CAPTIVE COMMUNICATION

Transcription

1 CLOVER POWER FEBRUARY 2018 MEGAN FREEL MADISEN GASKIN Youth & Nutrition Internal Coordinator County Youth Coordinator (515) (515) MARCI VINSAND County Youth Coordinator (515) CAPTIVE COMMUNICATION Educational Presentations, Working Exhibits, Extemporaneous Speaking, Posters* and Share the Fun** are the events that comprise the Fair s Thursday Communication Event. For some 4-H ers, it s their second judging day; for others it s their main focus because they are communicators at heart. 4-H is known for sending brilliant communicators into post-secondary educational institutions, communities, and corporations. Communicate effectively and you ll have a captivated audience. Read below, and then explore more event details by reading the Fair Book. Educational Presentations- Presenting solo or in a group you can give a demonstration speech on how to do something, an informative speech, or a speech to help the audience learn something new. NEW Clover Kids Educational Presentations- This year Clover Kids will try their hand at presenting solo. This 5 minute or less speech to help educate the audience. More info to come in the 2018 Fair Book! Working Exhibits- Educating your audience with a make-and-take item that can be done solo or as a groups of 3 or less. Extemporaneous Speaking- Crafting a speech about a 4-H topic you randomly select on Communication Day. This is for senior 4-H members that like to think on their feet. Posters- Communicate on a 14x20 to 15x22 two-dimensional poster about 4-H topics published by the county. These posters help communicate 4-H visually to the public Adventureland Drive Suite A, Altoona, Iowa Monday-Friday 8:00-5:00 LEARN MORE AT

2 Focus 2018 FAIR DATES ENROLLMENT BEGINS FOR Enrollment for new and returning members began September 15, Remember, families that have been enrolled in 4-H previously should NOT create a new profile. There is a $40 enrollment fee for each member in grades This year Clover Kids will be charged a $5 enrollment fee. 4-H Families will have the option to pay the enrollment fee online! Otherwise a check made payable to Polk County Extension can be mailed or dropped off to the Polk County Extension Office, 1625 Adventureland Drive, Ste. A, Altoona, IA Enrollments are not considered complete until members have (1) enrolled in 4-H Online and (2) paid the $40 enrollment fee. The absolute enrollment deadline to be eligible to exhibit at the 2018 Polk County Fair is May 15, However, youth are not considered active members until they have completed their enrollment. This means inactive members will not receive Clover Power and will not be covered by insurance at 4-H events, including club meetings. If you have questions about enrolling in 4-H Online or paying the enrollment fee, contact Megan. If you need financial assistance to pay the enrollment fee, contact Marci. 2

3 events POLK COUNTY MEALS FROM THE HEARTLAND The Polk County Council is again inviting member of Polk County 4-H and their families to participate in a night of meal packaging at Meals from the Heartland. The packaging will take place on Thursday, April 19, 2018 from 6 to 8 pm at the packaging center. There is a ratio of youth to adult that we need to maintain, so parents are more than welcome to sign up too! Contact Megan with any questions. Sign up here: 4TH ANNUAL CLOVER DASH 5K and TOT TROT Please join us for the 4th Annual Polk County Clover Dash 5K on July 21st, 8:30am at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. This race is in memory of former County Youth Coordinator, Joy Niklasen. New this year is also a free tot trot for those ages K-3rd grade! All 4-Her's, Clover Kids, families and friends are invited to participate as a runner in the 5K/Clover Trot or as a volunteer. All proceeds go to Polk County 4-H youth activities. Follow your clover-paved trail for a great run with lots of amazing prizes, food and 4-H fun! Registration for runners and volunteers is now open: polkcountycloverdash.org For updates, follow us on And on 3

