Friday, March 25, 2011

4-H County Events Are Here

In Pinellas County County Events are divided into two separate events. The first is Night of the Arts which can include Share the Fun (talent show), the poster and photo exhibits, and Fashion Review. The second event is Demonstration Day where 4-H members try out their public speaking skills with demonstrations, illustrated talks, and persuasive speeches. In both of these events, top scorers move on to District Events to compete with 4-H members from the five other counties in District 9.
On March 11, Night of the Arts took place with 15 4-H members competing in a variety of acts. Here are the top scorers who have the options to continue on to District Events in Manatee County May 7.

Junior:
Lana'e Hernandez with Grandma's House (Monologue)
Eleni Lambrianos with We Will Rock You (Tap)

Intermediate:
Allison Iacono with a Dance
Matthew Iacono with Hip Hop

Senior:
Evan & Adison Julian with an original song The Sun is Here to Stay
Sonali Wijesiriwardena with Jai Ho (Indian Cultural Dance)

Congratulations to all who competed and shared the fun!
See you all on Demonstration Day April 9 at the Pinellas County Extension Office.

Friday, March 11, 2011

4-H Results from the Florida State Fair

While most people know 4-H members can earn premiums and ribbons at the fair, many may not realize how much work goes into winning those ribbons.
Last month five of our 4-H members excelled in the State Fair and Champion Youth Program.

Savannah Kutz won Senior Champion Youth Dog and Katie Hendrix won Intermediate Champion Youth Dog.
Olivia Cook won second place in Senior Champion Youth Poultry.
Beverly Strautmann won Grand Champion with her goat "Southern Star" and Teressa Strautmann won Reserve Champion with her goat "Southern Gem.

These competitions involve not only preparing and showing the animal, but also keeping an accurate record book and possibly participating in a skill-a-thon, creating posters, answering questions at the Ask Me booth and speaking in front of a community group.

All this hard work and discipline results in not only blue ribbon animals, but also blue ribbon youth. Congratulations to all the 4-H'ers, parents, and volunteers who participated in and contributed to the successes at the Florida State Fair.