
February 2025 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
February 4 – Virtual Speak Up Workshop, 6:00-7:30 pm
February 11 – 4-H Leaders Meeting, 6:30 pm
February 12 – 4-H Afterschool at the Blue Hill Library, 3:30-4:30 pm
February 17 – Office is Closed for Holiday
February 20 – Style Revue Workshop at the Office, 1:30-3:30 pm
February 21 – 4-H Afterschool at the Ellsworth Library, 2:00-3:00 pm
February 21 – 4-H Movie Night! at the Office, 6:30-8:30 pm
February 24 – Egg Business Informational Meeting, 6:00-7:00 pm
March 3 – Maine 4-H Foundation Scholarship Deadline
March 11 – 4-H Leaders Meeting, 6:30 pm
March 15 – Speak Up, Maine 4-H Showcase in Hancock County, 10:00-2:00 pm
County News
Speak Up, Maine 4-H: Showcase Your Spark!

Well well well… Looks like this county is FULL of amazing speakers. It was wonderful to see so many new and returning faces at the Speak Up Workshop last month! We love to see how, every year, this community comes together and showcases all that they’ve learned through the public speaking program. We cannot wait to see what’s in store for the county showcase in March!
All of our 4-H youth are invited to prepare for this year’s Hancock County Speak Up, Maine 4-H: Showcase Your Spark!, which will be held on Saturday, March 15, from 10:00 – 2:00 pm at Surry Elementary School. Youth can register for the event on our website.
The state showcase will be held on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at the University of Maine in Orono. The snow date is Sunday, April 6.
Egg Business Project
Good news, the 4-H Egg Business Project is back for another year! Take advantage of this amazing opportunity for your child to learn financial literacy, marketing, advertising, cash flow, start-up costs, profitability, and the operations of running a business. Through this experience, youth learn to face challenges and develop problem-solving skills, both of which are necessary for budding entrepreneurs.
This club is open to ages 11+ and will be a cross-county club between Hancock and Washington. This club is capped at a maximum of 5 families per county.
We will be hosting a virtual informational meeting on February 24. For more information, please visit our Egg Business Project website and fill out an interest form.
Fun With 4-H on February Break!

Our office staff and volunteers are ready to help our youth learn some new skills and celebrate our community this February break.
To start the season, the 4-H Leaders Association will host a Style Revue Workshop for beginner sewers/knitters/crocheters. If you’re new to garment making and are looking for a place to start, join us on February 20 from 1:30–3:30 pm at the Extension Office in Ellsworth. Learn more about the workshop and register on our website!
Then, on February 21 from 6:30-8:30 pm, we welcome everyone to another Hancock County Movie Night! Our showing of choice will be The Wild Robot, with lots of on theme activities and snacks! Register now using this form to help us ensure we will have enough supplies for everyone. You can also make a request for a reasonable accommodation. Registration will close the day of the event. We can’t wait to see you there!
4-H Afterschool Workshops
Get ready for some hands-on fun this February with awesome workshops you won’t want to miss!
On February 12, from 3:30-4:40 pm, at the Blue Hill Public Library, Leah and Tess will lead youth in a county favorite – Seaweed Lava Lamps! Registration is required, and space is limited to 20 youth, so act fast if you want to join us! Visit the Blue Hill Public Library website to register or learn more.
You can also join Leah on February 21, from 2:00-3:00 pm, at the Ellsworth Public Library for a lovely Valentine’s activity. Together, we’ll learn how to craft a no-sew tie pillow in the shape of a heart to fit the holiday theme! Hope to see you there.
Hancock County 4-H Seasonal Compass
Discover the wonders of Maine’s changing seasons with the “Hancock County 4-H Seasonal Compass.”
Each month, we’ll focus on a different aspect of Maine’s seasonal cycle, engaging in activities that promote Head (learning and thinking), Heart (caring and relating), Hands (giving and working), and Health (living and being). From exploring winter wildlife to harvesting fall crops, there’s something for everyone!
