The July Shows are quickly approaching. Hopefully everyone is working hard on their projects. Congratulations to everyone who exhibited animals during the county fair or at the horse show in Gillespie. You all did a great job!

I want to let all of you know that my position will be changing a little bit with Extension beginning the middle of August. I have accepted a part time position with Litchfield School District. I will still be staying on part time with the Extension office, you just may not see me as much. I plan to still participate in some of the committee meetings, 4-H Leader's meetings, family events, and the 4-H Shows. Please feel free to continue to email me with your questions and concerns, or contact the office and Peggy or someone will be able to assist you.

I'm looking forward to seeing all of you at the July 4-H Shows. Good Luck!

Karen Rentz

Community Worker

4-H & Youth

July 16^th – 4-H Cat Show, Butler 4-H Park – Check-in at 4:45 p.m., Show begins at 5:00 p.m.

4-H Dog Show, Butler 4-H Park – Check-in at 5:45 p.m., Show begins at 6:00 p.m.

July 17^th – 4-H Clothing Show, Extension office – Check-in at 9:30 a.m., Show begins at 10:00 a.m.

4-H Food Demonstrations, Extension office – Check-in at 3:15 p.m., Show begins at 3:30 p.m.

4-H Food Show, Extension office – Check-in at 5:30 p.m., Show begins at 6:00 p.m.

July 19^th – 4-H General Show, Butler 4-H Park – Check-in from 9:00 – 9:30 a.m., Show begins at 10 a.m.

Projects will be released at approximately 1:30 p.m.

Montgomery County Day at the State Fair is Monday, August 11^th. All projects will be conference judged this year. The schedule for judging has changed since Show Books were printed. All projects including Public Presentations, Fashion Revue, Food Demonstrations and Club/Group Exhibits will be held on our county day, Monday, August 11^th. The Bicycle Rodeo will only be held on Saturday, August 16^th. Most projects will need to be checked in between 8-9 a.m. and will be judged through the course of the day. Projects will be released as soon as that area is done being judged.

All 4-H Records will be due to the Montgomery County Extension office by Monday, August 18, 2008. This is a month sooner than in the past. We are doing this so we can have Achievement Day a month sooner also. Achievement Day is scheduled for Sunday, October 5^th. We are hoping to have a family weiner roast and small awards ceremony that day.

Records are a way to keep track of your 4-H projects and accomplishments. They are not required, but are highly recommended. Numerous 4-H Seniors have been very glad that they took time to keep 4-H records through the years. It was a huge help when it came time to fill out scholarship and college applications. You may request a CD or disk with a copy of the record form on it from the Extension office. This way your records can be done on your computer and saved each year. You may also complete them on a paper form. The paper form can be obtained from our county website or by visiting our office. By filling out records you may also be eligible for special awards such as:

County Level Awards for the Individual -

Cloverbuds-a participation ribbon is given to each Cloverbud each year.

First year members-a pin is given to members after completing their 1st yr.

Five year members-a pin is given to members after completing their 5th yr.

Performance Achievement Awards: *8-11yrs.-attend 2/3 club meetings, give a talk/demonstration, make an exhibit and show at a meeting or at a county show, establish a plan and make a report on their project to their leader. *12-14yrs.-do all of the above plus serve on a club committee or hold a club office, participate in a community service activity, assist leaders with a club activity or program. *15-18yrs.-do all of the above plus participate in one or more county, regional, or state programs; serve as a Jr. Leader; assist in conducting programs at the county level or beyond.

Freshman award-a sweatshirt is given to members who completed the 4-H year and are beginning their Freshman year in High School.

Ten Year Award-a pin is given to members after completing their 10th yr.

Record Award Winners-members may enter their records in 10 different areas. They must be enrolled in the area for which they are entering their records. There are three levels of awards:

* Standard of Excellence-winners have won a medal in the past and have continued to excel in this project.

* Medal Winners-receive a medal in any award area only once.

* Certificate of Merit-winners have scored high in a certain project area and with continued excellence may become a medal winner in the future.

"I Dare You Award"-a book award given to members ages 15-18 who are selected on the basis of leadership, scholarship, physical fitness, and character. A member may only receive this award once.

Outstanding 4-H Member-the members record accomplishments during their 4-H career, the participation in 4-H activities, the application of leadership skills developed in 4-H to assist community organizations, and the positive attitude possessed are all the areas considered for this award. Candidates must have achieved the "I Dare You Award" in their 4-H career.

