Caroline.umd.edu

University of Maryland-

Caroline County 4-H

Administrative

Assistant

Wendi Potter

wpotter@umd.edu

July/August 2017

9194

Legion Road

Suite #4

Denton

MD 21629

Phone

(410)

479.4030

Fax

(410)

479.4042

Summer is often recognized as a time for families, picnics and fairs. It

is also a wide open classroom for youth to learn collaboration, critical

thinking and communication skills. Working with your family to plan

the yearly vacation or assemble your fair exhibits is also helping you

practice patience, time management and priority setting skills. Indi-

viduals new to learning these skills also need volunteers and adults

to ask questions that guide the learning process and not simply pro-

vide an immediate answer. Summer can be a great exploration be-

yond the books from the classroom and an opportunity to apply

knowledge in a variety of environments. I welcome your requests for

new programs and family event ideas to bring our county 4-H family

together. Enjoy learning about life all around you this summer and

share your discoveries with us at the office or drop us a note on the

Facebook page.

Augmented reality will be enhancing our

2017 fair displays this year!

All 4-H exhibitors are invited to assemble a short

video clip about their project. Youth can video their

quick and snappy comments on mobile devices and

send the <20 MB file to Drmwelsh@umd.edu. These

video clips will be uploaded to the Aurasma site for our county fair. Folks at-

tending the fair will click on a QR code like picture at designated spots at

buildings. The free app will ask them to follow our county Aurasma link and

then the fun begins! Travel around the fair and hear all about the 4-Her's be-

hind the projects as you click on each county fair logo and name. Be sure to

specify what name you want listed below your logo tag. All video clips need

to be sent by June 30th. Email drmwelsh@umd.edu with questions.

4-H Extension Educator

Melissa Leiden Welsh, Ph.D.

drmwelsh@umd.edu

Exhibits for Maryland State Fair

State Fair is a great opportunity to share your knowledge and skills at a large venue!

Please note the change in dates and the schedules changes for this year’s Maryland State

Fair Wednesday August 24 - Monday September 5. A ll details about the fair are at the

www.marylandstatefair.com website. A computer workstation is now available at the county

office for you to use for 4-H online entries and information searching. DEADLINE to enter

exhibits for state fair is Friday July 31st. Entering before July 15 is a much smoother process

as many folks wait until the last week of July to enter and then the system goes VERY slow-

so enter early!

If you need help getting your entries to the state fair-

grounds site, please contact Dr. Welsh at the county office

to make arrangements (drmwelsh@umd.edu) or call 410-

479-4030 prior to August 21st.

Consider applying as a youth worker at the Maryland State Fair

Calling all Maryland 4-H youth ages 14-18 years old! Consider applying as a youth worker at the

Maryland State Fair. The building will be opened from 10am to 10pm on weekends and Labor

Day and 12pm to 10pm on weekdays from August 23 – September 5, 2017. Youth may also work

during the set up and break down periods of the fair. 4-Hers will need to work a minimum of

four 4-hour shifts during the listed application period.

Is your club looking to raise funds, practice money handling or

customer service skills? Sign up for the Indoor Craft and Flea Market on

October 21st. Individual 4-Her’s are also invited to assist in set-up, event

assistance (kitchen and vendor help) and clean-up crew. These 4-Hers

will receive community service hours. Call Karen Callahan at 410-310-

8934 and see the attached flyer for more details.

Growing your Citizenship skills Opportunity!

Are you interested in learning more about local government? DO you want to pro-

mote your 4-H club at the county level of government? Citizenship is the third pro-

gram area in 4-H. Youth are encouraged to participate in local government to help

provide government decision makers with your perspective of living in the county.

Youth interested in engaging with their local government are invited to submit to

the county office a summary of the 2-3 minute presentation you would like to pre-

sent at a county commissioner’s meeting. These summaries will be shared with the

county commissioner’s office and invited youth will receive contact dates and times

from the meeting secretary. Now is your chance to inform the local government of

what you and your friends in 4-H are doing and how local government decisions

impact you and your family. Let your voice be heard and learn valuable citizenship

skills, plus you have a great experience to add to your college application!

