MASSACHUSETTS 4-H NEWSLETTER. WESTERN REGION Fall 2015

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1 MASSACHUSETTS 4-H NEWSLETTER UPCOMING EVENTS WESTERN REGION Fall 2015 October 8 Franklin County 4-H Horse Council, 6:30 P.M. Tognarelli Heating, Greenfield 13 Berkshire County 4-H Fair Association mtg., 6:30pm 600 Williams St., Pittsfield, MA 13 Berkshire County 4-H Volunteer Association mtg., 7:00 pm 600 Williams St., Pittsfield, MA 13 Hampden County 4-H Horse Council Mtg., 7:00 P.M. Elm Pizza, Westfield 15 Franklin County 4-H Advisory Council Mtg., 6:30 P.M. Montague Police & Fire 24 Hampden County 4-H Field Trip Mystic Aquarium 24 Turners Falls Pumpkinfest, 2:00 P.M. Avenue A in Turners Falls 30 Hampden County 4-H Fair Association Banquet, 6:00 P.M. Cavalier Restaurant, Chicopee November 2 RECORDS DUE County/Regional Offices 2 Berkshire County 4-H Record reading/judging, 6:00 P.M. 600 Williams St., Pittsfield 7 Pumpkin Smash, 10:00 A.M. Hager s Market, Shelburne 10 Berkshire County 4-H Fair Association Mtg. CONFERENCE CALL Equine Affaire Big E, W. Springfield Berkshire County 4-H Volunteer Association meeting TBD December 3 Hampshire County 4-H Advisory Council Mtg, 6:30 P.M. Hadley Police & Fire Station 4 Hampden County 4-H Awards Banquet, 6:30 P.M Knights of Columbus, Chicopee 5 Regional 4-H Horse Judging Contest UMass Farm, Hadley 6 Berkshire County 4-H Awards, Boys & Girls Club, Pittsfield, MA (more information to come!) 8 Berkshire County 4-H Fair Association Mtg., 6:30 P.M. 600 Williams St., Pittsfield 17 Franklin County 4-H Advisory Council Mtg., 6:30 P.M. Montague Police & Fire UMass Extension 1 Western Region 4-H Newsletter Fall 2015

2 Western Massachusetts 4-H Staff Thomas M. Waskiewicz, Extension 4-H Educator Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire Slobody Building, Suite A4 101 University Drive Amherst, MA Phone: Fax: Toll Free: Angelica J. Paredes, Extension 4-H Educator Berkshire 78 Center Street, Suite 206 Pittsfield, MA Phone: Mary Phelon, 4-H Program Assistant Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire Slobody Building, Suite A4 101 University Drive Amherst, MA Phone: Fax: Toll Free: Laurie Cadorette, 4-H Secretary Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire 78 Center Street, Suite 206 Pittsfield, MA Phone: or Fax: UMass Extension 2 Western Region 4-H Newsletter Fall 2015

3 From Berkshire 4-H Records Time Once Again Not only do we use 4-H Records to give out county medals, but they are an excellent resource for the member! Did you know that many of our 4-H ers have used their records to aid in applying for college, for scholarships, for jobs, etc!! Don t forget that new forms were introduced last year, so this year all records should be on the NEW FORMS! All forms can be found on the website, Records are due in the Berkshire 4-H office by 5:00 pm on Monday, November 2 nd. Records will be read that same evening. Thank you to those who signed up to read records at the annual meeting, but we could always use more! It s a great opportunity to learn tricks of the trade, see what s going on in the county and help out or incredible youth! Please let me know if you can help! Berkshire 4-H Records Reward Just for turning in your records, the Berkshire County 4-H Volunteer Association has decided that every youth who took the time and tried will get something special. But, you have to wait until Awards Night to get it! Berkshire County Trainings Available CALL TO SCHEDULE YOUR CLUBS TRAINING! It s the time of year again when everyone is scrambling to get their 4-H Records completed in time. Angelica will help you get through all the questions about 4-H Records and get on the right track. Call the Pittsfield 4-H Office to schedule training for your club with Angelica (413) Readers/Judges needed for Berkshire 4-H Records We need volunteers (parents, grandparents, screened volunteers ) to help on the evening of November 2 nd to read through all of the 4-H Records that are turned in. If you are a new volunteer, or you need a refresher about records, this is a great way to see how to (and not to) do records! Please contact Angelica in the Pittsfield office if you are interested in helping out (413) In the past the statewide community service project has been focused on the collection of non-perishable food to donate to food pantries, feel free to continue to do this if you would like, but you can expand into other areas too. Some ideas include: food, blankets or toys to animal shelters, personal care items and/or clothing for a women s shelter, Contact DCF to find out what some local needs may be. Just remember to let your leaders know what you have been up to. Maybe you can start a contest within your club or school? Have a day that you gather outside a grocery store? Be creative and let s get collecting! You can expand the involvement of your club with this project to figure out the number of meals your group has provided. According to the federal government 1.28 pounds of food is equal to 1 meal. How many meals can you help provide? Leaders will get an to take a survey on Survey Monkey YOU NEED TO TAKE THIS SURVEY! Leaders will need to know: 1. What was donated, 2. Where it was donated, and 3. How much was donated. Berkshire 4-H Awards The date for the awards program has been set for Sunday, December 6 th. Information will be sent to all members via and postal mail. This awards program will be celebrating the H Year. UMass Extension 3 Western Region 4-H Newsletter Fall 2015