Officers' Awards-chosen by nominations

IL Electrical Award-member should have completed an electrical exhibit, project records may/may not be reviewed, members may only receive this award once.

A Message to Leaders and Parents

Each child is an individual of utmost importance. Keeping this in mind, the leader should try to make 4-H a positive learning experience. Part of this experience is the 4-H exhibit.

The 4-H exhibit is not an end in itself nor does it measure all the learning that takes place in the 4-H project. The exhibit is only one measure of success. Self-recognition, self-satisfaction and the learning from completing the project are important rewards.

1. Discuss the purpose of judging with 4-H members & their parents:

§ To evaluate the exhibit which is an example of the child's work.

§ To help each member see the process that he/she has made and put judging in perspective.

2. Help the child set realistic goals for himself/herself according to his/her own age and experience.

3. Be sure that your goals are in line with the child's age and experience.

4. Recognize good work. Give constructive criticism.

5. Be familiar with the requirements or criteria of the 4-H project that is to be judged.

6. Be familiar with several methods of accomplishing the desired result.

7. Regardless of who does the judging there are some basic points to keep in mind:

§ The development of young people is our first consideration in 4-H work.

§ We are really concerned more about what the 4-H'er learns than with the exhibit.

§ Projects are a means to an end – not an end in themselves.

§ No exhibit is so poorly done that it is not worthy of an encouraging comment.

§ No exhibit is so well done that some improvement may not be made.

8. Judging is done according to quality standards. It is not a matter of personal whim or tastes. The standards area:

§ High, but attainable

§ Appropriate to different age levels.

§ Known by the 4-H members.

9. Projects are evaluated, not members. All completed projects meeting show requirements will receive a Blue, Red or White rating. Projects are evaluated independently, not compared.

Blue.......... meets requirements

Red........... needs improvement

White........ needs much improvement

10. Stress that judging comments can be helpful, but that they are only one person's evaluation.

11. In competition, avoid overemphasis of the winner. Help the child accept the results of the competition and realize that through his/her own accomplishments everyone is a winner.

June

3 – Dog Obedience classes begin, 6:30 p.m., Butler 4-H Park

4 – PQA class, 6:30 p.m., Extension office

9, 10 – Babysitting Workshop, 9:30-3:00 p.m., Extension office

10 – Dog Obedience class, 6:30 p.m., Butler 4-H Park

17 – Poultry Show, 8:30 a.m., Butler 4-H Park

Rabbit Show, 10:30 a.m., Butler 4-H Park

Beef Show, 4:00 p.m., Butler 4-H Park

18 – Sheep Show, 8:00 a.m., Butler 4-H Park

Goat Show, 1:00 p.m., Butler 4-H Park

20 – Swine Show, 8:30 a.m., Butler 4-H Park

24, 25 – Sewing Workshop, 9:30-3:00 p.m., Extension office

26 – 4-H Horse Show, 11:00 a.m., Gillespie Lake Horse Arena

27 – Registration forms for Cats, Dogs, Clothing, Food Demonstrations, Foods and General Show due to the Extension office by 4:00 p.m.

July

4- Fourth of July – Office CLOSED

6-10 – 4-H Memorial Camp, Monticello

16 – Cat & Dog Show, 5:00 & 6:00 p.m.

17 – Food & Clothing Shows, Clothing at 10:00 a.m., Demonstrations at 3:30 p.m., Food Show at 6:00 p.m., check-in 15 minutes prior to each show

19 – General Show, 10:00 a.m., check-in at 9:00 a.m.

24 – GPS Youth Workshop, 9 a.m.-Noon, Extension office

August

11 – Montgomery County Day at the State Fair (All projects being conference judged. 4-H Members are responsible for taking their own project to the fair)

16 – Bicycle Rodeo at the State Fair

18 – RECORDS due to Extension office

Learn about "Global Positioning Systems"

When: Thursday, July 24th

Time: 9:30 a.m. - Noon

Where: Montgomery County Extension office

Cost: $10

For any youth ages 10 and up

Participants will learn how to use a GPS unit, how to mark waypoints, participate in geo-caching (scavenger hunt) and develop a map.

Register by July 21st - Limit of 10 participants

Please wear old clothes and tennis shoes/boots as we will be outside in the grass. NO FLIP FLOPS.