Scholarships
Every year, the Maine 4-H Foundation awards thousands of dollars in scholarships to participants in the Maine 4-H Program pursuing higher education, this participation includes traditional club membership, as well as the many other ways youth can engage with 4-H, including at our Camp and Learning Centers. Dozens of different scholarships are available to applicants, and a single application is used for all.
To find out more about available scholarships, and access the application and templates, visit the Maine 4-H Foundation website. Applications are due to your local UMaine Extension county office or one of our 4-H Learning Centers by March 3, 2025.
The Hancock County 4-H Leaders Association and the Hancock County Homemakers also have scholarships to award to our 4-H youth. For due dates and applications, please visit our website.
Club News

Pine Tree Pioneers: At our January meeting, our club members had a special visit from an older 4-Her who showed them what a good presentation looks like by demonstrating how to fold a paper crane. Afterward, the kids got to practice giving a demonstration of their own by teaching us how to make a sandwich!
Some club members joined 4-H staff and other youth in the county at the Speak Up Workshop, where they put what they’ve practiced to the test and spoke in front of a much larger group! It was so fun to see other 4-Hers share their demonstrations.
At our next meeting, we’ll keep practicing our public speaking skills and brainstorm other demonstration ideas so that our meeting in March can be a club demonstration day, where youth who want to participate can give a personalized demonstration to the club!
Lock, Stock, & Barrel: The Lock, Stock, & Barrel 4-H Club is currently participating in Postal League – A competitive youth program by the Pine Tree Rifle and Pistol Association, where teams shoot at their own range and scores are mailed in. This is a five-week program.
Archery will start on Wednesday, February 12 at 6:00 pm at the Blue Hill Rifle and Pistol Club on the Range Rd in Blue Hill. Youth ages 9 to 18 may participate. If youth are interested please contact Norwood and Becky Ames at 567-3066 and leave a message.
The club will not meet during February vacation break. The club will resume again on Wednesday, February 26, same time, same place.
Jolly Juniors: At our last meeting, we had a Sunday Funday so we could plan our upcoming sewing and woodworking projects and Landon & Olivia could make their pillowcases.
We got some basketball time in, along with games, cocoa, and cake! We had a fun afternoon.
– Coryann, Club Reporter
Horse of Course: The Horse of Course club met on Saturday, January 25. Three members presented reports on their breed of choice as they were not able to attend at the time the club was doing this. We watched some videos on show jumping and dressage. The club talked about parts of the horse, answered some horse-related questions, and then played a memory game that was made up of twelve images of the horses of the Bagaduce River Equine Rescue.
Service Squad: At our February meeting, we had a lot of fun on Zoom! We talked about our next fundraiser and how we would like to fundraise for Camp Capella or help at the local library. We’re also thinking about planning an event for all 4-Hers! We were thinking maybe a game night or a creative building night.
We also brainstormed ideas for workshops we’d like to see at June Jamboree! Some of our ideas included engineering, archery, cultural events, pottery, mindfulness, balloon boat races, paper plane building, and more! Let us know what ideas you have by emailing leah.mccluskey@maine.edu.
Lastly, we have a movie night planned for February 21st, so keep that date clear!
State News
Maine 4-H Ag Ambassadors: Maine 4-H is now accepting registrations for the spring 2025 Agriculture Ambassadors cohort! The program is designed for youth ages 14-18 who are interested in any aspect of agriculture. Youth spend time getting to know each other and learn both online and in-person in sessions facilitated by UMaine 4-H Staff and community partners. Sessions will focus on career exploration, exploring the Maine food system with farm and production visits around the state, and building relationships with industry professionals.
This season we will visit local Maine Ag businesses like Mook Sea Farm and Aquaculture, and the anaerobic digester at Stonyvale Farm (one of the largest in the US!). Transportation assistance for these events may be available upon request.
In addition to the multi-week session, youth will serve in their ambassador role with Maine 4-H for at least 1 year. Youth will pick an agricultural area to focus on (ex. livestock, ag literacy/food systems, environmental stewardship, ag and health) during their term and explore leadership opportunities locally, statewide, and even nationally.