4 75 Amazing Years of the Berkshire County Youth Fair! On August 15, 2015 the 75 th Annual Berkshire County Youth Fair was held at the 4-H Fairgrounds in Pittsfield. WHAT AN AMAZING DAY! We had alumni there who had been out of 4-H for between 1 and 50 years! We had someone, Mr. Martin, who attended the very first fair as a child! The Commissioner of Agriculture, John Lebeaux, came and toured the grounds with Fair President, Henry Cadorette III, he honored the Fair Association with a plaque and then took part in the Goat Milking Contest. There were bull riders, dancers, musicians, good eats, critters and exhibits. This unique fair that is run by youth-for youth always shows the amazing work done by youth of all ages. It would be impossible to list all entrants, so here are the top youth winners by category for the fair: Exhibit Hall: Vegetables, Outstanding Junior and Overall Exhibitor Jenna Gustafson; Flowers, Outstanding Junior and Overall Exhibitor Jenna Gustafson; Food Preservation & Nutrition, Outstanding Junior and Overall Exhibitor Fiora Caligiuri-Randall; Baking, Outstanding Junior Exhibitor Anelia Ziaja, Outstanding Overall Exhibitor Fiora Caligiuri-Randall; Best Cake Fiora Caligiuri- Randall, Best Cupcake - Fiora Caligiuri-Randall; Conservation, Outstanding Junior and Overall Exhibitor Fiora Caligiuri-Randall; Clothing & Textiles, Outstanding Junior and Overall Exhibitor Fiora Caligiuri-Randall, Outstanding Senior Exhibitor Diedre Gaudette; Home Funishings, Outstanding Junior and Overall Exhibitor Jenna Gustafson; Arts, Outstanding Junior Exhibitor Thomas Williams, Outstanding Overall Exhibitor Fiora Caligiuri-Randall; Crafts, Outstanding Junior and Overall Exhibitor Fiora Caligiuri-Randall; Photography, Outstanding Junior Exhibitor Elijah Archer, Outstanding Senior Exhibitor Henry Cadorette III, Outstanding Overall Exhibitor Lila Ribero; Club Exhibits, Outstanding Overall Fantastic Farmers; State Award for Hall Fiora Caligiuri-Randall for Food Preservation & Nutrition. Livestock: Beef, Fitting and Showmanship; Junior- Devon LaFleur, Senior Tayler Rayner, Overall Tayler Rayner. Junior Champion Devon LaFleur, Senior Champion Tayler Rayner, Reserve Champion Brandon LaFleur, Grand Champion Tayler Rayner, Outstanding Exhibitor Tayler Rayner, Outstanding Herdsman Tayler Rayner. Sheep, Fitting and Showmanship; Junior and Overall, Supreme Champion Ram, Supreme Champion Ewe, Best Fleece, Best Fleece on Animal, Outstanding Exhibitor, and Outstanding Herdsman Daniel Epe. Goat, Fitting and Showmanship; Junior and Overall Grand Champion, Overall Champion, Outstanding Exhibitor, and Outstanding Herdsman Aaron Kielbasa. Poultry, Fitting and Showmanship; Junior 1. Thomas Williams 2. Daniel Epe, Grand and Reserve Champion Zane Ortman, Outstanding Exhibitor Zane Ortman. Rabbits, Fitting and Showmanship; Novice Tim Deluca, Junior Tate Mason, Senior Parker Mas, Best Pet Stephanie Thrasher, Reserve in Show Tate Mason, Best in Show Laurel Lamoureaux, Loving Hands Award Daniel Epe. Sonny Butler Superintendents Award Henry Cadorette III. UMass Extension 4 Western Region 4-H Newsletter Fall 2015

