http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/mclean/downloads/17261.pdf

• May 1 – 4-H Enrollment (for fair exhibition)
• May 1 – 4-H Memorial Camp Registration
• May 1 – Horse & Llama Ownership/Lease Forms
• May 9 – Sheep Weighing at IC
• May 12 – 4-H volunteer Screening & Orientation
• May 26 – Illini Summer Academies Registration
• May 29 – Technology Tour Registration
• June 5 – Registrations for State Judging contests (livestock and horse)
• June 8 – Jr. Show State Fair Entries - Horses
• June 10 – Rain Barrel Design Contest
• June 25 – Jr. Show State Fair Entries – All Other
• July 1 – Fair Activities Sign-Up
• July 1 – County Fair Entries - Jr. & 4-H Shows
• July 1 – 4-H Space Camp Registration
• July 1 – All Club Challenge Funds
• July 1 – Royalty Nominations
• July 1 – QAEC Ethics Certification for Livestock

4-H Volunteer Orientation & Screening, May 12, 6:30 – 8 pm ---- NOTE Time Change!

• Who? Parents, leaders, superintendents = 4-H VOLUNTEERS
• When? May 12, 6:30-8 pm Where? Extension Office, 402 N Hershey Rd.
• Why? To ensure that all 4-H youth in McLean County are with caring screened adults who are concerned about their safety. The U of I Extension State 4-H Office requires youth to be with screened volunteers at ALL times during 4-H events. Please help us protect our 4-H youth. You cannot be recognized as a 4-H leader if you have not gone through screening. This process involves CANTS screening (child abuse and neglect), criminal background check, and personal reference checks. Please RSVP online or call the Extension office. This is the final opportunity this 4-H year to become a screened volunteer.

4-H Club Challenge

A new statewide 4-H program fee has been announced by the State 4-H Office. This $20 program fee is intended to help offset state-level costs. McLean County Extension Council has opted to establish a lower countywide $10-per-member club challenge. The local fee is possible because of the support from local groups including Extension Foundation, Timeless Clovers 4-H Alumni, business and individual grants, and sponsorships. $6 of the countywide fee will be forwarded to the State 4-H Office to offset curriculum development and other expenses that directly affect the quality of programming. No individual will be denied participation in 4-H due to inability to pay.

More information regarding this is available at: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/mclean/downloads/14964.pdf

4-H Softball Day June 13, ISU Diamond on Gregory St.

The 4-H softball tournament will be held this year on June 13. It will be at the ISU Diamond nearest the Motorcycle training school. It will begin at 9:00 in the morning. Register online by June 5.

https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/registration/?RegistrationID=2847

4-H Technology Tour June 19

On June 19^th from 8:30am-4:00pm learn about and tour of a wind farm and learn about other renewable energy options. Learn more about alternative energy sources and careers in this field. For 4-Hers 12 and older. (4-H members can invite a friend who is not in 4-H.) Cost: $10.00. REGISTRATION DUE: May 29^th. Registration Information: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/mclean/downloads/17239.pdf

Oh, the Places you'll go…in 4-H Work Session ! June 30, 2009

Want to go to National 4-H Congress? Travel the world? Win awards? Let 4-H take you there, by filling out 4-H project records & learn more about the Illinois 4-H Award Application! This hands-on workshop for parents, leaders and older members will get you excited about the possibilities! "Today is your day…register online: https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/registration/?RegistrationID=2990

IMPORTANT – opportunity! Heartland Community College – Use of Facilities by 4-H Clubs

Through a great relationship with HCC I am excited to announce that 4-H clubs have been given the opportunity to schedule a meeting at their facility for special programs/speakers. Have you ever wanted to have a speaker come, but they wanted to show a Power Point or needed an overhead projector? Want to use a computer lab to have your 4-Hers learn about Geospatial/Robotics project activities? Would you like to have an Extension Staff member teach your 4-Hers a workshop? This is a one or two time per year opportunity for your club to use an HCC classroom or computer lab for a 4-H meeting. IF your club would like to schedule a meeting at Heartland Contact Lisa Sleevar at 309-268-8016. You will need to contact her 4-6 weeks in advance.

