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Laurie Bartlett, 4H Aide
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AROOSTOOK COUNTY NEWS 4-H NEWSLETTER May 2009 Edition “to make the best better” Upcoming Events!!! May 10th - Mother’s Day! May 15-16 - 4-H EDGE Weekend: Connecting Kids to Campus - Orono - May 15-17 - Northeast Livestock Expo @ Windsor Fairgrounds June 26-28 - Maine 4-H Days July 2-5 - Houlton Agricultural Fair July 5-10 - 4-H GPS/GIS TEK* Trek (info inside!) July 31 - Aug. 8 - Northern Maine Fair Clover Country CD’s $15.00 (we have 3 left!) CLUB NEWS… The Easton Trotters have certainly been keeping busy! They are getting ready to start their poultry projects but before doing that they wanted to go on a couple of field trips! They took a tour of the Bradbury Maple Sugar operation and they have gone to the WAGM-TV studio and had a tour there as well! Houlton Haybalers- Dog Club, Saturday, April 11, 09 Ann Rairdon, with the help of Sarah Jones and Eileen McLaughlin, set up an Easter egg hunt in the park. But there was a catch you had to walk with your dog NOT DRAG THEM to get to the egg. We have been working very hard for the fair and Ann is making it fun. We would like to thank Jean’s Serendipity (down stairs) and Meduxnekeag Ramblers for letting us use their places waiting for the snow to melt. By Lauren Eastham During a recent meeting of the Crafty Critters 4-H Club, members began the process of making rock candy. The chemical process takes two weeks or more before rock candy crystals are formed. The project involved a science lesson followed by the hands on portion. A good time was had by all! LEADER’S ASSOCIATION - Next meeting is May 28th! We will be trying to meet via video-conference but if all else fails we have found that using the speaker phone works well, too! We will plan to meet in the same places - in PI at the Extension Office and in Houlton at the Higher Education Center. We are closing in on Fair time so please try to come to these next two meetings. Membership Cards will be given to Leaders at the May meeting to hand out to their 4-H members. COW CHIP BINGO TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE!!! Leaders, please stop by the office and pick up a book of tickets (or two!) if you don’t already have some and help get this fundraiser off the ground! We had a great start at the Ag Trade Fair but we have lots more to sell! Kids, ask your teachers if they would like to participate! Ask your parents to come get a book for you to take to school! Ask your neighbors and family members! If you want to help out during Midnight Madness (July 3rd) please let Laurie know. A reminder will be sent out as the date draws closer. Also, if you would like to help by walking the parade route on the 4th (we can get the cow costumes again!) let Laurie know. Any and all help willingly accepted! Let’s sell them all this year!!! VOLT Training May 9 8:30 am – 1 pm Presque isle Extension Office Please sign up by calling Laurie at 532-6548 or emailing lbartlett@umext.maine.edu so we can be sure we have enough materials! Aroostook County 4-H Alumni Search We are starting an Aroostook County 4-H Alumni Group and we need your help! Do you know the where-abouts of someone who was in your 4-H club? We would love to get former 4-H members and volunteers who are now in The County together! We are also looking for someone who would be willing to head up this project! Interested? Let Christy know by emailing her at cfitz@umext.maine.edu Or...Join the new Aroostook County 4-H Alumni Group on Facebook.com!! Make Christy or Laurie a “Friend” and we’ll tell you what to do next—as soon as we figure it out! Or ask a kid…. Aroostook County 4-H Public Speaking/Demonstration Contest Monday August 3 7:15 pm at the Northern Maine Fair Exhibit Hall Brand new this year, we will be doing our Public Speaking contest at the Fair! We hope to have an audience of 4-H alumni as well as the general public! Don’t forget that each club should be doing some in-club practice! Here’s some basic information to help you get ready… Demonstration - a presentation in which you explain and show step by step how to do a favorite project or food preparation, usually accompanied