May 2021 4-H Newsletter
4-H Happenings
A monthly newsletter for Hancock County 4-H Members
Download the PDF
Table of Contents
Upcoming Dates| County News | Club News | State News | Leaders Meeting Minutes | Cooking with Kids
Upcoming Dates to Remember
April 28 – May 10 – Paper Clover Campaign at Tractor Supply
May 5 – May 23 – June Jamboree Registration – See County News
May 11 – 4:30 pm – Leaders’ Meeting via Zoom
May 17 – Style Revue Projects Due in the Extension Office
May 21 – Registration Deadline for Maine 4-H Dog Clinic – See State News
May 28 – 4-H Summer Series Registration Opens – See County News
June 5 – July 11 – June Jamboree
June 30 – Animal Approval Forms Due in the Extension Office
County News
4-H Public Speaking Tournament – Congratulations to all of the 4-H’ers across Maine who participated in the 2021 State Public Speaking Tournament — and a very special congratulations to Nayeli M., 4-H Independent in Hancock County, who received a red ribbon for her presentation on The Amazing Life of Jovita Idar! Nayeli was our Hancock County representative and we think she did a great job! In general, there was a huge range of topics — from chocolate zucchini cake to thoroughbred horses to volcanoes to more! 4-H Staff put together a virtual awards ceremony to celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of all of the 4-H’ers who participated this year. You can watch the award video.
Leaders’ Meeting – The next Leaders’ Association meeting will be by Zoom on May 11, at 4:30 pm. Email carla.scocchi@maine.edu for the private link.
Style Revue – There’s still time to submit to this year’s Style Revue! Participate in Hancock County’s 2021 Style Revue by completing a service project. Participants can choose to sew, knit, or crochet a project. The finished products will be donated to nonprofits and families in need.
Make one item or multiple — participants will have the flexibility to choose and do as much, or as little, as they are able. Projects will not be judged, but all participants will receive a participation ribbon. Those who submit a photo with their creation will be entered into a randomly drawn prize for each category. The more submissions you have, the more likely you’ll win the prize!
For patterns and project ideas, please visit here.
All submissions are due to the office by May 17th. To schedule a drop-off, please contact the office at 207-667-8212. Submit photos to joyce.fortier@maine.edu.
Hancock Jamboree – We’re celebrating June Jamboree a little differently than usual! This summer, Jamboree will be spread out from June 5th through July 11th. Similar to last year, activities/kits will be delivered to your home for youth to participate in activities at their own pace. However, we will also be offering in-person workshops at different locations throughout the county. All in-person workshops will be limited in size, registration required, and with COVID-19 precautions in place.
This year’s theme is Full STEAM Ahead! All of the activities and workshops have an outdoor-based STEAM component. (STEAM = Science, technology, environment and engineering, art, and mathematics.) Whether you are interested in surviving the outdoors, growing a garden, or painting with felt, we will have an activity for you.
Registration opens May 5th and closes May 23rd! Check out our webpage for more information.
Photo Contest Scavenger Hunt – Are you an avid photographer? New to the hobby? No matter what skill level, we encourage you to get out and practice your photography skills. Feeling stumped? Not sure what to photograph? No worries — we’ve created a scavenger hunt just for you. To see the scavenger hunt categories, visit our webpage.
Here’s the exciting part: all scavenger hunt participants will receive a ribbon AND a little “door-prize.” If you take a photo of one item in each category, you’ll be submitted into a raffle to win a larger prize. And if you choose to, you can submit any (or all!) of these photos to the 2021 Photo Contest. Entries submitted to the 2021 photo contest will be judged and the highest scorers will get a cash prize.
The 2021 Photo Contest deadline is July 31st, 2021. For more information and to see past entries, visit here. The scavenger hunt will end at the same time.
