4-H Flash Newsletter

Oct. 10              Pumpkin Daze at Simon’s Hancock Farm in Hancock 10:00 - 3:00 pm

Oct. 12              Columbus Day - Extension Office Closed

Nov. 14              VOLT Training - Extension Office - 9:00 am - 2:00 pm

Dec. 31              Enrollments are due in the Extension Office - No exceptions

For a complete listing of what’s happening in 4-H  check out the 4-H Calendar  Page at: http://extension.umaine.edu/4h/calendar.htm.

4-H’ers Take Part in Perry Harvest Fair

Twenty-six Washington County children participated in 4-H exhibits and activities at the Perry Harvest Fair on Saturday, October 3, receiving ribbons from 4-H and cash prizes from fair organizers. Judges were Frances Raye and Carol Bryan of Perry and Corrie Hunkler of Beals. Cash premiums were provided by the Perry Harvest Fair Committee.

Jade Consalvi of the Quoddy Kids 4-H Club in Perry attracted large groups of children with her milking demonstrations featuring her goat Faith. Faith got lots of petting and probably ate a little too much hay fed by eager hands. Jade received a special 4-H demonstration ribbon with rosette for her efforts. The demonstration is a 4-H tradition that encourages public speaking and presentation skills.

Eleven children from the Quoddy Kids 4-H Club, including Jade, participated in a table display of the vegetables they grew this summer. Winners of green Cloverbud participation ribbons and special dollar coins for their veggies were: J.D. Turner, 6, potatoes; Hailey Calder, 6, blue Hubbard squash; Alex Harris, 5, turnip; Riley Fraser, 7, carrots; Jasmine Consalvi, 6, beans; Tierra Newell, 8, banana peppers; Elizabeth Bitar, 7, onions; Catherine Bitar, 5, beets; and Wren Fraser, 5, cabbage. Cloverbuds are 4-H’ers ages 5 through 8. Quoddy Kids Jade Consalvi, 10, and Jodie Lee Harris, 9, won blue ribbons and $5 premiums for their respective zucchini and tomatoes. The Quoddy Kids Club Leaders are Anne Bitar and Denise Harris, assisted by the children’s parents. The club won a best of show ribbon and a $15 premium for their display. For their community service project this year, the club contributed much of their produce to the Eastport Food Pantry.

The Dennys River Manure Movers Club, led by Nancy Curtis, received a blue ribbon and $15 premium for their club display. The Manure Movers concentrate on learning about horses. Their members include John Johnson, 8; Jenna Koehne, 9; Cierra Seeley, 11;  Amanda Ward, 13; Kaylee Brown, 12; Kiki Matthews, 11; and Leah Kirshman, 9.

The Machias Area Cloverbud Group, which met this past summer for six weeks, entered a number of art and science exhibits and received green participation ribbons and dollar coins for their efforts. These children were Lucy Kilton, 6, of Marshfield; Joey Garcia, 6, of Machiasport; Ryan Conley, 7, of Roque Bluffs; Cooper Leighton, 7, of Machiasport; Hayden Roberts, 6, of East Machias; and Marissa Wood, 6, of Machiasport.

Hailey Bell, 9, and Paige Bell, 7, of Dennysville, received participant ribbons for their 4-H Going Green Day Camp exhibit, a scarecrow and chicken made completely from recycled materials, including real chicken feet.

Many thanks to those who participated and to Ellen Brown of the Perry Harvest Fair Committee, as well as our wonderful judges. See you at next year’s fair!

Washington County Bulletin Board Items

Super Sitter Babysitting Course to be Offered

 The Super Sitter Babysitting Course will be offered in the Machias and Milbridge areas in the near future.  Dates are still being determined.  Students will learn about children of different ages, how to relate to them, and how to avoid some of the pitfalls that often accompany childcare. Participants will receive training in basic first aid and how to respond in an emergency situation.  This course is open for youth ages 12 and up.  The cost will be $10 for a 4-H member and $15 for 4-H non members. 

Please contact Jen Lobley at 255-3345, 1-800-287-1542 or jlobley@umext.maine.edu if you are interested.

Pumpkin Daze

 Saturday, October 10, 2009

(Rain Date: October 11th)

Simon’s Hancock Farm Stand

10:00 - 3:00 pm

 Pumpkin Daze is the 4-H Awareness Day in Hancock County.  There will be game booths or activities for children, learning stations, exhibits, demonstrations, and animals.

Re-Enrollment

If any leader or any independent member has not received their packet or if you have any questions, please contact the Extension Office as soon as possible.

Leaders please be sure to complete ALL paperwork by December 31st.There will be no exceptions.

Maine State 4-H News

 1. 2009-2010 Maine Association of Livestock Exhibitors Membership

The 2009-2010 Maine Association of Livestock Exhibitors membership form is now

available on the 4-H website. Please note that when you send your form in, you are

signing up for a membership in the Association, one of the benefits of membership is exhibitor liability insurance. For more information and access to the form, go to: http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/forms/webdocs/maleform.htm.