by 1-3 posters and materials to do the demonstration. Cloverbuds require only one poster. Public Speaking - an original speech “Why 4-H Matters!” Cloverbud Interpretive Reading - read a short passage, story or poem 30 second radio spot- educating people about 4-H and encouraging them to join. Length of presentations…. Cloverbud (ages 5-8) 1-4 minutes Cloverbuds will receive feedback from judges and identical awards. Junior (ages 9-12) - time limit 5-8 minutes Senior (ages 13-18) - time limit 8-12 minutes Presentations will be judged on the general categories of appropriate content: knowledge and organization; poise, appearance, and grooming; and delivery (voice volume, speed, eye contact, gestures, facial expression, and pronunciation). Demonstrations will include workmanship, visual aids, and presentation. For copies of each score sheet and a booklet about demonstrations, call or email the Houlton Office. Don’t forget –good prizes!!!! 2009 4-H Photography Contest The OC has suggested that since photography is such a fun project and since having a nice wall of 4-H photos would look great at the Northern Maine Fair, we should declare 2009 the year of the First Annual 4-H Photography Contest. And so it is! Sizes and other specific rules will be published in the May newsletter but here is enough information to get you started. Subject categories 1. Animals 2. Sports/Action photos 3. Nature/Landscape 4. People 5. “This is 4-H!” Age groups
And a VERY special category—Volunteers! Yes, a category just for all enrolled 4-H volunteers! Photos may be black and white or color. There will be great prizes - exactly what TBA! Spring Energizer—Fun Time for All We had a great time at the Spring Energizer! Members got ready for such summer activities as the photo contest and the public speaking contest by attending workshops to build skills in those areas. Earth Day was celebrate by planning flower seeds in containers made from recycled materials. The afternoon was spent rock-climbing and swimming at Gentile Hall. We’d like to extend a big thanks to Nutrition Associate Chris Finemore for leading the planting workshop and volunteer Marie Strouse for teaching the Photography workshop. We also need to send a big thanks to the UMPI FFA who got our rooms for us and who helped out during the day! STATE & NATIONAL NEWS… 4-H GPS/GIS TEK* Trek *Technology and Environment for Kids AKA Naturalist Camp - July 5-10, 2009 at Greenland Point Center and the University of Maine at Machias in Princeton and Machias, ME, for ages 12-15. 4H GPS/GIS campers will “Get Outdoors” to learn about wildlife and their surroundings including woods, water, land and air. Participants will learn to collect GPS data and carry out a service mapping project for the Center and will also spend 1 1/2 days at UM Machias using the computer labs and exploring the campus. ATV and Boater Safety certifications courses will be available. Bring cameras for tips on photography! Special cost to 4-H members: $150.00 for the entire week (non 4-H cost is $250.00). To register, go to www.greenlandpoint.com - under Skills Camp find Naturalist Camp - 4H GPS/GIS - at the bottom of the list go to Click Here for Application. Apply Early! Camp is limited to 15 youth! 4-H Day at the Skowhegan Fair - SAVE THE DATE - Sunday, August 16, 2009 Any and all 4-H youth, individuals or as clubs, are invited to participate in the 4-H Day Parade at the Skowhegan State Fair. You may participate by walking in the parade; leading, riding or carrying an animal; riding on a float from your club or county; driving an antique tractor or just about anything else. Flags and banners are welcome. Be as creative as you can be - it is a celebration! Any 4-H member taking part in the 4-H Day Parade will be admitted free to the Fair on 4-H Day. During the day, there will be livestock demonstrations in the livestock ring and the 4-H Club Building will be open to view all the projects and educational exhibits from around the state. Because Skowhegan is a State Fair, all 4-H’ers are welcome to display in our building and show in our 4-H livestock shows. If you have any questions, contact Eleanor Pooler, 4-H Day Parade Chairman, at (207)643-2305. Emails can be directed