York County 4-H News, August 2018
4-H Club News
Boots and Buckles
The Boots and Buckles members showed their sheep at Ossipee Valley Fair.
Four Leaf Clover Club
The Four Leaf Clover Club has been getting ready for their 100-year celebration. Club members have also been putting finishing touches on their exhibits for Acton Fair.
Lucky Charms
The Lucky Charms had members enter some great exhibits at the Ossipee Valley Fair! We also had several members attend the Maine 4-H days; it was a great time! Our focus now is the Acton Fair! We’re working hard on exhibits, presentations, and our parade float! Hope we see you there!
Kidding Around
Kidding Around has been getting ready for the Fair. We are working on our Float and our One-theme Exhibit. Kidding Around will be opening the food booth from 4:00-7:00 PM on Wednesday night of the fair serving chile and chop suey.
Nature Kids
The Nature Kids worked on a project recently that involved bench construction and installation at the town forest.
York County Shepherds
York County Shepherds have been getting their projects ready for Acton Fair. Members recently showed their sheep at Ossipee Valley Fair.
Year 2017 – 2018
York County 4-H Program “Dates and Facts to Remember”
4-H is age 5-18. 4-H Age is determined by December 31st. On December 31st your age is what you will be in the new year. In most cases you must be 9 years old to show a large animal project. For 4-H trips you must be 4-H age of 14. Cloverbuds are aged 5-8/Junior members are age 9-11/Intermediate members are age 12-14/Senior members are age 15-18.
The 4-H program year is October 1 to September 30. This was traditionally set up years ago to follow the agricultural fair schedule. Our two County Fairs are: Ossipee Valley Fair in July and the Acton Fair in August.
August 23-26, 2018: Acton Fair
September 10, 2018: 4-H Leaders Meeting, 7:00 PM at the UMaine Extension York County office
September 15, 2018: 4-H Bus Trip to Eastern States
September 2018: Eastern States “The Big E” Fair
September 30 – October 7, 2018: Fryeburg Fair
- Always bring York County 4-H embossed copies of your approval forms with you to the fair if you are showing animals.
- Approval forms not needed for rabbits or chickens.
State 4-H News
Eastern States Bus Trip, Saturday, September 15, 2018
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 15, 2018.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. Two buses are reserved for us and the northernmost bus will originate in Bangor and they will both stop at several points on I-95. 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, but all individuals on this trip are expected to march in the parade at 5:00 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. Bus stops will be determined based on location of riders. Reservations must be made in writing or by e-mail to:
Jessy Brainerd
103B Libby Hall
University of Maine
Orono, ME 04469-5741
brainerd@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, September 1st (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 (in Maine) or 207.581.3877.
Photo Contest! From Susan Jennings, Maine 4-H Foundation
We know we make a huge difference in the lives of Maine youth through 4-H. I appreciate all of the hard work and dedication our 4-H staff make across Maine. The Maine 4-H Foundation had a great year in 2017 raising over $748,000 in donations and investment income! A great deal of this funding was restricted to your programs! Good job! Our goal for 2018 is to continue to increase our support to 4-H programs across Maine. To make this happen the Maine 4-H Foundation needs to hear about your great programs and see youth in action! Becky Mosley suggested a statewide photo contest and the Foundation Board agreed! Photos make all of the difference! The Maine 4-H Foundation is pleased to announce a new youth, volunteer and staff photo contest. To win, submit as many photos (with photo releases) as you like to Susan Jennings by September 1, 2018. Photos need to be originals, have a photo release (for people in the photo) and include the copyright release from the photographer. They need to be digitally submitted to jennings@maine.edu. Please add your name, email contact, age and photo release information.Youth and volunteer Prize(s):
- Grand prize for the best overall photo: Something 4-H Awesome!
- Prizes given in all divisions (Youth age up to 8, 9-12, 13 and up, volunteers)
- 1st Prize $100 gift card
- 2nd Prize $75 gift card
- 3rd Prize $50 gift card
- Staff Prize: $500 on account at the Maine 4-H Foundation that you can use for a special 4-H program, event, workshop, conference or donor challenge.
Questions?? Call Susan Jennings at 207.615.7300.
Maine 4-H Project Records, Reflection Tools and Digital Badges!
Maine 4-H is excited to roll out new 4-H project records, reflection tools and opportunities for digital badges.
A team has been working to design the new records aligned with research and connections to Maine’s commitment to proficiency-based education in mind. We know that these won’t be perfect and are anxious to have YOU help us try them out and be part of the process. The new records are now posted online and can be found on the state 4-H website. Direct links are available here:
- Project Record – Advanced (Word | PDF)
- Project Record – Beginner (Word | PDF)
- Project Record – Cloverbud (Word | PDF)
- Project Record – Intermediate (Word | PDF)
- Portfolio (Word | PDF)
We are also planning a few ways for you to be part of the team to ask questions and give feedback.
Join our Google classroom community: This will be a place where volunteers and youth members are able to share real-time feedback about these tools. To join:
- Sign in to Classroom at classroom.google.com.
- On the homepage, click Add>Join class.
- Enter the code d9jmty and click Join.
Participate in our live feedback sessions: Please save the date for feedback sessions. These will be conducted using Zoom. Register for these sessions with KymNoelle Hopson at 207.353.5550 or kymnoelle.hopson@maine.edu.
- September 11 from 6 – 8 p.m.
We are looking forward to having YOU as part of our team. If you have any questions please contact Kristy Ouellette, kristy.ouellette@maine.edu or 207.353.5550, extension 12.