5 Congratulations to all of you who did such a great job putting on the fair, and to those of you whose hard work paid off and showed in your exhibits. The Berkshire County 4-H Fair Association is already planning for next year. If you are 12+ years old and would like to be a part of this great leadership group, call the 4-H Office or just show up at the next meeting (check the calendar for dates and times). (413) New Fair Association Officer Nominations Votes will be cast at the October Fair Association meeting, but the nominations stand as follows for the new officers for the Berkshire County 4-H Fair Association: President Thomas Williams, Vice President Fiora Caligiuri - Randall, Secretary Malina Ziaja, Treasurer Marley Zorn. Good luck to all and THANK YOU to the outgoing officers! All County Meeting Berkshire County had an informative and well attended all county meeting on September 24 th. 4-H deadlines, event dates, opportunities for clubs to earn money, new programming, and more. If you are interested in information that was shared during the All County Meeting but you weren t able to attend, please send an to Angelica at: angelica@umext.umass.edu and request it. Start of a New 4-H Year As we start the H Year there are so many possibilities that lay ahead of us. Finding time for work, school, family, friends, 4-H, homework, and the million other things can sometimes be a difficult balancing act. What if you looked at it as some of your family & friend time is also 4-H time? Work on projects that you love, do community service where you feel you ve made a difference and it puts a smile on your heart, and always have fun. From Pioneer Valley 4-H (Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire) Hampden County Volunteers Excel! Congratulations to the Hampden County 4-H Fair Association for once again conducting a very successful 4-H Fair on July 25 th. Thanks to all the volunteers who help with set-up, clean-up, serve as Superintendents and Judges. Our livestock numbers were some of the largest in several years! Youth and volunteers came through again for 17 days in September staffing the 4-H Milk Booth and Farmers Market 4-H Apple Booth. Thanks to your efforts we can look forward to another great fair in 2015 and continuing support for the county 4-H program. Hampden County 4-H Awards Banquet Mark your calendars now!!! Our annual county awards program will be held on Friday, December 4th at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Granby Road in Chicopee. 4-H leaders and volunteers, 4- H members will be invited as guests. The evening will include a smorgasbord and awards ceremony. Invitations will be mailed in November. Regional 4-H Horse Programs 4-H Horse Club members have a chance to practice using their horse related knowledge by participating in the Regional 4-H Horse Programs being offered this fall and winter. Members can participate just to test and improve their knowledge and/ or they can try to make their county team to participate in the State 4-H Horse Round-Up where seniors can also try to qualify for one of the state teams representing Massachusetts at the National 4-H Round-Up in Kentucky. Watch your for registration information. Counties hosting events are as follows: Judging Hampden - December 5 UMASS Farm Hadley Hippology Berkshire January (date and location TBA) Horse Bowl Franklin - TBA Hospitality at Regional Show Hampshire Club Exhibits Seen at Local Fairs Congratulations to clubs who have used their 4-H club exhibits to promote 4-H at local fairs. This is a great way to promote 4-H and earn a little extra money for your club treasury since fairs offer premium money for exhibits. UMass Extension 5 Western Region 4-H Newsletter Fall 2015