to dkantor@umext.maine.edu at the Somerset County Cooperative Extension Office. OPERATION MILITARY KIDS SUMMER CAMPS! For youth whose parents are in the military National Guard and Reserve Units and any children with parents who are deployed, will be deployed or have just arrived back from deployment. Dates are: June 19-21 - Camp Tracy in Oakland Ages 9-12 Transportation from regional areas (Bangor, Portland) Cost: $25.00 July 31 - August 2 - Bryant Pond 4-H Camp in Bryant Pond – Ages 13-18 Transportation from regional areas (Bangor, Portland) Cost: $25.00 August 7-9 - Bryant Pond 4-H Camp in Bryant Pond – Ages 13-18 Transportation from regional areas (Bangor, Portland) Cost: $30.00 For more information and registration forms contact Karen Hatch Gagne karenhg@umext.maine.edu or Heather Andrews handrews@umext.maine.edu or call 1-800-287-1481 Morris Scholarship 2009 Every two years Maine has the opportunity to select an Eastern States Exposition participant to receive a $500 scholarship towards continuing his or her education beyond high school, and this is one of our years! To find information on how to apply for this scholarship, look online at: www.umext.maine.edu/4h/ese/morris.htm Each ESE Commodity may nominate one or two members of their ESE team from 2009 or a prior year, for this scholarship. Nominations must be received by August 3rd. See the website above for complete details! Maine 4-H Days Maine 4-H Days, held June 26-28, 2009 will be full of fun events for the whole family. You will be able to take part in workshops like Rocketry and Digital Photography and enjoy the Physics Road show! The Goat track will have a veterinarian present a healthy goat seminar and will demonstrate how to test for internal parasites by doing fecal samples. At Dog Camp there will lots of activities to learn all kids of dog knowledge. Parents who come as chaperones can participate in VOLT training if they are interested in becoming a 4-H volunteer and adults can also learn about what other clubs do in 4-H at the 4-H Speed Date Workshop! Keep an eye on the website for more information and registration materials. www.umext.maine.edu/4h/events/4hdays.htm National 4-H Congress & Conference After an extensive application and interview process, the delegates for the 2009/2010 National 4-H Congress & Conference trips have been selected. Please join us in congratulating these exceptional youth: National 4-H Congress: Sara Conant, Grace Gonnella, Dana Hayward, and Morgan Lee National 4-H Conference: Amberosity Davis, Ashlie Hardy, Kate Laliberte, and Aryn Martin. NOTE TO AROOSTOOK 4-H MEMBERS I am going to be the Congress Chaperone for the next 2 years. Next year we want to have LOTS of Aroostook applications for these award trips. Watch for some special events to help you get your 4-H story and resume ready for next years entry! Christy JUNE JAMBOREE!!!! Don’t forget to put Saturday June 6 on your calendar for this year’s June Jamboree. It’s going to be not just useful but FUN! We will start with animal clinics—dairy, goat, dog, and anything else people want from 10-12. We will have a hot dog barbeque with potluck salads and desserts from 12-1 In the afternoon we are going to have LAZER TAG!! From 1-2, we will have a special session for 5-9 year olds—their very own time so they can play without getting trampled by bigger kids. We’ll have some older youth activities while this is going on and then from 2:15-4:15 we will have the 10 and up age group! We will be sending registration forms and other details soon! Right now we are thinking the cost for the whole day will be about $6.00 for 4-H members and $10 if a non-4-H friend wants to come. OC NEWS!!! DON’T MISS THE NEXT OC MEETING SUNDAY, MAY 10 2pm – Presque Isle Extension Office! We have a lot of planning to do for June Jamboree and activities for summer fairs! Plus, we have a planet planting project at the Uranus site in Littleton and a Humane Society project and we need PEOPLE to carry those out! Special News – Aroostook County 4-H has received an additional $200.00 from the paper clover fundraiser done for us by MPG making our total $400.00! The Leader’s Association is turning this money over to the OC to decide how to spend it. Come