To register visit extension.umaine.edu/4h/youth/ag-leadership. For more information or a reasonable accommodation, please contact Alisha Targonski at alisha.targonski@maine.edu or 207.622.7546.
Spring 2025 Dates:
- Online – March 04, March 11, March 25, April 1 & April 15
- In-person: March 22 and March 29
- Maine Agriculture Symposium at the University of Maine: April 21-22 (optional overnight) No cost paid and transportation assistance may be available.
Become a 4-H Tick Project Mentor: We are looking for volunteers to guide youth in learning about ticks and community science through the 4-H Tick Project.
Mentors will:
- Facilitate hands-on learning experiences through 4-H activities in classrooms, after-school programs, and/or community events.
- Model tick collection protocols and identification techniques.
- Share best practices for tick safety with young people.
- Make a valuable contribution to their communities.
No prior experience with tick science is required. The training will provide all the necessary knowledge and resources. This opportunity requires volunteers to work with educators and youth in various learning environments, including outdoors in tick habitat.
For more details and to register for the training, please visit: extension.umaine.edu/hancock/tick-project/volunteer. The deadline to register for the training is March 30, 2025.
2025 Engineering Week Expo: The Maine Engineering Promotional Council (MEPC) Engineering Expo will be held Saturday, March 8th from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at the University of Maine Field House in Orono. This family-friendly FREE event invites the community to explore the world of engineering through demonstrations and hands-on activities. The 4-H Science and Engineering Center will be there along with Maine engineering firms, schools, government agencies, and societies who are invested in engaging young minds in career pathways involving engineering. For more information on the Engineering Expo please go to the website: https://www.engineeringme.com/expo.
Maine Science Festival: The Maine Science Festival will be held March 19-23 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. This FREE event includes a Field Trip Day for 7th- 8th graders, a Teen Tech Night, and Exploration Stations that include demonstrations and hands-on activities involving the sciences. Be sure to put it on your calendar because it really is a fun event! For more information on the Maine Science Festival please go to the website: https://www.mainesciencefestival.org/
Summer Camp at Tanglewood and Blueberry Cove: Registration for Summer Programs at Tanglewood and Blueberry Cove 4-H Camps is now open! We would love to see you at one of our 4-H Camps this summer! 1 and 2-week overnight camps, day camps, outdoor trips, and teen leadership camps are open for anyone to attend. This is a great opportunity to diversify your 4-H experience and continue building awesome skills. Scholarships are available from the camps, your county offices, and the 4-H Foundation to help with tuition costs. For local scholarship needs, please contact your county office.
Some sessions fill up fast! To start planning your summer experience, please check out the program pages on our website, which have more information and dates. We are excited to welcome you to the Tanglewood and Blueberry Cove Family! For questions, please email or call Emma at the contact information below.
Website: www.umaine.edu/tanglewood
Email: extension.tanglewood4h@maine.edu
Phone: 207.789.5868
Start Your 4-H Volunteer Journey: University of Maine Cooperative Extension will offer a two-part online informational session for adults interested in becoming Maine 4-H volunteers on February 21 & 28 from 12 – 1 p.m. “Start Your 4-H Volunteer Journey” will provide participants with information about the UMaine Extension 4-H youth development program through four short e-Learning modules. Attendees will also participate in an experimental learning activity, learn about the key aspects of positive youth development, and be introduced to ages and stages of youth. The two one-hour virtual sessions will wrap up with an outline of next steps and an introduction to a county staff contact to help with the application process if desired.
Registration is required. The sessions are free. To register, visit our website. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Jennifer Lobley, jennifer.lobley@maine.edu, 207.255.3345.
4-H Volunteer Connections – Register Today: We are offering amazing virtual interactive sessions this winter for all 4-H volunteers! Join us for regional training and networking opportunities with 4-H volunteers from our 13 states in the North East Region.
Session topics include the following:
- Building Connections for Success – February 19, 2025 – 6:30 – 8:00 pm
- Growing Beyond the Ribbon – March 19, 2025 – 6:30 – 8:00 pm
To register and read more about each session, visit https://extension.umaine.edu/4h/volunteer-connections/. Sign up for one, two, or all three! Sessions are free, but you must register! Questions? Reach out to Jen Lobley at jennifer.lobley@maine.edu. We hope to see you there!
