Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 2014)
Special Edition • Morrow County Fair and Rodeo • Heppner Gazette-Times. Wednesday, August 6, 2014 - Page 27 4-H: A Year in Review 4-H is much more than just the county fair, 4-H is a year round positive youth development program that offers learning and leadership opportunities to youth and adults of all ages. For example, before the fair even begins in August, many 4-H events and activities take place once the doors are closed on the Sunday morning after the fair. After the county fair, exhibits and contestants are sent to the Oregon State Fair in Salem to compete at the State level for various projects and contests. Morrow County _ usually sends youth exhibitors to compete in cooking contests, presentations, fashion revue, along with the many exhibits that are sent to be judged. And believe it or not, when items and results are returned from State Fair in September, we start the planning process over again for the following year’s fair. October is National 4-H Month, and National 4-H Week is held during this month as well. This past year, Morrow County 4-H Ambassadors attended local elementary schools during National 4-H week to speak to fourth through sixth grade classrooms to share the opportunities and excitement that abound within the 4-H program. Achievement night is also held in the fall. There was a full house again this year as many parents, leaders, members and supporters of 4-H came out to honor the achievements within the program. Fair awards and other special 4-H awards are handed out during this event. It is fantastic way to cap off another great year in 4-H. Enrollments for the new 4-H year also take place in the fall, as do many planning activities to begin preparing for the coming year’s events. Older youth in the 4-H program have the opportunities to attend many leadership conferences across the region and across the state. This year, Morrow County 4-H’ers attended various leadership conferences: the Eastern Oregon Leadership Retreat held at Grant Union High School, and OSU Summer Conference held at the beautiful OSU campus in Corvallis. These overnight events have jam-packed schedules that keep our youth entertained and involved during their entire stay. Different classes are offered including specific leadership skill courses, life skills learning, as well as some educational tours and of course plenty of fun. Each conference also holds various community service activities for our youth to give back to the communities where they live and venture for their conferences. Participation in these events has increased dramatically this past year, in part thanks to generous funding and scholarships made available through private donors, 4-H Leaders Council scholarships, and grants. We look forward to having even more Morrow County youth attend these opportunities and more in the future. The Tri-County 4-H camp is held every year in partnership with Morrow, Gilliam and Wheeler county J o i n U E C in s u p p o r t in g th e M o r r o w C o u n t y F a ir U m a t illa E le c t r ic C o -o p 2 0 3 N . E . B o a rd m a n A v e . B o a rd m a n , O R 97818 P h o n e : 5 4 1 -4 8 1 -2 2 2 0 7 5 0 W . E lm A v e . H e rm is to n , O R 9 7 8 3 8 P h o n e : 5 4 1 -5 6 7 -6 4 1 4 T o ll F re e : 8 0 0 -4 5 2 -2 2 7 3 4-H programs. This year 65 campers and 26 counselors made up another outstanding year of outdoor education, friendship building, and more positive youth development. Traditions of dream boats, hiking Mt. Baldy, and of course campfires with tent skits are still alive at 4-H camp held at Cutsforth Park every June. Camp serves as the first experience of the 4-H program for a great number of our youth and it opens the doors to interest and intrigue into what else the program has to offer. Camp is a time honored tradition and one that we are ecstatic to be able to offer to our youth year after year. Camp of course is not possible without the help of our dedicated counselor group, and the many volunteers that attend to help make everything work like a well-oiled machine. Next up, pre-fair workshops and contests are held prior to the week of the county fair. In July the 4-H Horse Show is held at the Morrow County Fairgrounds. During this event, 4-H horse project members display their horsemanship skills in a variety of equitation, showmanship, and trail classes. The group breaks for a potluck lunch every year, and we conclude the event outdoors for the gaming events. The Presentation, Quick & Easy Ground Beef, and Measuring contests also take place before the fair on July 30. Presentations are open to any 4-H member interested in exhibiting their public speaking skills, topics are up to the member to decide unless of course they are in the impromptu speaking contest. The Quick & Easy Ground Beef contest is open to all junior 4-H members (grades four-six). The contestants have one hour to cook, prepare, plate, and serve a ground beef dish to the judge. Hamburger for this contest is donated by the Morrow County Livestock Growers. And the measuring contest gives our junior members the opportunity to exhibit their precise measuring skills to a judge. As always, there is a wide array of activities that take place during the fair week including but not limited to: the 4-H Fashion Revue Contest where members sew and model their own garments. Home Ec and Livestock Judging Contests, a possible “fantastic” rocketry demonstration by the South Morrow Rocketry Club, lots of exhibits in the 4-H Annex ranging from cooking & sewing, to photography, horticulture and science, and of course our many livestock projects on display in multiple bams. Read more about these traditional 4-H projects and program throughout this section or contact your local 4-H office at: 541-676-9642. As you can see, 4-H is a year round program. So please come take part in another great year at the Morrow County Fair & Rodeo and support our youth and leaders who have put in many hours of time and dedication to make the fair all that it is. We hope to see you there to help us celebrate “Living the Dream in 2014” at the Morrow County Fair. H ’H ’H ’. umatillaelectric. com S u p p o rt O u r Local 4H & F F A Youth See You A t T h e Livestock A uction UMATILLA ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE A T n u c h a to n e E n d f / < 4( o p e r a tiv e 2 4 H our Emorgmnciot - Powor Outagms 1894) 4 9 5 -S 701 Fair dance hall newly redone The fair dance hall was redone to make the floor easier to maintain, so fair-goers are asked to please not drag any chairs, tables, etc., on the new floor.