Healthy living Ambassadors on the MOVE!

Are you a healthy living ambassador? We want to hear what cool activities you have been doing to

spread the Healthy Living Message across Caroline County. Individuals completing at least 6 activi-

ties and reporting them to the online state healthy living site are rewarded with a healthy living ac-

tion t-shirt and are often invited to attend state and national meetings. SO go online now to review

cool ideas for your planning and then return to the site to tell us

what you’ve done: http://extension.umd.edu/4-h/4-h-program-

areas/healthy-living-ambassador

Fair Preparation Workshop

The last Fair Preparation Workshop will be

held on Monday, July 17th at 6:30 pm at the

4-H Park.

The workshop will give youth and families the

chance to review 4-H exhibit rules, learn tips

and techniques for exhibits, learn cake

decorating techniques, correctly mat and

mount photographs, tie-dye a shirt, and more.

Dinner will be provided, but pre-registration is

required.

Please email Wendi at wpotter@umd.edu to

pre-register by July 13th. See attached flyer

for more details.

Please note: if you would like to enter the

photograph you mount or t-shirt you tie-

dye at this workshop, you must add it your

4-H indoor exhibit entry form (and turn in

by July 3rd).

If you are you planning to decorate a cake

for the fair, the extension office has cake

decorating metal tips and couplers for

youth to sign out /borrow.

A computer station is available at the county

office for 4-H youth and volunteers to complete

online applications and trainings.

4-H Animal Husbandry & Quality

Assurance Online Training

Members who exhibit alpacas, cattle, goats,

horses/ponies, llamas, poultry, rabbits, sheep,

and swine are REQUIRED to take this online

training to be eligible to show your animals.

Complete the training the first year you work

on a new animal project and every year you

change age levels (junior to intermediate,

intermediate to senior). Juniors do the

introductory section. Intermediates and seniors

also do the sections for the individual species;

any year you add a new species, you complete

the section for that species.

Here is the link: http:// extension.umd.edu/4-

h/4-h-program-areas/animal-science-

resources. (Note: you will need to use either

Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari web

browsers to access this link; it will not work in

Internet Explorer.)

You must complete this online training by

August 10th for Maryland State Fair Entry

and by June 15th for Caroline/Dorchester

Fair entry. . Please print out the certificate

at the completion of the training and submit

it to the office.

Maryland 4-H Volunteer and Teen Forum

The Maryland 4-H Volunteer and Teen Forum Planning Committee is accepting presentation pro-

posals for the 2017 Maryland 4-H Volunteer and Teen Forum, which will be held November 17-

19, 2017 in Frederick, Maryland at the Clarion Inn. The Maryland 4-H Volunteer and Teen Forum

strives to educate volunteer and teen leaders about the best practices involved in working with,

teaching, empowering youth while developing leadership and life skills that support of the mission

of 4-H Youth Development. The 2017 Forum Workshop Planning Committee invites adult volun-

teers, UME Faculty and Staff or other interested parties to submit proposals. Youth-adult presenta-

tion teams are welcomed and encouraged, but proposals should be submitted by an adult. All sub-

missions will be reviewed and selected based on usefulness, relevance, contribution to new

knowledge, clarity and completeness, and appropriate instructional techniques.

This year’s Forum Theme is: Know Your Impact on Today’s Youth and Tomorrow’s Leaders

which should be reflected in each proposal. Workshops should:

60 minute duration.

Promote the development of competency in one or more of the following areas: Partner-

ships, Focusing on Youth, Re-energizing Volunteers, and Further Development of 4-H's

Foundational Elements.

Enable and encourage 4-H leaders/volunteers, teens and Extension faculty/staff to explore

new program ideas and share resources in relation to the three mission mandates of 4-H

Youth Development: Science, Engineering, Technology and Math (S.T.E.M.); Healthy Life-

styles; and Citizenship.

Facilitate interaction between and personal growth of 4-H leaders/volunteers, teens and

Extension faculty/staff.