4-H Summer Learning Series – After an incredibly successful 4-H Summer Learning Series last year, Maine 4-H will once again offer virtual experiential learning workshops and clubs to youth ages 5-18 throughout June, July, and August 2021. Topics range from engineering, art, science, animals & agriculture, food & nutrition, teen leadership, and more – there is truly something for everyone! An exciting addition this year is that 4-H@UMaine will be offered as part of the 4-H Summer Learning Series – so keep your eyes peeled for a special 4-H@UMaine “track” of workshops connecting youth to UMaine faculty and students on campus!
Early registration will be available to enrolled 4-H’ers on Friday, May 28, 2021 and will open to the public on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. Help us spread the word to your friends and communities – enrollment in 4-H is not required to participate, this event is open to all! For more information, visit the 4-H Summer Learning Series webpage.
Animal Approval Forms – For youth planning to show livestock in any 4-H shows this year, Animal Approval Forms (PDF) are still due by June 30 but we are making the following exceptions:
• You do not need to obtain a Leader’s signature by this date
• We will send an embossed copy to you via mail before the date of your show and/or when our
offices reopen (whichever comes first)
You can submit your form in multiple ways:
• Mail them to the Extension Office (we are still receiving mail daily)
• Scan & email a copy to joyce.fortier@maine.edu
• Take a photo with your phone and email joyce.fortier@maine.edu
*Remember to visit the Animal Science Project webpage for important dates, forms, deadlines, etc.
Welcome New Volunteers – We are pleased to announce two newly trained 4-H Leaders who have completed their training and paperwork in Hancock County.
- Cynthia Andrews – Independent – Lamoine
- Cathy Gibbs – Independent – Ellsworth
Welcome to the 4-H Family!
Lyme Disease Awareness Month – The 2021 Lyme Disease Awareness Month theme this May is “Stop. Check. Prevent.” This reminds us to stop and practice tick prevention measures frequently. The easiest way to avoid tickborne diseases is preventing tick bites. Please remember to:
1) Use caution in areas where ticks may be found.
2) Wear light-colored clothing that covers arms and legs.
3) Use an EPA approved repellent such as: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
4) Perform tick checks on yourself, family members, and pets daily and after any outdoor activity. Take a shower after exposure to a tick habitat to wash off any crawling ticks.
Club News
Peninsula Explorers 4-H Club – week one on Native Bees was a blast. The kids made pipe cleaner bee pins, played games to learn about bee body parts and how pollination works using balloons and static, started pollinator garden seedlings, and learned A LOT about native bees and why they are important.
Everyone did a great job staying distanced (unless they were in their sibling group) and wore their masks the whole time. Submitted by Club Leader Chrissy Allen
Horse & Rider – WOW! Warm weather sure brings out the “feel-goodies”! The critters are running around in their pastures and acting quite silly. Horse & Rider club held two meetings in April on back-to-back Saturdays. We usually work on the material in our notebooks on one of the Saturdays, in addition to working in the barn. On the other Saturday, we work with the horses, as well as doing the barn work. We are learning the proper way to lead a horse, starting first with the mini horses and then recently moving up to the big horses. The older girls are mentoring this group, helping them learn where to stand, how to hold the lead rope and keeping their eyes headed forward. In May, we will be graduating three of the girls that have been an active part of Horse & Rider since they were 9 years old! We are sure going to miss them!
We are planning on honoring them at our first meeting in May, since their graduation will take place on May 15. Plans are being formulated for summer, with the hope that we can do a few more “in person” activities with other clubs. Socialization is such an important part of 4-H, and we can really see the difference since we have been able to meet again as a club. Until next time, get out there and enjoy this beautiful weather-maybe you’ll get the “feel-goodies”, too! Submitted by Club Leader Heather Linnehan
4-H Aquarium Club – the 4-H Aquarium Club has been learning about how fish are collected in the wild for the ornamental aquarium trade, as well as troubleshooting their own aquarium issues together! The club will also start accepting new members as part of the 4-H Summer Learning Series this summer, so we are looking forward to growing the group.