Illini Summer Academies – June 29-July 1

We have expanded this 3-day event to provide Illinois teens new opportunities to explore the University of Illinois campus; study potential careers or leadership skills; and meet youth from across the state. Each academy will offer 15 hours of interactive activities and study in a specific field of interest. There will be at least six academies this summer (and hopefully more); each with limited enrollment that will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration opened March 1.

List of Academies - Aerospace Engineering Academy, Agricultural & Biological Engineering Academy, Crop Sciences, Leadership Academy, Veterinary Medicine Academy, and Youth Community Informatics

Who can come?

This event is open to Illinois high school teens, incoming freshmen to graduating seniors for the fall of 2009. Youth must be 14 to 18 years of age (inclusive) by September 1, 2009 in order to participate. Some academies do place additional age restrictions on their programs; those will be designated on future promotional materials. 4-H membership is NOT required – have your 4-H members invite other friends to come along. School and other teen community groups are also welcome to attend.

Registration Information: https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/registration/default.cfm?RegistrationID=2651

Registrations will close on Tuesday, May 26. All mailed payments and medical forms for regular registration fees must be received by June 1 to confirm registration.

Fundraiser for 4-H sponsored by McLean County Farm Bureau – Young Leaders

The McLean Co Farm Bureau Young Leaders are sponsoring a benefit breakfast for the McLean Co 4-H. They wish to raise $10 per 4-Her for the new program fees. A benefit breakfast will be held on June 25. Trent Loos of LoosTales (also writes for Beef Magazine) agriculture advocate/humorist is the speaker. He will also be touching on the proposed legislation to limit livestock production in IL. He's informative and entertaining. Save the date, more information coming soon!

Llama O Rama – June 13 in Effingham

Bring your own llamas/alpacas and pens or 25 llamas/alpacas will be available to use for games, hikes and activities.

There will be displays about 4-H projects using llamas. 4-H Llama Leaders will have items available for purchase. Contact Trish Purcell or JoAnn Ring 618-686-7771, llamajo@hotmail.com for more info.

Nickelodeon's The Big Green Help, "Keeping it Green" shows how 4-H is bridging old ideas with new, to teach youth environmental stewardship and connecting youth to science-related issues. The green theme also can showcase 4-H beyond the environmental focus and is a direct connection to the organization as a whole. Materials are available at www.4-HBrandNetwork.org.

Growing Gardeners workshop series – sponsored by the McLean County Master Gardeners

With the assistance and expertise of the McLean County Master Gardeners, this program will introduce participants to the vast world of gardening. The group will have their own garden and be responsible for some of the inhabitants in the garden. Getting 'down and dirty' will be a big part of the program and doing research to decide what things can be planted and when is the appropriate time. We will be traveling to various nursery and garden stores to learn more about gardens and their products. Each participant will receive their own starter 'gardening kit' to use while in the program as well as after the program concludes. For registration information please call, 454-954 or click this link:

http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/mclean/downloads/17123.pdf

Rain Barrel Design Project

Pat Quinn, Governor of Illinois, and the Chicago Botanic Garden are pleased to announce the "Art on a Rain Barrel" contest. Who can participate? teams of 3-5 Illinois youth, ages 8 to 18. What do you submit? 2-D designs (11 x 17") for rain barrel artwork that communicates the importance of fresh water in Illinois. When is the entry deadline? June 10, 2009. What can you win? The top 50 teams will be invited to Navy Pier to celebrate the Governor's "It's Our River Day" on September 19, 2009. At this event, each team will receive a free rain barrel on which to create their artwork. Top designs will be put on display for thousands to see!How do you participate? Visit the "Art on a Rain Barrel" Web site for complete contest rules and to download an entry form. www.chicagobotanic.org/calendar/rainbarrel

4-H Million Trees Project – Good Service Learning Opportunity!