All presenters who are full-time attendees of the 2017 Maryland Volunteer and Teen Forum are

required to pay their own registration fee and travel expenses. Day registration (including meals,

breaks, workshops, and activities for that day) will be available for presenters just attending for the

day of their workshop. Additional information (schedule of presentation, details on presentation

methods, etc.) will be provided after your proposal has been approved.

Please visit the Proposal Submission link to complete the online proposal submission form to

have your presentation considered for the 2017 Maryland 4-H Volunteer and Teen Forum. The

deadline for submission of proposals is July 24, 2017.

https://goo.gl/forms/NkOYv8eho8WvFbQC3

Questions? Please contact Jane Burke, Workshop Committee Tri-Chair, Maryland 4-H Volunteers’

Association Secretary at jcoesterling@gmail.com. In addition, the Planning Committee is seeking

Track Coordinators for the Clover, Junior and Intermediate tracks. Track Coordinators will identify

and organize age appropriate activities that highlight the 4-H Mission Mandates of Citizenship,

Healthy Living and Science. Track Coordinators should either plan to present or secure presenters

to cover the entire day of workshops on Saturday, November 18 from 9:00-4:00. If you are in-

terested in serving as the Clover, Junior or Intermediate Track Coordinator, please contact Jennifer

Hiscock at hiscockjenn@gmail.com.

Livestock Highlights

Congratulations to the 4-Hers participating in the Eastern Shore Spring Show! Pictured

are Caroline Saathoff, David Saathoff, and Paul Saathoff, all members of the Pure Country

4-H Club.

To see all of our 4-H livestock youth, check out the livestock schedule below.

Wednesday, August 2nd

10:00 am—4-H/FFA/Open Sheep Show

2:00 pm —4-H/FFA/Open Dairy Show

Thursday, August 3rd

10:00 am—4-H/FFA/Open Meat Goat Show

6:00 pm—4-H/FFA/Open Swine Show

Friday, August 4th

10:00 am—4-H/FFA/Open Beef Show

3:00 pm—Horse Speed Event

Saturday, August 5th

9:00 am—Horse Show

9:00 am—4-H/FFA/Open Rabbit & Cavy Show

The members of Pure Country

also participated in the Ridgely

Strawberry Festival as a club

fundraiser. Great work!

Congratulations to Paul Saathoff and

Trey Bishop for being awarded the

2017 Livestock Auction Scholarship.

T-SHIRTS FOR SALE!

We have county 4-H shirts

available for purchase at

$15. We will have them

for sale at the FAIR! Stop

by and get yours!

Did you hear? The 4-H

office has new resources for clubs to sign out and

use at their meetings?

Interactive BUZZ Event

The Maryland State 4-H council public issues com-

mittee provided sessions on pollinators during

Maryland State Congress. On September 27th

an

interactive BUZZ event will be held at the county

extension office. This honeybee challenge night

will begin at 6:30 and feature an interactive evening

for attendees to learn more about the challenges

Stay tuned for another outing

with the Caroline Birding club. In

early Fall, we will be looking for interest-

ed 4-H’ers and families to go to the an-

nual bird banding events at local parks.

Local and migratory birds are caught, ex-

amined and tagged. Youth are often used

to help release the tagged birds.

4-H programs benefit from Volunteers with all levels of

skills and abilities and in a variety of topic areas. DO you know

an adult that would make a great volunteer or club leader? Encourage friends

and family to visit the Extension office to learn more about the volunteer certifica-

tion process. Perhaps there is a talented parent sitting on the sidelines of your

club or civic group– Let’s get them involved and showcase those amazing skills

and leadership talents. Call Dr. Welsh to arrange a meeting to review the steps

toward a future as a formal mentor and leader within the volunteer ranks of the Maryland 4-H family.

Calling all club report-

ers and secretaries…

Tell us about your club ac-

tivities and upcoming

events. Submit articles

and pictures highlighting

accomplishments by

members and volunteers in

your club. Please email drm-

welsh@umd.edu for dead-

lines each month.

