4-H Summer Bash

      This year’s 4-H Summer Bash on June 1, 2012 was a success! Over 40 people attended the event, making this year’s bash the most successful and popular yet. 4-H’ers enjoyed delicious hamburgers, hotdogs, and other side dishes, kicking off the beginning of summer with a pot-luck picnic. 

     4-H’ers from Average Joe’s, County Council, Hare Raisin’ Homesteaders, J.D. Cooking Club, Ochs Garden Club, and other clubs attended the bash. Colleen McNelis and Keri Hannukainen, both graduating seniors, gave their farewell speeches during the County Council elections. Jared McNelis led Minute to Win It, which created a fun and light-hearted atmosphere. A curious alligator even showed up during the bash along the edge of the lake shore to help us celebrate.

     The County Council elections were held during the bash and are:

·         President: Lacey Steele (Hare Raisin’ Homesteaders)

·         Vice-President: Emily Vines (Hare Raisin’ Homesteaders)

·         Reporter: Abby Vines (Ochs Garden Club)

·         Historian: Cheyenne Schoeppner (Hare Raisin’ Homesteaders)

·         Sergeant of Arms: Jared McNelis (Hare Raisin’ Homesteaders)

The elections for secretary and treasurer will be held soon.

     Congratulations to Jessica Freed for winning a blue ribbon at the State Horse Competition in Gainesville.

4-H District Events

On May 5 the six counties of 4-H District Nine gathered in Pasco County for District Events.  Nearly 100 4-H members were registered for this day of competitive events and District Council elections and meetings.
Congratulations to newly elected 2012/2013 District President Emily Vines!
Close to 30 Pinellas County 4-H'ers competed with demonstrations, public speaking, and Share the Fun.  Many received blue ribbons and all represented their counties well.
High point winners are recognized with a medallion.  Pinellas Junior and Intermediate winners are awarded with a camp scholarship and Senior winners receive a scholarship to Congress week.
Here are our Pinellas high point winners:
Matthew Galiano with Basics of GPS; Annelise Vieira with How to Organize a Binder for Success;
Michaela Polmann/Lexa Armstrong  with Making a Good First Impression; Alexis Carter/Alexus Oehler with Duct Tape Art; Shannon Piquet  with Whelping Puppies; Sarah Head with One Must Suffer to Be Beautiful; Amanda Benedict with If the Shoe Fits; Jared McNelis with Vermicompost; Stefan Mason with Scratch; Emily Vines with Intro to Herbal Medicine; Savannah Kutz/Samantha Richards with Animal Testing; Abby Vines with Soldier with a Tail; Elizabeth Briggs/Cheyenne Schoeppner with Who Says?; and Abby Lang/John Roe with Cha Cha/Mambo.
Once again Pinellas County had a great showing at a district-wide events.  Congratulations to all who participated!

Area E 4-H Horse Show

The 4-H Horse Program is growing and thriving in Pinellas County.  Last weekend 34 Pinellas riders and their horses joined 100 more from eight area counties for the Area E 4-H Horse Show at the State Fairgrounds in Tampa.  What a full weekend it was!  The excitement started on Friday when the competitors arrived with their families and friends for registration.  At registration Coggins test results are checked, bits and helmets inspected,  ponies are measured, and show packets handed out.  Then it is time to move into the stalls or practice, practice, practice.
Saturday classes begin at 8:00 a.m.  Last weekend the weather forecast was fairly threatening, so we all had our fingers crossed. Saturday is mainly English classes with the notable exception of the Speed Events and Trail which took place in the Charlie Lykes Arena.  The weather held until the afternoon and the very competent grounds crew was able to moved the jump class course to the covered pavilion before the storm hit.  In spite of the rain and wind, we were able to complete all the scheduled classes in good time.
Western classes are featured on Sunday with the recent additions of Ranch Riding and Ranch Trail.  Sunday's exceptions were the very elegant Dressage and the demonstration classes for miniatures. All classes missed the Sunday morning shower.
Of the 134 entries, 60% qualify to advance to the State 4-H Horse Show, also taking place at the State Fairgrounds.  Eighteen of the Pinellas competitors qualified for the state show on July 12-14.  The show is free, parking is free, so please come out and watch the best of the Florida 4-H Horse Program compete. 
Showing a horse involves a lot more than grooming and riding a horse.  Members are enrolled in a 4-H horse project,learn how to take care of a horse, learn to be organized and how to focus on a goal.
In the words of Dr. Ed Johnson, the horse program is designed to" improve citizenship, sportsmanship, horsemanship, character, competitive spirit, discipline, and responsibility..." (Florida 4-H Area & State Horse Shows Official Rules 2012).

For more information on the Florida 4-H Horse Program, go to Florida 4-H Horse Program

Springing into 4-H Events

If it is spring, it means that all 4-H calendars are full to overflowing. Last Saturday we completed our 4-H County Events with Demonstration Day. Of the 39 entries presented March 24, 24 have qualified to advance to Districts Events May 5 in Dade City. At Night of the Arts on March 2, several 4-H members were won in their age categories and will advance with their Share the Fun acts. They are Juniors Katie Dempsey and Stefan Mason (also eligible with demonstration), Intermediates Elizabeth Briggs/ Cheyenne Schoeppner (team), and Taylor Mason, and Seniors Rebekah Briggs and dance duo Abby Lang/John Roe.
We also had 23 4-H'ers submit poster and photo entries with 17 judged at blue ribbon level, qualifying them to advance to State competition.
Look for the Thursday Clearwater Gazette for a piece on Demonstration Day.
Area E Horse show is coming up April 21. At this point I am processing 33 entries for the show. Pinellas County has one of the largest delegations in this ten county show. We have entries from nine different clubs.