offer your ideas and those of your club!! If you need a ride, meet at the USDA Building in Houlton at 12:50pm. REMINDER THAT ALL ANIMAL APPROVAL FORMS EXCEPT FOR HORSES ARE DUE JUNE 1. Animal Approval Forms are not required for rabbits. Cloverbud members do not use Animal Approval Forms 4-H Horse Vaccination Requirements for 2009 These are the same as last year. “4-Hers attending 4-H horse events in 2009 must provide proof of current, annual vaccination for rabies as well as a current Coggins test done by a veterinarian. EVH-1 and Equine Influenza are also required, horse owners may, however, administer their own EVH-1 and Equine Influenza inoculations and a sales receipt will be sufficient evidence for proof of vaccination.” EVH-1 and Equine Influenza are considered effective for six months. Plan the timing of your inoculations with your last event in mind. Remember that if you have had your horse out of state (like to Eastern States) since your last Coggins, it must be re-done! MAKE IT WITH WOOL CONTEST!!! 4-Hers in Maine are invited to enter the Make It With Wool Contest, a national competition sponsored by the American Sheep Industry Association. The state-level contest will be held on October 10, 2009 at the page Farm Museum at the University of Maine in Orono. Contestants may enter garments made with wool that are sewn, knit, crocheted or felted. More information and rules for the contest are on our website at www.umext.maine.edu/4h/events/other/wool.htm or you can contact Michaele Bailey at 1-800-297-0274 for more information Hill ‘N’ Dale Farm Club Hosts Spring Clinics The Hill ‘N’ Dale Farm Club will be hosting many horse clinics this spring: May 16, 2009: Natural Horsemanship with Lige Moore For more details, and information about attending these clinics, go online at www.umext.maine.edu/4h/resources/horse/clinicschedule.htm 4-H Alpaca Club This year at our fairs we are going to have an event that should be really exciting and fun to watch! Our 4-H alpaca group is going to be showing their skills in the 4-H Alpaca show, including showmanship, obstacle, and costume classes as well as a public speaking section to tell people about alpacas and their care and showing. These youth have been working hard all for many months to get ready for this summer! If you’d like to see some pictures of the alpaca project in action, go to http://www.forticorfarms.com/4H.htm! We will be posting all of the important fair information and forms on the Aroostook County 4-H website Fair section. Next week, the Exhibit Hall Guide and Fairbooks for Houlton and the Northern Maine Fair will be up and around June 1, the Intent to Participate forms should be there too. As soon as we get information on the Exhibitor's Insurance we will get that up there too. So remember, your first stop for Fair information is: www.umext.maine.edu/Aroostook4H Houlton Fair Important Notice About entry forms and passes If you are planning to bring animals and stay at the Houlton Fair, you must send in an entry form by May 20 and you must have a picture pass done BEFORE the fair. We will mail forms to those who have showed at Houlton in the past. If you do not get one, the entry form will be available on the website or by calling Christy or Laurie If you live locally, you will need to come to the fair office to get your picture pass. Dates will be announced asap (see website). If you are planning to come for one day shows, you must also get your passes before the fair starts. Anyone without a pass will have to pay and then see Jeff McCarthy or Nick Crane about a refund! 2009 Houlton Fair 4-H schedule July 2-5, 2009 Cow Chip Bingo tickets available at the 4-H Exhibit Hall Tues. June 30 3- 7 pm Exhibit Hall Set Up Wed. July 1 11 am- 4 pm Exhibit Hall Set Up 4:30 pm Exhibit Hall Judging Thurs. July 2 - Kids Day/4-H day 8:00 am 4-H Horse Show Registration 9:00 am 4-H Horse Show begins 4:30 pm 4-H Alpaca Show 7:00 pm Market Hog Weigh In Friday July 3 9:00 am 4-H Dog Show 2:00 pm 4-H Goat Show 4:00 pm Cloverbud Clinics 6:00 pm 4-H Market Hog Show Saturday July 4 1:30 pm 4-H Sheep Show 3:00 pm 4-H Beef Show 4:30 pm 4-H Dairy show 7:00 pm 4-H Market Hog Auction Sunday July 5 Cow Chip Bingo tickets for sale at the