Members of the Pacifica (California) 4-H Club launched the 4-H Million Trees (4HMT) project, a large-scale service-learning project with the goal to plant 1,000,000 trees across the United States to beautify America, absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide, and combat global climate change. www.4hmilliontrees.org

National Soil Project at Northeastern University

Dr. Geoffrey Davies and a research team are working on a project to do soil analyses of agricultural topsoils from different parts of the U.S. 4-H clubs can help to collect samples that can be analyzed to give a much clearer assessment of the health of the Nation's soils. 4-H members and families can help to contribute to this national soil research project. More information: http://www.agnr.umd.edu/Extension/4H/4HFiles/4hnationalsoilproject.doc

Virtual 4-H Filmmaking Studio & Workshop

The Virtual 4-H Filmmaking Studio & Workshop, located at www.4-H.org/curriculum/filmmaking. developed in collaboration with Montana State University. The Filmmaking Studio and Workshop is the online place to find tools and resources about video production and "how to make your own film". On the home page of the site, you'll find the main Filmmaking Workshop—an 11 module "virtual workshop", geared toward youth interested in making Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET) films. The workshop discusses SET as a primary topic area and delivery mode, but the learning modes and principles apply across mission mandate areas—SET, Healthy Living, and Citizenship.

This is a BETA release and feedback is encouraged, via the "Give Feedback" button on the home page. Additional resources will be added and tweaked over time, so stay tuned. Happy Filmmaking!

4-H Missions in Space Camp – Oct 8-11

Imagine experiencing the simulation of "walking on air"…being aboard a shuttle going to Mars…living in a space station environment. You can do all this and more when you register for the 4-H Missions in Space program.

Youth who will be enrolled in 7th – 9th grades in the fall of 2009 can experience these simulated space missions, learn about shuttle operations, and be part of a shuttle mission team by attending the 4-H Missions in Space Weekend Camp, October 8-11, 2009, at the U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. This trip is being offered through University of Illinois 4-H program. The cost of this exciting experience is $360, which includes the Pathfinder program, housing in the Space Habitat, meals at the site, bus transportation, a T-shirt, and accommodations along the way. The only additional costs are meals while traveling and any souvenirs that the participant may want to purchase. A registration fee of $200 is due by July 8, with the remaining $160 due August 1. Registration information: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/mclean/downloads/17237.pdf

McLean County deadline for registration is July 1.

IL 4-H Shooting Sports coming soon! (2011 4-H year)

Youth development will be the number one goal of the Shooting Sports Program. The program is an excellent way to provide life skill development and to establish a caring relationship with an adult mentor. The program is an active program, attractive to both youth and adult audiences. 4-H curriculum will be designed to assist young people in personal development, personal environmental ethics, and lifelong vocational and avocational activities. The program will help to promote self confidence, responsibility, teamwork, self esteem, decision-making and the identification of realistic personal goals. If you are interested in being a part of the program in McLean county, please contact the Extension office.

McLean County 4-H Horse Judging Team

The state horse judging contest is coming up in June. All 4-H members are welcome to be a part of this team - you do not have to be enrolled in horses or own a horse to participate in this contest. The McLean County team participated in the Illinois Horse Fair and won both the Jr. & Sr. levels!! Congrats!! If you are interested in learning more about Horse Judging please contact volunteer Coach Diane Wohlers at 309-531-9326. Practices are at Diane's home: 110 W Exchange Street, Danvers IL. Thank you Diane for coaching this year's team!

Hippology & Horse Bowl

• Rachael Fulop & Sarina Schenk both did a fantastic job at the Regional and State Contests held in Effingham and Champaign on March 21^st and April 25^th.

Regional Results: Intermediate Hippology results: 1st Sarina Schenk, 3rd Rachael Fulop

• Jr Horse Bowl High Points: 1st Rachael Fulop; Sr Horse Bowl High Points: 2nd Sarina Schenk
• Rachael played on the Clark/McLean Co Jr Mixed team. The team came in 3rd place.
• Sarina Schenk played on the Shelby/Moultrie-Douglas/McLean Co Sr Mixed Team. The team came in 2nd place and advances to state.

