture of the strata. Tear or cut the bread into bite-sized pieces and arrange in the bottom of a greased 9-inch square baking dish.
4.Add oil to a skillet and sauté vegetables on medium-high heat until tender. Set aside to cool
5.In a large bow, whisk together the eggs, milk, and salt and pepper. Wash hands after touching raw eggs. Stir in cheese.
6.Layer cooked vegetables over bread in baking dish. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and bread.
7.Bake for 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160º on a food thermometer. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Makes 6 Servings