4 spotlight TRAILBLAZER TRY YOGA Ankeny Trailblazers had a club parent who works Iowa Department of Education in the Bureau of Nutrition and Health. Lead some activities for the club. They started out by talking about mindfulness and trying out some essential oils for relaxation, participated in a mini Yoga class, had a lesson on MyPlate and planning healthy menus, tried out some new healthy snacks of red peppers and mango, and ended with a MyPlate team relay race. GO-GETTERS BUILD ROVERS The Bondurant Go-Getters had a fun time when students from Iowa State came to show us their space mining robot that they will enter in a competition at NASA. The ISU students had us make a car with 2 paper plates, 2 straws, 4 lifesavers, and tape. The car couldn't be touched when it drove so you had to make a wind powered car. It was a great time for the Bondurant Go-Getters. 4

5 Spotlight CON T POLK COUNTY HOT SHOTS 4-H CLUB Polk County Hot Shots are excited to start off the year with newly elected officers and awards for archery, shotgun, and wildlife skills from the recent state shoot. On October 7, Andrew Ritchie was elected as the new Hot Shots President with Miranda Fickbohm, at his side as the new Vice-President. Katie Shepherd is the Hot Shots new Secretary. Our new Treasurer is Taden VanPelt. Theron Lutt is our new Historian, with Emma Schnurstein and Bailey Lovestad as reporter and photographer. Micah Stephany is our new Archery Ambassador, with Gabe Hentzsche and Conor as the Rifle and Shotgun Ambassadors. Polk County Hot Shots are also celebrating over the results from the state match. Overall, we had seven state participants and 5 of them placed in the top 5 in their events. Micah Staphany placed first in Wildlife Skills, Katie Shepherd placed first in Archery, and Chandler Bracelin placed second in Archery. Tayden VanPelt got fourth in Archery, while Gabe Hintzsche placed fourth in Wildlife Skills. Reese and Andrew Ritchie also participated in the state shoot. (Emma Schnurstein, Reporter) Hot Shots 4-H member, Evan Foster, is pictured shooting a 22 rifle on a Saturday morning practice. AVA S BUTTERFLY GARDEN The We X-L 4-H Club is excited to announce that they will be building a butterfly garden in memory of Miss Ava Hutchinson! Ava was a member of the club and a friend of many. She participated at the Polk County Fair with numerous art projects as well as one of her passions: the fashion show. She earned many blue and gold ribbons in these areas. One of our fondest memories as a club with Ava was decorating our booth with pink flamingos at the fair last summer. The garden will be shaped as a butterfly with many flowers (pink and purple, of course!) that will attract butterflies. It will be located on the corner of 4th and Sycamore in Bondurant, near her family s home in Arbor Ridge. Please feel free to like and share our Facebook page (Ava s Butterfly Garden) to follow along with us throughout this project! Our goal is to have it completed by July. Our club is starting to fundraise for this project by managing the can drop at Brick Street during March. Bring all your cans, glass, and plastic! We will also be accepting monetary donations from the community through Pay Pal, cash, or check. Checks can be made out to We X-L. Cash and checks can be mailed to PO Box 33 Bondurant, Iowa PayPal is linked to the Facebook page. We appreciate everyone's support on this project. See Flyer at the end of Clover Power for more. 5