Explore Maine’s Aquaculture Industry with Virtual Field Trips from 4-H: Virtual Field Trips (VFTs) are an innovative way for youth to explore and learn about places and people that would otherwise be infeasible! Accessible at no cost, the Virtual Field Trips are designed to break down geographical and financial barriers, making high-quality, hands-on learning available to all. Register online to receive a link to the VFTs. Each field trip also comes with complementary 4-H activity guides and lesson plans to help facilitate meaningful engagement with youth.
The first VFT currently available features the University of Maine’s Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research (CCAR), a large-scale, land-based aquaculture facility in Franklin, Maine. Additional virtual field trips are in development and will be rolled out throughout 2025 and 2026. These experiences offer insight into seafood production, workforce development, career exploration, and STEM concepts related to aquaculture technologies.
To register for a virtual field trip, visit extension.umaine.edu/hancock/aquaculture/vft. For more information: contact Carla Scocchi, 4-H Youth Development Professional, carla.scocchi@maine.edu.
4-H Science Toolkits: Maine 4-H has a lending library of 4-H Science toolkits. These come with activities and materials around a variety of topics.
Recent additions include:
- eBird Explorers, exploring Ornithology for Cloverbuds
- Harmful and Shifting Species, which examines species impacting the Maine coast
- Power Protectors, which involves exploring energy use and an introduction to renewable energy through engineering design challenges.
Reach out to your local 4-H staff person or email 4-HScience@maine.edu to make a reservation or with any questions.
4-H Dairy Quizbowl: The 2025 Maine 4-H dairy quizbowl tryouts will be held on March 1st at the Randall Student Center at the University of Maine Augusta. Tryouts are open to all enrolled 4-H dairy members ages 9-18. Youth will be divided into two age categories, Jr. ages 9-11 and Sr. ages 12-18. If you plan on attending please notify Sadee Mehuren via email at sadee.mehuren@maine.edu so that we can prepare for the event. For more information on the event including the contest rules, please visit extension.umaine.edu/4h/dairy-quizbowl/.
ESE 4-H Dairy Intent Forms Available Now: The 2025 Maine 4-H Dairy Eastern States intent to participate form is available online at https://extension.umaine.edu/4h/dairy/. In order to be eligible for participation on the Maine 4-H Dairy Eastern States Team next fall, 4-H members must submit their completed intent form online or to the Waldo County Cooperative Extension office before March 1, 2025. Please contact Sadee Mehuren at sadee.mehuren@maine.edu or 207.342.5971 with any questions.
Save the Date – UMass Animal Science Academies: UMass 4-H is inviting Maine 4-H members to participate in two weekend workshops for animal and veterinary science.
Explore Vet Science will take place on Saturday, June 14, and Sunday, June 15 at the UMASS Farm facilities in Hadley, MA. Participants will get hands-on animal experience, working with UMASS faculty and staff, to learn about the work of the veterinarian and career opportunities in animal and veterinary science. An overnight dorm option will be available. This program is for youth ages 13-18.
Animal Science Cattle Academy will take place on Friday, June 20 through Sunday, June 22 at the Tri-County Fairgrounds in Northampton, MA. This event is for any 4-Her with a dairy, beef, or working steer project. Participants will learn fitting, showing, and other aspects of their project from several experts from across the Northeast! Youth are invited to bring their projects to the academy; however, we may have a local dairy farm to provide dairy heifers this year!
A registration form will be sent out once schedules are finalized for both events. Cost and other program information will be provided with registration. To express interest in the program as well as provide feedback for planning please visit https://forms.office.com/r/Wec5U3Bnca for the veterinary science academy and https://forms.office.com/r/5TNYM5wjwh for the animal science academy.
Save the Date – Northeast Livestock Expo (NELE): NELE will take place from May 16 – 18, 2025 at the Windsor Fairgrounds in Windsor, Maine. More information can be found on their website, and entry forms and schedules will be available in 2025.