2. Animal Science Committee Nominations

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Maine 4-H Animal Science Committee is Saturday, November 7, 2009. It is time for 4-H volunteers who wish to serve on those committees to be nominated or re-nominated for a three-year term. You can visit our website at http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/manual/partb/b18.htm to learn more about serving in this position. You can find a nomination and re-nomination form at http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/forms/ASCnominationform.pdf. Deadline to send nomination forms to the State 4-H Office is October 1, 2009. If you are unsure when your term ends, you can contact the Activity Coordinator of your commodity, or Michaele Bailey. Membership to the Animal Science Committees is gained by a nomination and re-nomination process.

Nominations can be made by an extension educator/professional, any member of the committee, and/or the nominee him/herself and occurs prior to the Fall ASC meeting. Nominations will be reviewed and voted on by each committee. Successful first-time nominees will be sent a welcome packet and an invitation to the Fall Animal Science Committee meeting. It is recommended that teenage 4-H volunteers be given seats on the Animal Sciences committees. Teen members will follow the same membership process as adults. If you have any questions about the animal science committees or the nomination process, please contact Michaele Bailey at mbailey@umext.maine.edu 1-800-287-0274 or Donna Flint at dflint@umext.maine.edu 1-800-287-1537.

3. Horses – EEE Information Do you know what to look for if you think your horse has EEE, Eastern Equine Encephalitis? If you vaccinated this spring, is your horse still protected? Take a look at this very interesting list of Frequently Asked Questions by Dr. Anne Lichtenwalner and Dr. Donald Hoenig on our website at: http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/resources/horse/eee.htm.

5. VOLT Training Corner

VOLT Training will be held on Saturday, November 7th from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm at the Penobscot County Office, 307 Maine Avenue, Bangor. To register, please call 207-942-7396, or email bbaker@umext.maine.edu. Bring a lunch. $5 donation for materials (scholarships available).  VOLT Training will be held on Saturday, November 14th from 10:00 am – 2:30 pm at the Androscoggin/Sagadahoc Counties Office, 24 Main Street, Lisbon Falls. To register, please call 207-353-5550, or email drickman@umext.maine.edu.

6. Hippology Fun Show (Horse Show) Saturday, October 10, 2009 there will be an Hippology Fun Show with traditional equine classes and equine games to follow at the Pittston Fairgrounds starting at 9:00 am. For more information, and registration paperwork, see our website at: http://www.umext.maine.edu/4h/resources/horse/2009funshow.htm.

7. Morris Scholarship

This year, the Morris Scholarship winner is Sara Conant of the Eastern States Dog Team. Sara is a senior this year at Windham High School. The Morris Scholarship is awarded once every two years to a member of one of the seven livestock and animal teams that represent Maine at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Massachusetts. Candidates must plan to attend a two or four year college, have excellent grades, and demonstrate leadership in 4-H.

8. 4-H National Youth Science Day

As part of 4-H Week 2009, 4-H is celebrating the Second Annual National Youth Science Day (NYSD) on October 7. This year’s experiment called Bio-fuels Blast is designed to help youth explore and understand more about the creation and use of bio-fuels. You can learn all about this year’s project by going to www.4-h.org/nysd.

This year’s experiment lets youth carry out an experiment that creates models what happens during the creation of bio-fuels from sugars using corn (Karo) syrup and yeast. The creation of carbon dioxide is the indicator that the reaction is taking place. It is too late to purchase the kits for the experiment, however, the materials needed – an empty 20 oz. plastic bottle, a balloon, yeast, Karo syrup, and water are all easily available.

Experiment facilitator guides and youth work sheets can be downloaded from the website once you register. There is also a “How to” video, a discussion section, and a place to access promotional activities if you would like to highlight 4-H SET in your community.

And new this year, there are exciting new prize opportunities! Once you and/or your group have completed the experiment, go to the NYSD website (www.4-h.org/nysd) and record your results. This must be done between October 1 and October 30. Thanks to John Deere, the county in every state that submits the most reports will receive $400.00! Not only that, of those who submit their results through the Biofuel Blast experiment survey, five youth names will be randomly selected to receive a 32GB third generation iPod touch. The five youth will also be able to designate a 4-H club, school classroom, or youth organization to receive one of the pictured Fuel Cell Car Experiment kits. Official drawing rules can be found at https://www.4-h.org/NYSD/results_rules.php. And don’t forget to take pictures both for your county staff, for the Maine SET Team and to post to the National Youth Science Day website.

For more information, contact Christy Fitzpatrick at cfitz@umext.maine.edu or 1-800-287-

1469

Cooking with the Kids

 Roasted pumpkin seeds have a nutty flavor and are packed with protein and fiber. Pumpkin seeds are delicious toasted and salted, but they're even better flavored with sweet and savory spices.

 How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds

 1.Rinse pumpkin seeds under cold water and pick out the pulp and strings. (This is easiest just after you've removed the seeds from the pumpkin, before the pulp has dried.)

2.Place the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet, stirring to coat. If you prefer, omit the oil and coat with non-stick cooking spray.

3.Sprinkle with salt and bake at 325 degrees F until toasted, about 25 minutes, checking and stirring after 10 minutes.

 Let cool and store in an air-tight container.

 Taken from www.allrecipes.com