6 4-H Year End Awards 4-H members who completed a full year in 4-H for the club year are eligible for completion awards (pins and/or certificates). Some of these are presented at the various County Award Programs but others may be requested and presented at a special club meeting or program. The Western Mass. 4-H Office will provide these award upon request from the 4-H Leader. If you would like awards for your club, please call the 4-H Office or with the date you need awards, members who completed the year and their year in 4-H. Please be sure to allow 2-3 weeks for us to prepare awards. 4-H Records/Visual Presentations Record keeping is an important life skill and all 4-H members are encouraged to keep written records of their 4-H club year. These records are turned in to the Pioneer Valley 4-H office, 101 University Drive, Suite A4, Amherst, MA by November 1 st and each record is evaluated. Each 4-H member receives constructive feedback to help improve recordkeeping skills and may receive a ribbon, county medal or other award for effort and achievement. If you would like to schedule a record training session or workshop with your club members, please contact Tom Waskiewicz at waskiewicz@umext.umass.edu or Tom is available to visit with your club at a fall/winter meeting to present workshops on "How to Complete a 4-H Record" and "How to Present a Visual Presentation". "How to Complete a 4-H Record" is an interactive presentation in which 4-H ers will "walk through documenting their 4-H club year, completing each section of the Record, accurately entering financial data and enriching the "4-H Story". Previous Blue Ribbon records will be available. This is a one-hour presentation and should be scheduled before November 1, the date all records are due in the 4-H office. "How to Present a Visual Presentation" is also a one-hour interactive program. Discussion includes options for VP topics, time requirements, tips for a successful VP, what the judges look for, as well as development of posters and effective VP props. This workshop should be scheduled between November 1 and March 1. Please consider doing a 4-H Record and VP. You can check out the forms and additional information online at the Massachusetts 4-H website, W. Mass. 4-H Volunteer Forum The Franklin County 4-H Advisory Council is hosting the Forum, scheduled for Saturday, January 23rd at Hopkins Academy, Rt. 9, Hadley. Please forward workshop suggestions and topics to Tom Waskiewicz at waskiewicz@umext.umass.edu The forum is open to 4-H volunteers, members and families. Legislative Visits 4-H is working to reconnect with our local legislators in order to keep them informed as to the activities and accomplishments of our 4-H'ers. Would your club, or some of the members (3-4) along with you (club leader or assistant leader) and/or a parent be interested in meeting with your state representative or senator for minutes during their local office hours (usually a Friday afternoon or Saturday)? This meeting will keep 4-H in the forefront as legislators speak with their colleagues about the value of the program. If you decide to do this, please let Tom (waskiewicz@umext.umass.edu or ) know when the appointment is and he'll make sure that you have some giveaways to present. Massachusetts 4-H Babysitting Course 4-H advisory councils, club leaders, assistant leaders and parents have the opportunity to offer a Massachusetts 4-H Babysitting Course in their local community. The goal of the course is to keep children safe by educating sitters to become responsible, caring, trustworthy, respectful competent babysitters. UMass Extension 6 Western Region 4-H Newsletter Fall 2015

7 The course will teach sitters to: -Solve problems -Keep children safe and happy -Talk to parents and children -Make career choices -Make responsible decisions, and -Handle emergencies If you are interested in coordinating/offering the course, please contact Tom at or 4-H Camperships The Foundation offers a limited number of competitive camperships for the 2016 season. To be eligible, a camper must be from Ashland, Massachusetts or enrolled in the Massachusetts 4-H program on or before November 15 of the previous year and must attend one of the five 4-H camps located in Massachusetts. Grants for Clubs 4-H Publicity Incentive Program 4-H Clubs can receive $50 for each published, unique newspaper article that mentions their club name. Articles that are substantially similar will be granted only one award. Clubs may receive grants for up to three articles per year. 4-H Club Matching Grant Program The Massachusetts 4-H Foundation offers a matching grant program to 4-H Clubs that organize a fundraising activity or event to raise money for their club or community. We will match the amount of money a club raises corresponding to the number of club members. To qualify, a club must apply for the grant at least three weeks prior to the event and submit a request for funds within three weeks following the event. Each club is guaranteed only two matching grants for qualifying fundraisers. In the event of remaining funds at the end of the year, additional approved applications will be considered in the order of which they were received. For information on the above, please go to rants Hilltown Misfits 4-H Club ~Fall Fun Day ~Oct. 25 th,2015~10:00 am ~Location: Hampshire County Riding Club Ball Rd., Goshen, MA Entry Fees: * $10.00 for Stick Riders * $20.00 per Rider For More Info: Contact Sherry Whitmore nicholsdrivingschool@verizon.net Divisions: *Stick Horse On Foot, we will supply the stick horse, you can take home *Leadline Any age wants someone with them, not necessarily on a lead, but can be. *Walk/Trot Riders cannot go faster than a trot without being penalized *I Think I Can Any age, walk/trot most of the time. Can try to canter if feeling confident enough. *Ride em Cowboy/Cowgirl Any age that wants to race for best possible time while still being safe. Horse Classes Stick Horse Classes Poles Boot Race Keyhole Pairs Wheelbarrows Cracker Race Flag Race 3-Legged Race Pony Express Water Race Barrels Scurry Race Balloon Toss Clover Leaf Neil Says Egg & Spoon Dizzy Izzy Thanksgiving Pies and More! The Cummington Mustangs will be selling freshly baked pies, cheesecakes and cakes for Thanksgiving. Orders will be accepted via phone, , in person or through the website until November 17. All orders must be picked up at the Cummington Community House between 3:30 and 6:30 on Wednesday, November 25. Chocolate cream, apple, pumpkin, pecan, blueberry or mixed berry pies are $20 each. Plain, berry swirl or chocolate raspberry cheesecakes are $35 each. Chocolate, vanilla or marble cakes shaped like a turkey $30 each. Contact Carrie at , cummingtonmustangs@msn.com or check out the website UMass Extension 7 Western Region 4-H Newsletter Fall 2015