On Sunday, May 16th, Long Valley 4-H Club will host a horse playday for all of Placer County 4-H members. Bring your horses and/or mini horses and be prepared to have a blast with your 4-H friends and their horses. From walk trot and loping classes to egg and spoon to pole bending and costume contests, there will be contest after contest that will make you smile and laugh all day long.
Who came up with the idea of doing the playday this year? I was talking with my 4-H horse leader Jackie Rhoades last Fall and we were disappointed that so many events were getting canceled due to Covid-19. At the same time, I wanted to earn my Emerald Star. So, we decided that it would be great if I proposed horse playdays for late Spring banking on Covid-19 being under better control by then. I proposed the project to the 4-H office and it was approved tentatively last Fall. We continued to work with Loomis Basin Horsemen's Association to reserve the arena and it all came together perfectly.
Date: Sunday, May 16, 2021
Time: The event begins at 10:00 am, Registration begins at 9:45 am. Must be pre-registered by April 30th to attend.
Where: Loomis Basin Horsemen's Arena
Cost: $20.00 per family
What to wear: Jeans or 4-H whites, boots, and a helmet
What to bring: horse, tack, water bucket, and water bottle food for horse and you, completed 4-H medical form, and money for the entry fee.
At this time, the maximum number of people who can attend:100 people or 25% of capacity. Registration will be closed at that point.
Pre-register here by April 30th:
If you have any questions, please contact Marie Johnson at mariekj2021@gmail.com.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Chicago Park 4-H Flower Arranging project has had a great time this 4-H year in spite of Covid restrictions and the cancelling the 2020 County Fair. During the Fall we met outside, less than 10 folks, with all 4-H safety guidelines. Our project meetings were held at Dinner Bell Farm in Chicago Park. In October the members were able to pick buckets of lovely flowers before the plants were turned underground for the off season. Molly, a professional flower grower and arranger, showed the youth how to blend flowers with green filler and how to coordinate colors. Everyone took home a bouquet and bucket of flowers to work on at home.
Right after Thanksgiving we went to Dinner Bell Farm again. The youth members learned to make holiday wreaths using various evergreens, dried flowers and bows. Everyone's favorite was the juniper with blue seed pods – not only beautiful but a heavenly fragrance! We were not able to meet during the Covid surge following the holidays, but no flowers were blooming anyway.
4-H allowed outdoor meetings again just in time for Valentine's Day. Safeway donated two large bouquets two days after Valentine's Day. That gave us large hot pink roses, ferns, Baby's Breath, red carnations and pink lilies. Each member made a bud vase arrangement to take home and two to give a resident of an assisted living facility. We have some real talent in our project.
We are looking forwards to Mother's Day, hoping for more flower donations from Raley's afterwards. We plan to make more bud vase arrangements for nursing home residents. If anyone would like to donate bud vases, we need many. Contact Sue Ramey, 575-9455 or rameys@pvcplans.com.
Have you ever thought about participating in 4-H at the state level?
There are twelve state level committees that 4-Hers, ages 14-19, can apply to participate in. By working on these committees, you can meet 4-H advisors and other 4-Hers from all over the state and together complete some meaningful work. Read more about the possibilities at http://4h.ucanr.edu/Get_Involved/Advisory_Committees/ .
The Public Speaking and Communications Advisory Committee was newly established in 2020-2021. As its name implies, its purpose is to help young people improve competence in public speaking skills and build confidence as 4-Hers learn to be better speakers and presenters.
This year, we are achieving our purpose by tackling the 2020-2021 Plan-of-Work that includes different efforts the committee members identified. Members created this plan-of-work, selected at least one sub-committee, and often multiple, sub-committees to work on. I'm working on a document that helps evaluators run the impromptu presentation category successfully. I also volunteered to create an interview manual, not just for interview contests but for the best reference and guidance in preparing for all types of interviews. Additionally, if you participate in the bi-county, regional and state presentation day, you will meet me and other members of this committee who are working to make them run smoothly as room hosts or evaluators or working behind the scenes to make sure all the advance planning is done successfully.
Take time now to get familiar with what is available to you as a senior 4-Her at the state level and create your action plan to achieve the goals you decide to set for yourself.
Kyle Rutz
Eureka Granite Bay 4-H
Public Speaking and Communications Advisory Committee member