State Results: Sarina Schenk 5^th place out of 32 for Hippology Intermediate

Equus 4-H Horse Show – Note Location Change

The 19th Equus 4-H Annual Open Horse Show is just around the corner, Friday June 12th, Saturday June 13th and Sunday June 14th at Rawlings Arena in Delavan, Illinois Exit 15 off of I 155 South. For registration information contact: Ron Taets II at equus4h@comcast.net.

Regional Livestock Judging Contest June 13 – registration needed by June 3

A Multi-Regional 4-H Livestock Judging Contest will be held on Friday, June 11, at the Illinois State University Research Farm, Lexington, Illinois. The contest will start at 8:45 with registration and will end with the results of the contest at 12:00. The contest will consist of six classes (two of each specie) with production information and a situation statement on the breeding class of each specie and questions on the other class of specie. There will be a Junior and Senior division. Entries must be returned by June 9, 2009 and may be obtained from your 4-H leader or the Extension office. This will serve as the McLean County contest. Contact volunteer coach Rhonda Baer for more info: 309-275-8451.

State Livestock Judging Contest June 16 – registration needed by June 5

If you are interested in Livestock judging there are several contests coming up. Rhonda Baer is our volunteer coach/contact if you are interested in practicing at contests being held in the area before the State Contests in June.

Interested members can contact Rhonda directly at brbaer@verizon.net or call 309-275-8451.

Favorite Recipes of Illinois 4-H Through the Years…

Remember snickerdoodles, wheat bread, funny cake, or chocolate crinkles? Do you remember these goodies from your 4-H experience? These and many more recipes from 14 University of Illinois Extension 4-H foods project books can be found in a new "favorites" cookbook available through the Illinois 4-H Foundation.

More than 150 of your old favorites from 4-H foods project books such as You Learn to Bake, ABC's of Food, Adventures in Cooking, It's Fun to Cook, Milk and Eggs, Meat in Your Meals, Pastry in Your Meals, and Yeast Breads in Your Meals are included in this 8 ½" x 11" spiral bound cookbook. Recipes are listed by 4-H project book, alphabetically, and by food category for easy reference.

Watch for more information on this exciting cookbook coming. Website: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/4hfoundation/. Proceeds from the cookbook will support current 4-H foods project resources and training for 4-H volunteers.

Back to School Party and Supply Drive

It's back! The Back to School party is back! Sponsored by ISU's Extended University, and other community partners. The group will give out 5000 backpacks for eligible students in McLean County in grades K-8. If your club collects school supplies and can show how much is collected, we will put your club name in for a drawing for a special educational opportunity at ISU in the next year. Flier and information: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/mclean/4hyouth2795.html

4-H CAMPaign

You can help improve the facilities at 4-H Memorial Camp! Construction has started on the kitchen at 4-H Camp. This is a great opportunity for your 4-Hers to support Camp. There are several ways your club can get involved with this CAMPaign!! http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/4hmemorialcamp/campaign.html

Illinois 4-H Ambassador Program

The Illinois 4-H Ambassador Program provides youth and adults the opportunity to become active partners in the marketing and promotion of their organization. Members that wish to attend Legislative Connection as an Ambassador need to apply by filling out the application at this link: http://www.4-h.uiuc.edu/opps/leg_ambassador_app.pdf Another opportunity on the state level as an ambassador is to help with the 4-H Can Make a Difference food drive at the Illinois State Fair.

4-H Show and County Fair Updates

New and Improved Activities by the Timeless Clovers 4-H Alumni Association

Promote 4-H at the fair in the Mini Expo building!

4-H clubs AND cloverbud groups are asked to make a standard poster (22x24) with their club name and photos of some of the activities clubs participate in, with the same tag line of: INTERESTED IN JOINING 4-H? CALL 309-663-8306. The posters will be hung in different locations in the Mini Expo building, where the Beef/Pork Producers food stand is.