6 SAVE THE DATE! Classifieds The 2018 Maize Retreat will be held April 13-15, 2018 on the ISU Campus and Clover Woods Camping Center. Youth in grades 8-12 from across Iowa will experience 4-H Healthy Living, STEM, Civic Engagement, Leadership, and Communication and the Arts programs through a Latino and Native American perspective. More information. WANTED: 4-H WORKSHOPS We are looking for adults and/or youth who are interested in sharing their skills with other 4-Hers. If you have something that you would like to share please contact Madisen. SIGN UP FOR EXTENSION NEWSLETTER Want to learn more about all things Polk County Extension? Sign up for our new e-newsletter to learn more about other programming happening in our county. THE UNCOMMON STUDENT AWARD The 21st annual Herbert Hoover Uncommon Student Award, a scholarship program for Iowa high school juniors, will award up to $37,500 in scholarships this year. Application deadline is March 15. ADVISORY BOARD The Polk County 4-H Advisory Board is looking to expand! Advisory Board is a group of adults and youth that meet about 8 times a year. They are charged with the goal of finding, creating, and helping to financially support enriching experiences for your 4-H youth. They also help with various activities at the fair, as well as help plan the annual 4-H Awards. Our next meeting is April 3, 2018 at 7:00 pm at extension office. For those that would like to join us, please either call or Madisen Gaskin so we can be sure to have enough seats and agendas! We look forward to welcoming all new members! IOWA FOUNDATION FOR AGRICULTURAL ADVANCEMENT SCHOLARSHIPS College-bound Iowa youth active in 4-H and/or FFA livestock projects and current undergraduate students may apply for $161,500 in scholarships available from the Iowa Foundation for Agricultural Advancement (IFAA). Current undergraduate applications post-mark deadline, April 1. Incoming freshmen applications post-mark deadline, May Applications for current undergraduate students must be postmarked by April 1, and applications for incoming freshmen must be postmarked by May 1. 6

7 Animal and Livestock News WEIGH-IN DATES Please mark your calendars with the following weigh-in dates: Swine Saturday, April 7, 2018 from 8:00-11:00 am at Don Timmin s Farm Sheep and Meat Goats Saturday, April 28, 2018 from 8:00-11:00 pm at the Iowa State Fair Grounds Sheep Barn DOG OBEDIENCE We are excited to offer Dog Obedience classes in partnership with Dog Trainer, Anna Childs, located in Altoona. She will be teaching a 10 week class starting April 17. Classes are 1 hr in length and will begin at 5:45 pm. Normally she charges $160 for training, she is offering a 4-H discounted class for $120. We want this class to be affordable for all youth who want to participate in the dog project, so the Polk County Advisory Board is offering a $50 stipend, making your cost $70. (Other funding options are available if needed.) If you are interested in signing your youth up or have more question contact Marci. For more on Anna s training style find here on Facebook. FOOD SAFETY QUALITY ASSURANCE (FSQA) This is a required certification for all youth who exhibit the following animals at the county or state fair. Cattle- Breeding, Market & Dairy Swine- Breeding & Market Sheep- Breeding & Market Goats- Breeding, Market & Dairy Poultry Rabbits The State will be transitioning to a new program called Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA). Because this is a transition year below are the options for training for the 2018 fair Season. Face to Face class options: (Certification is good for 1 year) Tuesday, March 13, pm Thursday, March 22, pm If you plan to attend one of these classes please register Online YQCA class option for all age levels At this time this certification is only good for 1 year. Please note that the online option will cost you $12/youth- Payable online You will log in to the website using you 4-H online log in information. There will NOT be any testing sessions or make up classes offered this year. Contact Marci with Questions. 7

8 Animal and Livestock News Con t ALL HORSE EXHIBITORS: THREE DATES FOR YOUR CALENDAR June 3 Polk County 4-H & FFA Open Horse Show June 11 Trail clinic FREE to Polk County 4-H/FFA members June 25 Showmanship & Show prep clinic FREE to Polk County 4-H/FFA members All events held at Prairie Rose Arena in Elkhart EQUINE EXTRAVAGANZA - MARCH Held at Ellsworth Community College, Iowa Falls. We all know that having horses requires more than riding and jumping! Get motivated to learn more about the science behind horses at Equine Extravaganza! It isn't too soon to start gathering a team! Information from previous years is available. Registraion is avilable at If you have never participate before, consider attending this year and observing or jump right in! RABBIT WORKSHOP SERIES It s time to prepare your rabbit for the county fair! Throughout this series, you will learn about the different rabbit breeds, tattooing of rabbits, and proper showmanship. All workshops are FREE and will be held at the Polk County Extension office in Altoona. Saturday, March 10, 2018, 1:00-3:00 PM Commercial Breeding, Showmanship, General questions Sunday, May 6, 2018, 1:00-3:00 PM Tattoos, Showmanship, General questions Thursday, June 21, 2017, 6:00-8:00 PM Carriers, Tattoos, Grooming, Showmanship, General questions To register contact Rabbit Superintendent Bill Wolfe at (515) LIVING HISTORY FARMS: 4-H RABBIT PROJECT OPPORTUNITY Living History Farms (LHF) invites the Polk County 4-H Rabbit Project youth to participate in their Easter Celebration on Saturday, March 31, 2018 from 8:30 am-12:30 pm. Tables will be set up in the LHF Party Barn for 4-H ers to display their rabbits. Visitors will walk by the tables to pet and talk about the animals. This is great practice for 4-H ers to talk about their animals to others. A Living History Farms Volunteer Form is required for each person participating as a volunteer. To sign-up for this event or ask questions, contact Carol Stock at or carolstunes@yahoo.com. 8

