The end is near

“Beginnings are usually scary and endings are usually sad, but it’s the middle that counts. You have to remember this when you find yourself at the beginning.” Starting the council journey just under a year ago I would have never thought of all the wonderful opportunities I would encounter, the contacts I would make or the family I would create as a member. All of these things came true as my experiences were gained. I can honestly say this year has been the best year of my entire life.

Standing on the stage of the Eisenhower auditorium being inducted was where my mind was made up that I would do anything I had to do as a member of the council team to make it a great year. The first task as a council member was Ag Progress Days. Here I had a blast creating seedling necklaces with the youth that attended. The event was a highlight on my council path since it was the first chance I could wear that green polo.

Meeting Governor Corbett and the first lady, Secretary Greig, and all of the amazing 4-Hers in our state have also been highlights. Life’s not the breath you take but the moments that take your breath away. My breath was taken away as I slipped on the green jacket and headed to the Governor’s mansion for breakfast. Having the opportunity to even shake hands with him let alone sit at the same breakfast table was a  chance of a lifetime. 

Being on council is a big task for an entire year. There are requirements that must be filled but as those are filled you have more opportunities to go places with that green jacket. As a council member you learn a ton about yourself, the 4-H program, and leadership qualities. This is a shout out to all 4-H members that think they would be a good candidate to be on council to apply. It is a chance you do not want to miss!

Its not going to get easier, no time can be stopped, and I definitely can’t look back. All the miles I traveled was for one purpose, promote Pennsylvania 4-H. I thank everyone that invited me to attend their promotion, the energetic 4-Hers that I could interact with and of course my council team. It has been a fantastic year that I will never forget. There comes a time and a place to say goodbye and this would be it.

As a final blog post I will put on my seatbelt and head off to the next chapter of my life. With something to think about,

Ashley Mohn

PA 4-H State Council Secretary

“Line by line, page by page, you write the chapters of your life... Tomorrow is the beginning of a new chapter--a new scene in your life--with the hope of a good ending. Make every keystroke count.”

Title: Forget rain, sleet, and snow, It's off to Camp Brule we go!

Blog:

Last week on Sunday June 24th the councilors arrived at Camp Brule to do the final preparations for the Central Susquehanna Region 4-H Camp. I was so excited for another year of camp. This year was my 3rd year as a counselor and I had the honor of being Key Councilor. Most regions also know this role as Junior Camp Director. There was a total of 3 Key Councilors and I enjoyed working with them.

Enough about me, I'm glad to say that the campers had a lot of fun this year. Our theme was Natural Disasters, so the teams were based off of that. We had a total of six teams; Twisted Winds, Avalanche, Sinkholes, Tsunami, Mudslide, and Wild Fires. The councilors made team flags, and I have to say they turned out pretty awesome. At our camp fire every team had to do a song and a skit. I was excited that every team incorporated their team name into the song.

In the afternoons we had each team do a make and take craft with the campers. There were wind chimes, rain sticks, glow in the dark insects, and other awesome crafts! The campers enjoyed making these crafts that they could take home. After their make and take session the kids had 2 hours of free time to do activities like boating, swimming, fishing, and leather craft.

I could write on and on about what the campers did and how they had so much fun. However, I can't express just how much fun they had. You'll just have to take my word for it.

Until next time,

Sarah Bassett, President

Unique tastes at Fair

Everyone has a favorite food that they love to get when they attend a fair. My favorite is the chocolate milkshake. There is one activity that if someone participates in at the Troy Fair they need to have some unique tastes, or maybe just the stomach to hold the.... interesting foods the Bradford County Council provide. During 4-H day which is the Friday of the fair we hold several fun activities throughout the day to promote 4-H and get kids involved in the fun. Some of the other activities we hold are bale tossing, obstacle course, relay races, and scavenger hunts. The one I want to tell you a little more about is our Food Fear Factor activity.  

Picture the show Fear Factor, where they get the contestants to do all sorts of different things to see if they are able to get through it. Well our Fear Factor is a little less extreme. What we do with our contestants is make them eat gross sounding, smelling, or looking foods. County Council compiles a list of foods that we don't like. Then our 4-H educator and one County Council member makes a run for the food store to pick out the food. I went last year and we located things on the list such as horse radish, sardines, onions, which are foods that some people love to eat but my County Council found gross. The worst two items we got for this activity was Limburger Cheese and Pigs feet. YUCK! I give props to the ones that are able to stomach those two, I know I about loose mine when I just think about them. We get a few easier things too, such as spinach. So that the contestants can have a little bit of a break in between the rounds. I know I would probably loose on the very first round!

We set up a table and separate the foods by rounds, so however many people there are we set out plates for them.  We give them about 4 minutes to eat everything set on the plate. Whoever cannot finish looses the round and the rest move on. We keep going until there is only one person left that was able to eat whatever was put on the plate. We give them a prize at the end, which consists of a awesome 4-H item and a free milkshake so they get something worth their efforts. It is amazing to see the determination of the kids that participate in the different activities.

We will probably do the same again this year during our 4-H day, but we might decide to do something else completely. I am looking forward to see what other activities my county council will plan for the kids. 

Hope everyone has a great fair and good luck on anything you do during your fair!

Sincerely, 

Danielle Knapp

Reporter

Life is good :)

Summer is finally here a full capacity. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and I am outside studying for the national forestry competition. My life consists of nothing but studying trees, insects, and diseases. All is swell though, I enjoy doing what I do. I can't wait until July 22-26.
The National Forestry competition held in Jackson's mill, WV is a five day competition filled with grueling obstacles, foreign information, and kids from all across the US. I will have to compete with my team from Pa to: pace an area of land, identify trees, identify insects, identify diseases, and to evaluate someone's property. Wish me luck as I take this trek.

Sincerely your council Sentinel and VP of internal affairs
Garrett Richardson