The Sussex County RCE/4-H Office will be closed Friday, June 21 to honor Juneteenth.
It’s Time to Prepare for Fair!
All Fair paperwork and record-books are due to the 4-H office this MONDAY, July 1.
4-H Fair paperwork, the 4-H Exhibit Catalogue, and our annual Prepare for Fair Guide can be found in the Forms section of our Sussex County 4-H Website.
4-H Record Book Reminders
Just reminder that you should be working on your 4-H record book though-out the 4-H Project year and at this point some sections should be complete.
At this point you should have completed your:
- Cover
- Goal Setting
- Inventory (if applicable)
Sections that may still be a work in progress but close to being completed are:
- Logging monthly activities
- Finances
- 4-H Story
Logged monthly activities should be including all monthly club meetings attended, special events held separate from club meetings (ie- fundraisers, community service projects), and county or state events such as public presentations, workshops, or a judging event.
Finances should included all the expenses and income associated with a member’s project. ANY money spent on the project during the project year (ie- supplies, animal feed, dues, entry fees) should be recorded in the project financial pages. Or if you made money-income, (ie- sold a project or received prize money) this should be record too.
If there is no income or no expenses for your project, instead of leaving the page completely blank, please indicate “not applicable” or “none”.
Your 4-H Story is your chance to tell us about your project year in your own words. Tell us about what you learned, what skill you worked on, something new you tried, something funny that happened at one meeting, about a 4-H experience that helped you grow as an individual, etc. In short, We don’t expect a short story or a full length novel, but at least a full paragraph or 2 about how 4-H has inspired you and how it has helped you become the person you are today!
Don’t forget to have your parent or guardian and your 4-H club leader sign off on your project book once it is completed!
Due TODAY
2024 4-H Animal Project Representative
Applications for the 2024 4-H Animal Project Representatives are now being accepted. Applicants must be members in grades 7-13, with priority given to those in 11- 13th grade.
https://www.sussex4h.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SC-Animal-Rep.-Application-rev8.2021.pdf
Additional requirements to be eligible are:
- Applicants must have completed three years in the animal project area they are applying for, and be a member in good standing in the club that relates to that project area.
- Applicants must have given a county-level public presentation during the current project year.
The S. C. 4-H Animal Project Representative application packets must be completed and turned in to your 4-H club leader. Applications received by club leaders should be submitted to the 4-H office no later than June 7.
In the event of a competition for the representative position (more than one application received for a specific species), the 4-H Office will schedule interviews judges will receive the contestants’ application packets before the interview portion.
By submitting this application, a contestant is also agreeing to attend the following mandatory events during the Fair:
– Assist with specie shows and events.
– NJSF/SCF&HS Opening Ceremonies (and parade if applicable) on the First Day of Fair.
– Queen of the Fair Contest on the first Saturday
– Be available in your species barn from 5:00pm to 6:30pm on the Thursday of the Fair to assist Round Robin participants.
– If not a participant, assist during the Round Robin event.
– *MAS Livestock Reps Only– Assist with Market Animal Dinner and Sale (Tuesday evening)
Optional events you are encouraged to attend:
– Daily Fair Tractor Parade (2pm daily during fair week)
– Branchville Memorial Day Parade
– Newton Holiday Parades
2024 NJSF®/SCFH 4-H Club Booth Theme
The theme for the 4-H club booth displays for the 2024 NJ State Fair/Sussex County Farm & Horse Show is…Olympics
Since the second week of 2024 Summer Olympics will be occurring at the same time as our fair, let’s share the Olympic spirit and go the gold with our club booth designs.
4-H Club booth judging criteria that are mandatory items to be included is the display of the 4-H clover, the 4-Hs, and the club name prominently displayed.
With the 4-H criteria met, you should then center your 4-H booth around a creative display of this year’s theme. Think of a slogan that goes with the theme and promotes 4-H. Points are awarded for creativity and originality.
Interactive displays are encouraged, but all parts and décor must remain in the booth. Please remember that booths should be a collaborative effort by the whole club. A 4-H booth should let club members display their hard work to the public.
The Club Booth Entry Form is due to the 4-H Office by July 1.
Would you be interested in purchasing Sussex County 4-H Merch??