Little League Field 9:00 am 4-H Rabbit Show 1:00 pm Cow Chip Bingo on the Little League Field 2:00 pm Kids Activities Monday July 6—Pick up Exhibits 9 am—noon Houlton Fair One other note… There will be no Houlton Fair sponsored educational exhibits this year… HOWEVER, we will still have our 4-H sign contest (for both fairs) so we can still have educational displays for fair visitors. See the Exhibit Hall Guide for the rules for the sign contest! Northern Maine Fair Food Booth We still have a couple of days not covered and we have the Leader’s Association Day to cover as well. We need everyone to pitch in to make this a success!! Friday July 31__________________ Saturday August 1 – Caribou Clovers Sunday August 2 ___AV Dairy____ Monday August 3– Haybalers Tuesday August 4 – LA Day – all clubs are asked to take a 2-3 hour shift 7-10__________________ 10-1__________________ 1-3 __________________ 3-5 __________________ 5-8 __________________ Wednesday August 5 – Mane Eventers Thursday August 6 – Wild Mustangs Friday August 7- Wild Mustangs Saturday August 8 – Wild Mustangs Clean up Day Sunday August 9– each club must send one person to help with clean-up. Special NMFair Events Sunday August 2—7:00 pm Family Ice Cream Party Followed by line dancing lessons Monday August 3—6:00—Weighing of Baby Beef 7:15— 4-H Public Speaking contest Followed by 4-H Alumni reception Tuesday August 4—7:30 pm 4-H Scavenger Hunt Thursday August 6—Wild Mustangs Super Steak Dinner Friday August 7—7:30 pm 4-H Family Dance and Line Dance Saturday August 8— 11:00 am Animal Obstacle Course What’s Happening in Science, Engineering and Technology… Environmental Science and Sustainable Living…. Maine 4-H has lot of Summer Camp experiences and Maine 4-H camps are all about creating an active and sustainable relationship with the world around us! * You‘ve already been reading about 4-H GPS/GIS TEK* Trek (*Technology and Environment for Kids) at Greenland Point Center and the University of Maine at Machias. To register, go to www.greenlandpoint.com - under Skills Camp find Naturalist Camp - 4H GPS/GIS - at the bottom of the list go to Click Here for Application. * Maine 4-H also has the Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center in with camps in Lincolnville and Tenant’s Harbor as well as Youth Discovery Trips. Learn about all of their summer programs at http://www2.umaine.edu/tanglewood/summer.htm * Our newest 4-H Camp is the Bryant Pond 4-H Camp and Learning Center over in Western Maine, near Bethel. This camp offers three tracks of programs—woodscraft skills, naturalist skills, and primitive skills as well as a number of special programs. Check it out at http://www.umext.maine.edu/bryantpond/summer_programs.asp Interested in a Bird Project? The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has everything you could ever want to support your bird project! Go to www.birds.cornell.edu to see All About Birds—your on-line bird watching site which includes a section on building skills for new bird watchers. There is also a link to a new resource called Bird Sleuth, a way to learn about bird calls and lots more. The Lab often sponsors contests and events. If you get on their email list you can get monthly updates on projects and opportunities. Speaking of Birds… Here’s an event right here in Aroostook county...Mark your calendars! The Aroostook
State Park is hosting their first Birding Festival on Saturday June
13, 2009.Bird walks, banding demonstrations and informational
sessions are planned.The park offers a great assortment of habitat
types and over 100 species of birds including waterfowl, raptors,
shorebirds, gulls, woodpeckers, owls, flycatchers, thrushes,
warblers and sparrows! THE 2009 EXHIBIT HALL PROJECT GUIDES ARE READY!!! In trying to save some money we will not be automatically mailing out a copy to each family. We will be putting the Exhibit Hall Guide on our Website next week and if there is anyone who cannot access it from there, give us a call at the office and we will mail you a hard copy! www.umext.maine.edu/aroostook4h/
For more information on educational programs in your area, contact your county Extension office. |
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