Sundae Booth

Alumni will pay $50 to each 4-H club that provides members and adults to work a 2 hour shift in the sundae booth. No ice cream sundaes will be provided for workers at the end of their shift. Clubs will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis and requests for more than one shift will be honored after all clubs have had the opportunity to request a shift. Open slots will then be filled with clubs requesting more shifts.

Schedule:

Tuesday 7/28 5 – 9 p.m, Wednesday 7/29 - Saturday 8/1 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., and Sunday 8/2 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Register your club online: https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/registration/?RegistrationID=3001

Lobby Activities

Alumni are also planning on building a small stage in the lobby with a "photo friendly" backdrop where:

• a 4-Her can have a photo taken with an exhibit (rabbit, chicken, rocket, dress, Lego, flowers, etc.)
• a 4-Her can do a public presentation (practice) or other public speaking activity
• Master Gardeners can talk about gardening, etc.
• any other educational mini-programs can be presented – nothing heavily involved, just good, concise educational information

All of these will be scheduled and added to the "TODAY AT THE McLEAN COUNTY 4-H FAIR" handout that Alumni will produce (each day on a different color sheet, short brief, informative, available at the lobby booth and in Mini.)

If you have suggestions or wish to assist the Association with their activities at the fair and beyond, they meet on the second Thursday of each month. Contact Carol Pfoff, President for details.

4-H Show Updates - farbook online: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/mclean/fair/115.html

NEW PROJECTS/CLASSES -

• 4-H Cooking 201 - Exhibit cheese muffins!, page 99
• Environmental Awareness class, see page 95
• New Project Design and Recycled Accessory class, page 108

NOTE CHANGES -

• Exhibits are not to be in frames for any photography class, see photography rules.
• Small Pets - NO live animals will be shown for classes 2001-2006, see page 70 for requirements.
• Check out computer exhibit changes on page 87.
• Public Presentations will again check in on Tuesday evening.
• Some Foods, Nutrition & Health classes will be checked-in on Tuesday. Please refer to individual class descriptions to verify check-in times and locations.

Horse exhibitors

Interested in Horse Judging??? Practices for horse judging team began in January. They would love to have new faces on the team – all ages, all 4-H clubs. The team will compete at the IL Horse Fair, the Hoosier Horse Fair and the State contest in June. If interested, please contact Diane Wohlers, 309-531-9326, wohlershorsemanship@gmail.com. Thanks to Diane for coordinating.

Sheep exhibitors

Sheep Tattoo Dates: May 9, 9a.m.-Noon State Fair premiere or live show wethers must be weighed and tattooed on April 18^th or May 9^th at the Interstate Center, 9am-12pm. Animals will also be tagged with electronic ID tags at a cost to the owner of $2/tag.

Goat exhibitors

Meat goat wethers being shown at the State Fair must be tattooed only by May 15.

Livestock Judging Opportunities

§ If you are interested in participating in the following contests please contact Rhonda Baer at 309-275-8451. *Multi-county contest at ISU Farm in Lexington. (date June 13, call Jody at the office, 309-663-8306 by 6/3)

Premise ID # Update

A Premise ID # will be required for State Fair entry for barrow entries only. Providing an ID number will be voluntary at the McLean County Fair again this year. If you would like to obtain a number, go to http://www.agr.state.il.us/premiseid/ or call 1-866-299-9256 for a paper form. There is no charge.

General Projects – State Fair

McLean County day at the Illinois State Fair is Saturday, August 15. A majority of projects will be judged on the 15^th with the EXCEPTION of: Bicycle Rodeo, Electronics and Geospatial, which will be judged on Saturday, August 22.

• All projects will be conference-judged. Action-oriented exhibits (public presentations, bicycle rodeo, food demonstrations, and fashion revue) will again be competitively judged with special recognition being awarded to the top 5% each day.
• All other project exhibits will be judged on the assigned county days. There will only be judging on the first Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and the last Saturday and Sunday of the Illinois State Fair. The Jr. Home Economics Building and the University of Illinois Extension Building exhibit areas will be closed Monday, August 17 through Friday, August 21.
• Because of timing issues related to Public Presentation exhibits, judging will be in multiple locations and starting times may vary. Exhibitors should be made aware of this as it may involve walking to "new" locations on the fairgrounds for judging.

