September 2022 4-H Newsletter

4-H Happenings

A monthly newsletter for Hancock County 4-H Members


Table of Contents

Upcoming Dates| County News | Club News | State News | Leaders Meeting Minutes |


Upcoming Dates to Remember

September 13 – 5:30 pm – 4-H Leaders’ Meeting (Hybrid)
September 26– Project Records are Due in the Extension Office
October 1 – Reenrollment Begins
October 2-8 – National 4-H Week
October 5-16 – Fall Paper Clover at Tractor Supply Company
October 10 – Indigenous People’s Day – Extension Office Closed
November 21 – County Reenrollment Deadline


County News

The Blue Hill Fair 2022Fair-goer's admiring kids projects inside the 4-H exhibit hall

We want to share a massive thank you to all the 4-H’ers who submitted exhibits this year. It is so inspiring to see what youth can create when they take the time to express themselves and learn new skills. From electrical wiring to music composition, 4-H kids really know how to impress!

We had four amazing judges this year who shared their time to provide great feedback on every project. Thank you judges for always being dedicated to helping 4-H’ers grow. We also want to thank all the families that helped us set up and decorate the exhibit hall this year. Your support does not go unnoticed.

We also want to take the time to shout out all of the livestock exhibitors. The responsibility the youth show with their animals and by educating the public is unparalleled. They camped overnight all weekend so they could be there bright and early to prepare their animals for the 4-H Livestock Shows. If that isn’t commitment, then we don’t know what is!

It wouldn’t be the Blue Hill Fair without the 4-H Food Booth, which would not be possible without the incredible outpouring of support from 4-H Volunteers! The food booth is truly a herculean, volunteer-driven effort and we had another very successful year. All proceeds from the food booth go to support 4-H programming in Hancock County throughout the year. We also would like to thank everyone who contributed to the Dwight Sargent memorial collection located at the food booth. We were able to raise an additional $521 to put towards a memorial bench in honor of Dwight, the fair’s former livestock supervisor.

Lastly, Hancock County really pulled its weight and was able to sell a whopping 3,769 steer tickets this year. Our top ticket sellers were Jaxson and Maesen H, thank you for putting in the work! The steer was graciously raised by Mekenzy and Bradley Astbury, Independent 4-H members, and the grain was provided by Maine Horse and Rider Tack Shop in Holden. Our winner this year was Steven H of Bar Harbor. He is a chef who will happily enjoy the meat!

The Exhibit Hall – We had 29 exhibitors putting in 71 exhibits and receiving $396 in premiums.
Best Projects:
Animals- Wyatt B, Independent
Aquatic Life – Wyatt B, Independent
Art and Sculpture – Alexis M, Independent
Clothing/Sewing – Nora M, Jolly Juniors
Crafts – Ruby B, Independent
Electricity – Wyatt B, Independent
Flowers – Ruby B, Independent
Garden- Finn M, Independent
Herbs – Noah D, Independent
Music – Robert M, Independent
Woodworking – Olivia D, Jolly Juniors
Lynne Clement AwardFinn M, Independent
Best in ShowRobert M, Independent
Special thanks to Mary Jude and all the judges for their help!

Livestock Awards
4-H Beef Show
1st Place Fitting and Showing – Hunter E, Independent
Senior Reserve Champion – Shelby G, Independent
Wilbur Wilson Memorial Reserve Grand Champion – Shelby G, Independent
Cow and Calf – Shelby G, Independent
Market Steer – Amelia C, Independent

4-H Sheep Show
Grand Champion Ewe – Shelby G, Independent
Reserve Grand Champion Ewe – Shelby G, Independent

4-H Goat Show
Senior Champion – Margaret Mae R-G, Independent
Senior Reserve Champion – Margaret Mae R-G, Independent
Grand Champion – Margaret Mae R-G, Independent
Reserve Grand Champion – Margaret Mae R-G, IndependentFour 4-H members lining up their goats to be inspected by a judge

Leaders’ Meeting The next Leaders’ Association meeting will be hybrid (in-person or Zoom) on Tuesday, September 13th, at 5:30 pm. All 4-H Volunteers will now receive the zoom link in the newsletter email. Contact leah.mccluskey@maine.edu for info.

4-H Enrollment 2022-2023 – Be on the lookout for new information about enrolling for the 2022-2023 4-H year. We are hoping the process looks and feels much better this year as we move to a paperless system, a new database called ZSuite. The deadline this year will be Monday, November 21st.