One of the highlights of my recent trip to Gainesville was the location of my meeting. My group was assigned to meet in the UF Small Animal Hospital. This is a very impressive building with state of the art services. If you are interested or have a 4-H'er interested in the College of Vet Medicine, there will be an open house April 14 that includes a tour of both large and small animal hospitals. More information can be found at : http://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/about-the-college/administration/public-relations/cvm-open-house-2012/ .

If you have any questions about these events or about the Pinellas County 4-H program, please contact me at: jrogalsk@pinellascounty.org.

Help Support 4-H Community Service Project

Pinellas 4-H County Council is collecting canned goods as part of the District community service project CanRaiser. Four-H members are donating the goods to local food banks.
A second community service project is to collect items for the homeless. Along with the usual toiletry items like soap, toothpaste. or shampoo, homeless people also need socks, brushes, and wash cloths. These new items can be dropped off at the 4-H office or to any 4-H member.
If you are coming to Night of the Arts March 2, there will be a box to collect the canned goods and the items for the homeless. Show your 4-H spirit and support these worthy community serrvice projects.

Pinellas 4-H County Events

Springtime in 4-H means the competitive events are in full swing. One event common to all 4-H counties is called County Events. Pinellas County 4-H divides its County Events into two events - Night of the Arts and Demonstration Day.
Night of the Arts has three contests - Share the Fun, Poster Contest, and the Photo Exhibit. Share the Fun is the talent show with an emphasis on fun. This year's entries include piano, songs, a monologue, and dancers from ballroom to hula. Contestants are judged (except for Cloverbuds) and awarded ribbons. The top two winners in each age category advance to compete at District Events in Pasco County in May.
The Poster and Photo Exhibit Contest entries are turned in and displayed during Night of the Arts for everyone to enjoy. They are judged at a later date and the results are announced at Demonstration Day. Winning entries advance to the State competition in Gainesville.
Night of the Arts is a fun event, although it is important to remember that the entries are covered by the Communication and Expressive Arts project area. Theatre Arts, Photography, and Visual Arts are project book categories in 4-H. Some examples of these projects can be found at : http://www.florida4h.org/projects/Project_Enrollment_CAS.shtml.
Four-H members are not required to be enrolled in one of these projects to participate in any of the above contests.

The second half of County Events is Demonstration Day. Demonstration Day presentations are tied directly to the 4-H'ers project. The presentation, called a Demonstration or Illustrated Talk is an opportunity for the 4-H member to educate the audience on something interesting that was learned while working on the 4-H project. Last year the most popular project area for demonstrations was on horses.
Registration for Demonstration Day is open. All 4-H'ers who need an entry form should contact Jean Rogalsky at jrogalsk@pinellascounty.org.
All blue ribbon winners are eligible to compete at District Events. Junior and Intermediate winners from Pinellas County earn a scholarship to 4-H Camp Ocala. Senior winners are awarded a scholarship to attend 4-H State Congress.

Night of the Arts takes place March 2 at 7:00 p.m. and will be held at the Pinellas County Extension Office.
Demonstration Day takes place March 24 at 9:00 a.m. also at the Extension Office.
The public is invited to attend these events. Come and learn a little more about what the Pinellas County 4-H program is all about.

Save the Date - April 14 for District Congress

Coming … District 4-H Junior Congress April 14, 2012
Pinellas 4-H Juniors and Intermediates, this event is for you!

Sarasota County 4-H will host District 9 4-H Junior Congress this year. The event is scheduled for Saturday, April 14 (9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.; registration starts at 8:30 a.m.) at the Sarasota County 4-H Office, located at 6700 Clark Road (Twin Lakes Park) in Sarasota, FL 34241.

What is District Junior Congress? District Junior Congress is a fun-educational event for junior and intermediate 4-H’ers to participate in workshops and activities designed to develop leadership skills and learn about opportunities available in 4-H.

What Classes/Workshops are being offered? This year Senior 4-H’ers will be teaching sessions on Beekeeping, Dairy, Gardening, Mock Legislature, My Plate, Stop Bullying, Stow-it, Don’t Throw-it, and Waterworks. Everyone will get a chance to participate in most sessions.

What is the cost? The fee is $5.00 which includes materials. Please make your check payable to the Pinellas County 4-H Foundation. You must provide your own lunch.

How do I register? Copy the registration form below or request one from your 4-H leader, and return it to the Pinellas County 4-H Office by March 22nd. Your 4-H Agent will print your 4-H participation form (from 4-H online) and include it with your registration to the district.

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District 4-H Junior Congress
Saturday, April 14, 2012

Registration Form

Name:_________________________ Age:_______ County:______________________________

Address:______________________________________ Club:______________________________

Phone:______________________________________
e-mail:_______________________________

Please circle your top four (4) workshop choices:

Beekeeping
Gardening
Stow-it, Don’t Throw-it
Dairy
Stop Bullying
Waterworks

Please return the registration form and a $5.00 fee to the 4-H Office by March 22.