4-H Bird Chats – There are many ways to record your bird observations, whether that be through an app like eBird, through drawings or photos, or through nature journaling. In the last session of 4-H Bird Chats, participants practiced their observation skills by viewing live bird cams and reporting back what they saw. They talked about what additional information was important to include in their observations, such as weather, time of day, habitat, or something else altogether. Finally, the club wrapped up with a short presentation about eBird and a conversation about what 4-H club should be offered next… participants got very excited about the idea of an amphibian club. Apparently there’s a salamander out there that can regenerate, repair or replace its arms, legs, tail, lower jaw, brain, and heart. Who knew?
Goat n’ More – We are excited to announce plans for a brand new 4-H club in Hancock County. Goats n’ More is a club for 4-H youth who are interested in goats, chickens and mini-horses! Club meetings will be at the Starlight Horse Farm in Lamoine and led by Cynthia Andrews. This club will cover everything from basic animal care to how to start training your animal. Cynthia says, “We’ve got lots of love for our animals and we hope you’ll join us and share in the care!” Club meetings will start later this month. If you are interested in learning more, contact Joyce Fortier at the Extension Office or joyce.fortier@maine.edu.
State News
- 4-H Summer Learning Series
After an incredibly successful 4-H Summer Learning Series last year, Maine 4-H will once again offer virtual experiential learning workshops and clubs to youth ages 5-18 throughout June, July, and August 2021. Topics range from engineering, art, science, animals & agriculture, food & nutrition, teen leadership, and more – there is truly something for everyone! An exciting addition this year is that 4-H@UMaine will be offered as part of the 4-H Summer Learning Series – so keep your eyes peeled for a special 4-H@UMaine “track” of workshops connecting youth to UMaine faculty and students on campus!Early registration will be available to enrolled 4-H’ers on Friday, May 28, 2021 and will open to the public on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. Help us spread the word to your friends and communities – enrollment in 4-H is not required to participate, this event is open to all! For more information, visit the 4-H Summer Learning Series - Coming this fall….the 2021 Virtual Exhibit Hall!!
Start planning now to showcase your 4-H projects in the online exhibit hall in October. There will be a couple of new categories to feature a broader view of your work! Be on the lookout for more details on the University of Maine Cooperative Extension website and by email. - Spreading the Love of Chickens
There are some Androscoggin-Sagadahoc 4-Hers who want to share a great opportunity to spread the love of chickens. They participated in the Egg Entrepreneurship project and want to donate some of their extra chickens to other interested 4-H members in Maine. From one of the participants:
Because of the Egg Entrepreneurship project we have had the opportunity to start our own egg business, Chickswell and Beans. Chickswell and Beans raised organic chickens for organic eggs. It has been such a great opportunity and we have learned many great life skills along the way. We would like to give 4 organic pullets to a 4Her that is committed to the egg entrepreneurship project. We would love to find homes for these chickens as soon as possible (within a week would be best).If you are interested, please contact the Androscoggin-Sagadahoc county office at 834-3905 or 1-800-287-1421. - Exciting Upcoming Maine 4-H Virtual Teen Science Cafes
Maine 4-H Virtual Teen Science cafes will take place on Tuesdays from 4:00 – 4:45 pm. Pre-registration is required, and registration links are online.- May 4 – Remote Survey Techniques with Meredith Lewis, Graduate Research Assistant in Ecology and Environmental Science. Learn how scientists use remote survey techniques (imagery) to survey wildlife species in Maine.
- May 11 – Meet Amber Gray, a Social Sciences and Humanities Librarian at UMaine’s Raymond H. Fogler Library – and learn about her journey and what exactly it means to be a librarian? Here’s a hint: there’s more to it than relaxing and reading books!
- May 18 – First-Year Student, First Year in the Lab – Katherine Stevens, a freshman at UMaine is going to meet with youth this week to talk about her experience as a first-year college student, and what that’s meant for her in terms of working in a lab, and experiencing student life.