The Lock Stock and Barrel 4-H Club –The Lock Stock and Barrel 4-H Club is a youth club for children ages 9-18. The Club is a shooting sports program that offers a number of different disciplines such as rifle, shotgun, archery, and black powder. The club meets weekly on Wednesday nights from 6 pm-8 pm, at the Blue Hill Rifle and Pistol Club from September through May. Our first meeting is on September, 14 at 6:00 pm. This is a sign-up night for the youth and their family where we will provide information about the 4-H program, and go over what is expected from the youth. Basic Rifle starts the following week on Wednesday. Norwood and Becky Ames are the club coordinators. Please call (207) 567-3066 for more information.

Project Records All project records are due in the Extension Office on Monday, September 26th. For all instructions, please visit our webpage.

Paper Clover Campaign at Tractor Supply The Fall paper clover campaign will be held October 5-16, with the opportunity to donate to 4-H in-store and online.

A Letter from 4-H’er Sherry F – After a lovely trip to the 4-H Healthy Living Summit and the 4-H Citizen Washington Focus program, 4-H’er Sherry F shared all about her experiences in Washington D.C. In this article, read all about the sights she saw, what it was like to participate in national 4-H conferences, the new friends Sherry has made, and how grateful she is to our Hancock County 4-H Leaders Association for making the trip possible.


Club News

Horse of Course – On Saturday the 20th the Horse of Course Club sold products outside of the Tradewinds Marketplace in Blue Hill. In order to raise money for the Bagaduce River Equine Rescue, the club featured the barn residents of the rescue. They were there from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm and raised $1,200 from donations and selling the products we had. Regular club meetings will resume in October.


State News

  1. Public Speaking Workshop
    Maine 4-H Communication Science Team invites all enrolled 4-H members to the October 19th meeting for an open workshop.  The meeting will be held via zoom from 6:00-7:00 pm.  Team members will teach tips and tricks to improve your presentation skills.  Please contact cathy.gray@maine.edu for more information. 
  2. 2022 4-H National Trip (Conference and Congress) for Senior 4-H Members ages 14-18
    National 4-H Trip applications are due September 30, 2022 for National 4-H Conference and Congress. We recommend you look at the requirements ahead of preparing your materials, as most of the pieces required are something you are already doing for your yearly record sheets. 4-H trips are excellent opportunities to meet 4-H members from across the nation.  Participants learn about many career options, and learn through educational workshops at Congress or become part of a team, making recommendations to the National 4-H Council at Conference. 

    We will be holding interviews for National trips on the week of October 10-16, 2022. These will be via Zoom. We will be interviewing for the National 4-H Congress, which will be held in Atlanta, GA on November 25 – December 1, 2022, and the National 4-H Conference, which will be held on April 14 – 19, 2023 at a conference hotel in or around Washington, DC.  The Maine website pages for both conferences have been updated.  Once your application has been received we will contact you for a convenient time for all to do the “Zoom” interviews. 

    Hopefully, next year, we will be back to our normal “National Interview Schedule” that will be held in April/May 2023. Please feel free to email Heidi Palmer, State Activities Coordinator at:  heidi.thuotte@maine.edu for any questions.
  3. 2022/2023 4-H Volunteer Training Opportunities
    As we get ready for the new 4-H year, we are looking forward to offering a variety of learning experiences (both in person and virtual) for our 4-H volunteers. Sessions are free of charge, but require registration. Some sessions have limited space. Visit the 4-H Volunteer Calendar of Training Opportunities to learn more and register!
  4. Farm Service Agency Youth Loans
    The Farm Service Agency (FSA) makes loans to youth to establish and operate agricultural income-producing projects in connection with 4-H clubs, FFA and other agricultural groups. Projects must be planned and operated with the help of the organization advisor, produce sufficient income to repay the loan and provide the youth with practical business and educational experience. The maximum loan amount is $5,000.Youth Loan Eligibility Requirements:
    – Be a citizen of the United States (which includes Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) or a legal resident alien,
    – Be 10 years to 20 years of age,
    – Comply with FSA’s general eligibility requirements,
    – Be unable to get a loan from other sources,
    – Conduct a modest income-producing project in a supervised program of work as outlined above,
    – Demonstrate capability of planning, managing, and operating the project under guidance and assistance from a project advisor. The project supervisor must recommend the youth loan applicant, along with providing adequate supervision.For help preparing the application forms, contact your local County USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov.
  5. Save the Date for the 4-H Unconference
    UMaine 4-H Unconference will be an organized forum for 4-H volunteers, club leaders, afterschool providers, teachers, parents and teen leaders to gather. UMaine 4-H Unconference is intentionally designed to have YOU teach and learn from each other. There is no agenda; you come with 4-H ideas and topics you want to talk about or learn more about, and we’ll guide the process to get folks into groups where YOU are the experts.  Save the dates: Saturday, October 22nd and Friday, November 11th.  Come to one or both. Watch this website for more information as it becomes available.
  6. Raffle Update for Maine 4-H Teen Leadership and Program Development Survey – Ages 11+
    Hello 4-H Community! The Teen Leadership and Program Development Survey now includes a raffle for the following seven items:
    – Two 4-H T-shirts
    – Three Lunch Totes
    – Two 4-H Positive Vibes T-Shirts
    The SHORT survey (about 30 questions/5 minutes) is for any 4-H participant age 11+ since 2017.  We want your voice included! The survey results will help us learn more about 4-H participant interests and improve statewide 4-H program planning.  If you are a parent of a 4-H child receiving this message, please have each child age 11+ who has participated in 4-H since 2017 complete a survey.  If you are a club leader, please pass along this information to your club members!To enter the raffle, simply add your contact information (email, phone #, etc.) to any of your typed responses in the survey or send it to me in a separate email or phone message: andrew.hudacs@maine.edu, 207-581-8204.  The drawing for the raffle will happen in early October.Link to the survey: https://umaine.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5yXj7Bb1UdPYvqK. Lastly, please let me know if you have any questions or would like to see a summary of the survey results, please contact me at andrew.hudacs@maine.edu or (207) 581-8204.