2017 National 4-H Volunteer e-Forum This fall there will be three distinct training opportunities for county programs

and volunteers to interact and get energized through a network learning op-

portunity across the United States. These sessions will be broadcast and pre-

sented by the design teams, but are designed to provide hands on activities at

host sites. Each session could help enhance your county volunteer training

with the opportunity to host the session as a region! Additional information

will be forthcoming, including training and information for site hosts. Please

review the list below and let the Extension office know of your interest in at-

tending any or all of the sessions.

October 5, 2017- 7:00-8:30 Cultivating an Environment of Growing True Leaders

This session will feature ideas and activities that help foster life skill development by focusing on strategies for

more effective club interactions. Participants will learn about the Essential Elements of 4-H and the 5 C’s of

positive youth development, so join us to set the stage for more successful club meetings!

November 2, 2017- 7:00-8:30 PM “STEM”ming into Animal Science, Growing True Leaders

Participants will gain resources to incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) leaders

through traditional animal sciences project areas in communities. Volunteers will gain ideas for planning and

organizing fun, educational sessions for youth.

December 7, 2017- 7:00-8:30 PM Helping 4-H’ers Grow in Life & Work

During this session volunteers will share ideas, receive resources and see a variety of successful programs that

help youth focus on life-long learning, workforce readiness and career exploration. Caring adults can help all

young people make decisions and create their own positive future.

4-H On-line Volunteer Orientation’s

have been scheduled for 2017 and are available

on the State 4-H Website via the calendar or at

the following link:

http://extension.umd.edu/events/series/4471

The dates are as follows:

Wednesday, July 19 from 6:30-8:30 PM

Monday, August 7 from 6:30-8:30 PM

Thursday, September 21 from 6:30-8:30 PM

Tuesday, October 17 from 6:30-8:30 PM

Wednesday, November 29 from 6:30-8:30 PM

Tuesday, December 19 from 6:30-8:30 PM

Top 10 Ways to Volunteer at the

2017 Caroline/Dorchester County Fair

The Caroline/Dorchester County Fair is truly a VOLUNTEER effort. The Fair is planned and

run by volunteers. These are volunteers, like you and your family, who care about

providing a Fair experience for youth in our communities and counties. YOUR assistance is

needed to help continue this effort!

Here are the Top 10 ways to volunteer at the 2017 Caroline/Dorchester County Fair:

(listed in no particular order)

10—Come to the Fair Set-Up/4-H Park Clean-Up Night on Wednesday, July 26th at

6:30 pm to help with Fair preparations and set-up

9—Assist with the activities (4-H table, pony rides, etc.) at Children’s Day on

Thursday, August 3rd from 9 am to 1 pm

8—Dip & serve ice cream in the Fair ice cream booth (shifts available Wednesday to

Saturday of Fair; visit http://signup.com/go/jDXWQyd to see time slots and sign-up)

7—Work in the Farmer for a Day tent by assisting the public with the ag. displays

6—Work in the Fair Kitchen by taking and filling food/drink orders, and preparing

food/drinks for the nightly Fair dinners (email Navonne for time slots & to sign-up)

5—Donate cakes and baked goods for the 4-H Scholarship Cake Wheel (cakes &

baked goods are needed each day; bring items to the kitchen for storage)

4—Serve as a 4-H indoor clerk on Tuesday, August 1st at 7 pm (older youth & adults

will record the results during the indoor exhibits judging process; email Navonne to

sign-up for this opportunity by July 21st)

3—Help with the 4-H indoor exhibits entry check-in on Monday, July 31st from 5 pm

to 8 pm and Tuesday, August 1st from 1 pm to 6 pm (help check entries in and put

them in proper area for judging)

2—Man the 4-H display at various times throughout the Fair in Main Building by

handing out 4-H flyers, materials, and promotional items

1—Help with clean-up on Sunday, August 6th starting at 10 am (all ages!)

If you want to sign-up or have any questions, contact Dr. Welsh or Wendi at 410-479-4030.