Leaders’ Meeting Minutes
Hancock County 4-H Leaders Meeting of January 14, 2025
Attendees: Lisa Reilich, Lisa Carney, Terry Swazey, Joannie Jodrey, Lee Sargent, and staff members Andrea Mahoney and Leah McCluskey
Secretary’s and Treasurer’s Reports
- Treasurer’s report accepted as read by Terry
- Secretary’s report accepted as written in the newsletter.
Club Reports
- Some groups visited Bagaduce Equine Rescue and had a great time.
- The Jolly Juniors had a Christmas party. They made cookies and crafts and had a visit from the Grinch!
- Pine Tree Pioneers did public speaking at their last meeting, and they did an amazing job. Some attended the public speaking workshop. They will be sowing seeds soon.
New Business
- Scholarships
- We might want to change our scholarship guidelines to say that recipients do not need to send transcripts prior to receiving funds.
- We might want to line scholarship applications and/or deadlines up to optimize and coordinate funding with the Maine 4-H Foundation.
- Meet with Leah on January 28th at 6:30, ask the office for a Zoom link if you would like to attend.
- Need to schedule a Jamboree meeting in February. Virtual – January 30th at 6:30, encourage the new leaders to come!
- Budget
- Newsletters to families- motion to fund the account with $650; seconded and passed.
- Motion that we increase the yearly scholarship contribution from $750 to $1000; seconded and passed.
- Motion to increase the yearly contribution to the Pine Tree Foundation from $750 to $1000; seconded and approved.
- Motion to change the name of the Tanglewood Scholarship to the Maine 4H Camp Scholarship, and increase the amount from $450 to $500; seconded and passed.
- Motion to increase the Eastern States Scholaship from $100 to $150; seconded and passed.
- Motion to increase the Public Speaking budget from $100 to $200; seconded and approved.
- Leah does not think County Public Speaking will fit into the Extension Office this year, and looked for some alternatives. The Blue Hill Grange is $85 per day for 50 guests or less including the kitchen. The Lodge on the Bucksport Rd in Ellsworth was mentioned by Joannie, and the Trenton Grange may also be a possibility.
- Style review- we have plenty of prizes and decorations, keep at $300.
- Government Days- no one has gone recently. Do we want to budget for this year? Should be fine
- Jamboree- Motion to increase the budget to $1000; seconded and passed.
- Photo contest- motion to increase to $175; seconded and passed.
- Cloverfest- keep as.
- Project records- keep as is.
- Ribbons- keep as is.
- Activity tent- motion to increase to $100; seconded and accepted.
- Exhibit hall- keep as is.
- Insurance- do we want to increase the actual policy? We could not replace the building for the current amount of $10,000. Leave at $500 for now.
- Crown Trophy- shipping costs have gone up. Motion to increase from $75 to $200; seconded and passed.
- Steer tickets- we could get away with 1000 less tickets, might want to check into other printers. Might be someone in Hampden? Leave as is for now.
- Banner- check alternate vendors; Sierra Signs in Ellsworth?
- Motion to add $150 to new category, “Miscellaneous Fun Events”
Office Business
- Want to do another movie night! The Wild Robot has good reviews. Build a box fan campfire, make some trail mix. April 11th (Friday). Terry suggested “Flow” as a movie. Lisa C suggested an additional movie night over February break, maybe on Friday?
- Public Speaking
- New Penobscot County Professional, so Sheila is no longer heading up public speaking
- State public speaking is being rebranded as Speak Up, Maine 4-H!
- New category in the future that features a performance, Ex: cello demos.
- County competition will be March 15th.
- State will be April 5th.
- New Club- Home Sweet Farm based at the Surry School. Animal focused with crafting and field trips.
- Style Review- had a workshop in February last year. February 20th (Thursday) from 1-4 would work for this year. Demos for sewing, knitting, crocheting?
- Photo contest checks- have gone directly to the parents.
- Leah will email Terry our EIN number.
Motion to adjourn at 8:15 pm
Respectfully submitted by Lisa Carney, Secretary