EFNEP Recipes: Time for Breakfast
Where did the summer go? It seems as if school just let out, and here we are in back-to-school mode. The excitement of new teachers, classes, and connecting with friends. As we start to settle into our school routine, we need to remember that breakfast is a huge part of a successful school day. The word breakfast means to “break your fast”, and fasting is when you do not eat for a certain period of time. Your body needs the calories from the food you eat to help you concentrate and give you more energy. While you sleep, the body is still working, and when you wake up, it’s time to recharge with a hearty breakfast. Below are a few great breakfast choices from our Mainely Dish Video series (Baked Oatmeal, Egg Bites, and the Brunching Burrito). If you don’t have time for a full breakfast a quick grab-and-go could be an apple with peanut butter or an Oatmeal, Strawberry,  Banana Smoothie. Start your day off right with a good breakfast!

For more delicious recipes, check out our UMaine EFNEP Mainely Dish Video Series.  By Debbie Barnett (EFNEP CEA in Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, and Waldo counties – deborah.barnett@maine.edu)

Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) offers FREE nutrition education classes to income-eligible adults with children, or young adults 19-25 years old, and if you are eligible for programs such as SNAP, WIC, or Head Start. Find out more online.


Leaders Meeting Minutes

Hancock County 4-H Leaders Meeting of August 9th, 2022

–Zoom Meeting–

Present– Lisa Carney, Lisa Reilich, Lee Sargent, Terry Swazey, Elaine Gokey, and office staff Carla Scocchi and Leah McCluskey (online). (5)

Secretary’s Report– motion to accept the July report as written; motion seconded and accepted.

Treasurer’s Report– motion to accept the report as read by Terry, seconded and accepted.

Old Business

  • Open House Report- went very well! There were ~150 people, a very consistent crowd. There were quite a few young families. Seemed like a good time of year, should we make it an annual event in July? Or should we open Jamboree to the public? Carla thinks the PR was a factor.
  • Blue Hill Fair Food Booth- Clean-up day August 27th. Lisa will be arriving at 8 am on Saturday.  Online meeting tomorrow, August 10th at 6 pm, Carla will send a link.
  • Lisa will check with Kenny to see if Scott will be doing breakfast again.
  • Erik F has keys to all of the gates.
  • Steer Tickets- clubs have picked up tickets.
  • Terry has the write-up for the Razor Crossman Award, she will send it to Carla.

New Business

  • Should we change the meeting time from 4:30 to 5 pm? Leah is going to send out a poll.
  • Made an under 5 “Future 4Hers” category for the fair exhibit booth to encourage younger kids.
  • Try to have one person submit all of the corrections for the fair book next year; this year they printed the 2017 info.
  • Motion to give the Extension office $1000 in 2023, seconded and passed. Terry gave Sue $2000 for this year and last year, and now we should be set for next year.

Office Report

  • Please welcome the new Administrative Assistant,  Andrea Mahoney! She is currently working daily 8-12. 
  • Photo contest- have been getting fewer and fewer entries each year. Should we keep the project as it is? We can probably combine it with the Exhibit Hall presentations. Maybe we can send out a paper reminder in the mail? Maybe an activity for winter?  
  • Maybe we could send out a yearly calendar of all the upcoming events? Maybe a quarterly PDF?

Adjourned at 6:00

Respectfully submitted
Lisa Carney, Secretary