State Fair Performance Showcase

Do you like to perform? Are you gifted in music? Do you play a musical instrument? Do you like to tell jokes? Are you a dancer? Do you like to perform with a group of your friends? If you can answer yes to any of these questions then the

4-H Performance Showcase may be the opportunity you are looking for. University of Illinois 4-H Youth Development is seeking entries for the 2009 4-H Performance Showcase to be held on Sunday, August 16, at the Illinois State Fair. This annual event is held to spotlight the talented 4-H members across Illinois who enjoy performing in front of an audience. Entries are being accepted from soloists, musical groups, instrumentalist, comedians, and performance groups such as comedy skits, singers, or dancers. Applicants are to submit an audition tape (standard VHS or DVD format) for review by the showcase director. Entries must be postmarked by May 15. For additional information and/or to obtain an entry form, contact the McLean County Extension office.

4-H/FFA Quality Assurance and Ethics Clinic Web Site – for State Fair Jr. Show Exhibitors

February 1st – Web Site Open Available until June 9 for Horses and Available until July 1 for Beef, Sheep, Swine, Dairy, Goats & Poultry

The web certification is the only approved method for 2009 and future years as approved by the Illinois State Fair Junior Livestock Advisory Committee. Participants are required to only take the training once for the Illinois State Fair.

Web Site = http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/qaec/

Illinois State Fair Jr. Show & Open Show Book and Entry Forms

Go to this website and scroll to the bottom of the page for Jr. Livestock forms: http://www.agr.state.il.us/isf/premium/

Illinois State Fair Parking Passes and Admission Ticket Pre-Orders

As a service to exhibitors discounted tickets can be purchased in advance through the Extension office. A card must be filled out prior to ordering. Payment is due at pick up. No extra tickets will be ordered. PRICES HAVE CHANGED!!

Parking passes $4.00 ($7.00 at gate) Admission tickets: $1.00 for 5-12 year olds and $2.00 age 13-Adult. All tickets must be pre-ordered through the Extension office by June 1.

Livestock Exhibitor deadlines

• Beef, dairy, sheep, swine, goats, poultry and horse exhibitors must complete the Quality Assurance & Ethics certification. This online course must be taken only ONCE in a lifetime in order to show at the State Fair. The website is http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/qaec/ and can be accessed after Feb. 1^st, 2009.
• Entry fees are required again for Illinois State Fair junior exhibitors, payable with entry form. Fees are allocated as follows:

§ Beef, Dairy, Horses -- $10.00 per head, Sheep, Swine, Goats -- $2.50 per head, Dogs -- $2.00 per dog, Poultry, Rabbits -- $1.00 per head

Premise ID # Update

A Premise ID # will be required for State Fair entry for barrow entries only. Providing an ID number will be voluntary at the McLean County Fair again this year. If you would like to obtain a number, go to http://www.agr.state.il.us/premiseid/ or call 1-866-299-9256 for a paper form. There is no charge.

Illinois State Fair Superior Young Producer Award

The purpose of this award is to create an educational activity at the Illinois State Fair which promotes youth development and personal growth through increased knowledge of the livestock industry and career development. The ISF Superior Young Producer Award registration forms are available online. Specific rules may apply to each specie. The deadline for registration is July 1. Contact the Extension office if interested in applying.

National 4-H Council Grants portal

National 4-H Council is pleased to announce our new grants portal! This portal will be a one-stop resource, housing a wide variety of funding opportunities and related forms (applications, reports, etc.). The site can be found at http://grants.4-H.org. You will need to register to begin using the system and to review the benefits this new software provides (attached is a brief instructional guide on how to register and apply for grants).

You must have your Club FEIN number in order to create an account. Grants that are being offered are also on this page: http://4-h.org/programs_mission_mandates.html