- Update Regarding Maine 4-H Days
The in-person event: Maine 4-H Days has been canceled for 2021. Information will be shared later in the spring about upcoming 4-H activities for the summer. - 4-H Market Lamb Intent for Fryeburg Fair
Youth planning to participate in the Market Lamb program at Fryeburg Fair need to submit the 2021 Fryeburg Fair Market Lamb Intent form by May 17th. An online form is available, otherwise youth can print and mail a copy downloaded from the website. - UMaine Offers Summer Camps and Academic Programs!
The Early College Program allows students to take college courses while they are still in high school. Students can take these courses either tuition-free or at a reduced early college rate. If you are a high school student interested in taking some college courses this summer, visit the Early CollegeFor a listing of Youth summer camps affiliated with the University of Maine, visit the Youth Summer Camps website. - Spring 2021 Maine 4-H Dog Clinic (in-person!)
The Spring 2021 Maine 4-H Dog Clinic will be held in-person at the UMaine Witter Farm in Old Town, Maine. You don’t need a dog to participate and all skill levels are welcome however, you must be 4-H age 9 or older. Registration closes on May 21. For more information or to register, please go to the website, or contact Sheila Norman at norman@maine.eduor 207.942.7396.
Leaders Meeting Minutes
Hancock County 4-H Leaders’ Association – April 13th, 2021
Zoom meeting due to COVID-19
Present- Lisa Carney, Lee Sargent, Joanie Jodrey, Brenda Jordan, Heather Linnehan, Terry Swazey and office staff Carla Scocchi and Zabet NeuCollins (6).
New Business:
- The National 4-H Center in Washington is for sale. COVID had an impact, and it is not affordable any more. They are looking for a new space.
- Jamboree update (Zabet) – will not be held at the Fairgrounds this year, but there will be kits handed out for workshops. Small in-person, outdoor workshops spread around the county in June/July. Artwaves on MDI wants to do a paint with felt, and the club in Blue Hill may do Orienteering. She does not have a budget yet, but some might need a small amount of funding. Kristin from Lone Spruce wants to do a weather workshop, Zabet wants to do a container tomato gardening workshop. Possibly a boatbuilding workshop in Castine. Maybe a horse workshop (general horse care with Lee?) All workshops will have to follow COVID protocols. We are still limited to 20 people, held outdoors, with no food shared. The office and clubs are still waiting for summer guidelines from the university. If you are interested in presenting a workshop, get description to Zabet by May, kids can register until May 23rd, Jamboree will be June 5th thru July 11th. Club members can assist, need to count towards the 20 people allowed. Budget? $200 should be enough. Motion to give up to $250 for Jamboree; seconded and passed. Email Zabet if you have any questions or comments.
- Fair update from Dwight and Carla – the Fair will be happening this year! They wanted to know (within a week) if the 4-H shows would happen; Carla could not work in that timeframe. So for this year, there will be Youth Shows this year, and come back as a 4H show next year. Danish system and premiums will still be in place. 4-H kids will be able to enter as youth. The Exhibit Hall may not be staffed, but will still be able to show exhibits. Hopefully there will be some projects to show.
- Food booth – will need to be approved by UMaine, which will bring it under scrutiny. But if we don’t run it, the fair may take it away from us. Terry – could we run it as non 4-H volunteers? Should we get a steer? Might not be able to have non vaccinated kids working the booth or tickets. Might be able to sell steer tickets online. Rent the booth out to another group to use? Don’t need an answer today. Poll- Work both as non 4H? Lisa, Terry, Heather are willing. Maybe bring Audra as back up? JJs usually have a bunch. Fence off the tables for volunteers with panels. Motion to move forward with running the booth if possible, subject to change- seconded and passed.
Office Report:
Covid guidelines remain the same. No large gatherings this summer. Can have in person gatherings, probably 10 people or less. They can be outside or in an open area like a barn. The 4-H Summer Learning Series will be offered again this June, July, and August.
Meeting adjourned at 5:31.
Respectfully submitted by Lisa Carney, Secretary