The Sussex RCE/4-H Office will be closed Thursday July 4 for our Nation’s Birthday
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!
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.
4-H Volunteer Opportunities at NJSF/SCF&HS
The Sussex County Farm & Horse Show and 4-H has always had a cooperative relationship. Please consider volunteering your time in to ‘use your hand to larger service’ and ‘to make the best better’.
Reminder for those displaying in the Shotwell Building, if you are not participating/volunteering at the fair (by displaying an animal, working with Teen Council, etc) you must volunteer in one of the ways listed below or forfeit this year’s premiums and possible opportunity for a full-week fair pass next year.
4-H AMBASSADOR/INFORMATION TABLE REPRESENTATIVE
Act as an Ambassador for 4-H in the Shotwell Building. Be available to share information and answer questions about 4-H. In addition, share knowledge about the items and exhibits displayed. Help sell 4-H 50/50s* and help maintain the cleanliness of the building. Shifts are 2 hours.
*You must be 18 years of age or bring along an adult to help
Sign up online at: 4-H Ambassador/Information table sign up
4-H 50/50 SALES
Assist the Sussex County 4-H Advisory Council in the Sale of 50/50 tickets. Proceeds from the sale support 4-H programming, as well as, 4-H fair ribbons.
*Must be 18 years of age or older
Contact Tanya Patrie (patrie@njaes.rutgers.edu) or Dave Foord (foord@rce.rutgers.edu) for tickets.
AG DIVISION FOOD BOOTH
Help with food prep, serving, and other activities related to managing the Food Booth for the Agricultural Division of the Fair. Profits from the food booth are used to support animal project activities at the fair. This is a great opportunity to meet 4-H members from other clubs, as well as, gain work experience. Shifts are 10am-2pm, 2pm-6pm, 6pm-10pm daily.
*You must be 13 years of age or older to volunteer behind the counter (liability concerns)
Contact Nadine Olsen by email at olsenn@embarqmail.com to volunteer for a shift.
AG DIVISION FARM FUN
Help with supervising the fun activities of Farm Fun in Barn 6.
For more information or to sign up contact Donna Meisinger at (862) 268-0805.
CLOVER, THE 4-H ROVER!
Dress up as the lovable, 4-H mascot Clover, the 4-H Rover. Walk around the Fair, greet, shake hands, and pose with fairgoers young and old. Requirements are that you can safely wear the costume and that someone must assist and accompany Clover while roving.
Due to health and safety concerns, we will have a disinfecting spray available for cleaning between appearances.
If interested please contact Tanya Patrie (patrie@njaes.rutgers.edu) or Dave Foord (foord@njaes.rutgers.edu).
Coming Soon – Sussex County 4-H Merch!
Be on the Look Out.
2024 National 4-H Congress
Applications are now being accepted
National 4-H Congress is a unique opportunity for 4-H members in grades 10-12 to come together with youth from all 50 states, that focuses on leadership, youth empowerment, community service, career development, and cultural diversity. The event brings over 1,000 4-H members over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend (November 29-December 3) in Atlanta, Georgia.
More information about the program and the application form is available on the New Jersey 4-H website at: http://nj4h.rutgers.edu/leadership/nat4hcongress/ soon.
The deadline to submit applications to our Sussex 4-H office is Tuesday, July 16.
This is open to 4-H members in grades 10-13 as of September 2024.
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.
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!
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 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.
Save the Dates
Information and Programs For Our 4-H Parents and Leaders
Attention Leaders!
As we prepare for the fair, the 4-H office is also preparing for our next program year. We are in the process of updating our promotional material for this year’s fair and outreach events, which includes the Sussex 4-H Clubs’ roster.
Please complete a brief survey using the link below, so that we can update our club roster and records correctly.
https://forms.office.com/r/ksd7uHCL9K
Thank you in advance for your responses.
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.
4-H Volunteer Retreat Weekend – INTEREST SURVEY!
September 27-29, 2024.
Put this date on your calendar NOW! Are you interested in attending the Volunteer Retreat Weekend at 4-H Camp? If yes, please take a couple of minutes to complete this very short (only 6 questions) interest survey to help us plan for the weekend! https://go.rutgers.edu/VolRetreatInterest.
Registration information and schedule will be sent to all volunteers soon! You will be able to meet volunteers around the state, take part in fun, interactive workshops and enjoy some quality time at our 4-H camp. More details coming soon! If you want more information on the camp itself, visit www.nj4hcamp.rutgers.edu.
Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and add us to your favorites so you do not miss a post.
@SussexNJ4H