9 Attention: leaders! ANNUAL TRAINING FOR POLK COUNTY VOLUNTEERS SNOW DATE Mark your calendar! The 2017/2018 Annual Volunteer Training make up date will be held on April 2, 2018 at the Polk County Extension office from 6:30-8:30 pm. This is the makeup date from the February ice storm. CLOVER POWER SUBMISSION DEADLINES submissions for Clover Power to Megan and Marci and Madisen especially if you send on deadline day. For April, submit by 3/28/18 For May, submit by 4/26/18 For June, submit by 5/25/18 For July, submit by 6/27/18 For August, submit by 7/28/18 ANNUAL APRIL LEADER MEETING Mark your calendar! The Annual April Leader Meeting is Wednesday, April 25 from 1:00 3:00 pm OR 6:30 8:30 pm. We will share updates about upcoming events, as well as county fair updates! SIGN UP FOR EXTENSION NEWSLETTER Sign up for our new e-newsletter to learn more about other programming happening in our county. IOWA STATE FAIR LITTLE HANDS ON THE FARM CLUB OPPORTUNITY Inviting your club or county to participate in a shift of volunteers! A great team building activity. Receive admission ticket and vehicle permit along with a Little Hands on the Farm volunteer t-shirt! Emily Wynn, Agriculture Education Coordinator at the Iowa State Fair ADVISORY BOARD The Polk County 4-H Advisory Board is looking to expand! Advisory Board is a group of adults and youth that meet about 8 times a year. They are charged with the goal of finding, creating, and helping to financially support enriching experiences for your 4-H youth. They also help with various activities at the fair as well as help plan the annual 4-H Awards. Our next meeting is April 3, 2018 at 7:00 pm at extension office. For those that would like to join us, please either call or Madisen Gaskin so we can be sure to have enough seats and agendas! We look forward to welcoming all new members! 9

10 Calendar March 3 EPIC Survivor 9am-4pm 7 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm 10 Rabbit Workshop 1:00 3:00 pm 13 FSQA 1-3 pm 21 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm 22 FSQA 6-8 pm 31 Rabbit Day at Living History Farms 8:30 am 12:30 pm April 4 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm 7 Swine Weigh-In 8:00-11:00 am 18 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm 25 Leader Meeting 1:00 3:00 pm or 6:30 8:30 pm 28 Sheep Weigh-In 8:00-11:00 am June 5 4-H Program Advisory Board 7:00 pm 6 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm 9 King and Queen Candidate Interviews 20 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm 21 Rabbit Workshop 6:00 8:00 pm State 4-H Conference July 2 Polk County & Iowa State Fair Entries Due 3 4-H Program Advisory Board 7:00 pm 4 Office Closed 11 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm 11 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm 14 Clothing Event Polk County Fair May 1 4-H Program Advisory Board 7:00 pm 2 County Council Meeting 7:00 pm 6 Rabbit Workshop 1:00 3:00 pm 15 Livestock ID s Due in 4-H Online 15 Last Day to Enroll in 4-H 15 Polk County Fair King and Queen Applications Due 16 Fair Board Meeting 7:30 pm 28 Office Closed August 9-19 Iowa State Fair 10

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