The Sussex County 4-H Advisory Council is considering holding a fundraiser that would also allow members of our community to show their support for 4-H in our county. They hope to hold an online apparel sale though a local distributor for 4-H families to purchase clothing items and have them directly shipped to the purchaser, with a profit of the sales supporting the Advisory Council.
If this year there seams to be interest, in future years we hope to hold an annual contest to to decide on the design that would be used.
Please take a quick survey to let us know your thoughts.
https://forms.office.com/r/MHVFQyyiXM
2024 Learn2Lead-Lead2Serve 4-H Program
This program is open to youth completing grades 7-10 in 2024. This three-day program will be held in person in Monmouth, Middlesex, and Ocean counties with shared hybrid activities and a final day with the group meeting together. It is open to all youth from any county – and you do not need to be in 4-H to attend!
Tables at the Farmer’s Market available to 4-H clubs for fundraising!
Sussex County Farmer’s Market Committee, part of the Sussex County Board of Agriculture would like to invite 4-H groups to have a free table at the Sussex County Farmer’s for fundraising or to showcase their projects, small animals etc.
All sales proceeds must go to the 4-H group itself. The SC Farmers Market is open the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the months of June, July, September, October and due to the Fair only the fourth Saturday of August.
This is a great public speaking opportunity for the kids, and an all round fun day.
If your 4-H group wants to recruit members, sell items, have a bake sale etc., please contact:
Lori Day
zoomomma@embarqmail.com
973-919-1748.
New Jersey 4-H Summer Camps Sign Up – Open Now
Sessions are Selling out!
Registration opens for both:
Our 74th summer at L.G. Cook 4-H Camp, New Jersey 4-H’s overnight summer camp in beautiful Stokes State Forest. Join our caring, tech-free community for a one-week sleepaway session in July or our BIG 18 day session in August … AND …
Our 2nd summer at 4-H Camp at Rutgers Gardens, our brand-new day camp program combining the social-emotional learning of 4-H Camp’s friendly, communal experience with the educational opportunities of Rutgers Gardens.
More details and online registration at nj4hcamp.rutgers.edu! Call 973-948-3550 to reach the Camp Office with any and all questions.
Save the Dates
Save the Date for our 4-H Open House
Sunday, September 15
4-H Shotwell Building
We will again be holding our 4-H Open House in conjunction with Sussex County Day. It’s a great opportunity for our amazing 4-H clubs to share all they have to offer and what they do with the people of Sussex County.
Poetry x Hunger: Poetry Call from Middle and High School Youth
Do you want to help eliminate hunger and poverty through the power of your pen? NJ Arts 4-H is introducing Poetry X Hunger. Join in the Poetry X Hunger project promoted by Expressive Arts 4-H of Rutgers Cooperative Extension. Write a poem that addresses hunger, poverty, and/or food insecurity and submit it to Poetry X Hunger. For more information click here. Submit your poem through this link here. Why not present your poem to your clubs and community groups? If you have any questions, contact Ellen Williams, Expressive Arts 4-H Agent at williams@njaes.rutgers.edu.
For more information visit https://nj4h.rutgers.edu/comm/poetryxhunger/
Information and Programs for Our 4-H Leaders
Registration is open for the New Jersey 4-H Volunteer Retreat Weekend – September 27-29, 2024
Register Today! The weekend will be full of fun, learning, and networking at this special event just for NJ 4-H Volunteers. It will be held at the LG Cook 4-H Camp in Branchville! The price is $45 per person for the full weekend and $25 per person for Saturday only. Friday evening will be optional with meet and greet activities and refreshments. Saturday will include workshops, camp activities, a recognition dinner and giveaways. Sunday will include a closing reflection ceremony.
Are you in?! Register here: https://go.rutgers.edu/VolRetreat2024
The first episode of 4-H Volunteer Ventures is available on Spotify and other platforms. The 4-H Volunteer Ventures Facebook page is also available.
The 4-H Volunteer Ventures Podcast examines the fun, but sometimes confusing role of the 4-H volunteer. Each episode will explore a specific aspect or challenge volunteers face ad offer best practices to improve the experience. Join hosts, Kelly and Laura, as they discuss current trends, share resources, and offer tips and tricks learned from their own volunteer experiences.
Spotify link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/4hvolunteerventures
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558574791500
We want to hear from YOU! If you have any suggestions for volunteer-based topics you would like us to address, or something you would like to learn more about as a 4-H volunteer, let us know. We appreciate your input.
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@SussexNJ4H
