The 4-H Fair Evaluation will be held August 6^th from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Farm Bureau Building Auditorium. Joys and concerns from the 2009 fair may be shared at this time. Additionally, the 2010 department and overall superintendents and assistants will be elected. New committee members and guests will be welcome! This committee meets 3 times per year.

Animal Department set-up is scheduled for Monday evening, July 27^th. 4-Hers interested in assisting with set-up of a particular area should contact the appropriate superintendent to confirm when the committee plans to be at the fairgrounds. 4-H Fair committees are NOT required to set-up the evening of July 27^th, though many will.

National 4-H Week, October 4-10, is a great time to recruit new members and invite current members to re-enroll in your 4-H club.

We are having a 4-H window display contest during National 4-H Week to promote 4-H. Leaders have received details and rules for this years contest! The theme this year is "The Great 4-H Adventure."

The next 4-H leader's meeting will be held at the Farm Bureau Building on Tuesday, August 25^th, from 6 to 9 p.m. The meeting will include a potluck, guest presentations, and distribution of fall start-up materials. Pre-registration will be required by August 21^st. Call the Extension office to register.

4-H leaders are also encouraged to attend the 2009 North Central Region Volunteer Forum, which is set for October 1-4 in Lincoln, NE and is following the theme, "Giving Them Our Best." Early bird registration is from June 1^st – August 15^th. Visit the conference website for details and to get sign-up materials, or ask our office to provide you with a copy. Scholarship money from the Ogle County 4-H Foundation is available. The conference website is: http://4h.unl.edu/volunteers/forum.htm.

The Illinois 4-H Livestock Judging Contest will take place at the NEW University of Illinois Beef Barns, in Urbana on Tuesday, June 16, 2009.

A practice will be held before judging. Information will be available in the next week or two. Current livestock judging members will receive more information about this practice when it is available. If you are interested in judging on June 16^th, please call the Extension Office and we will share practice information with you when it is available.

4-H Families and friends are invited to play at this year's 4-H Softball Tournament that will be held on July 11^th beginning at 9 a.m. at Oregon Park West. Teams will only play 2 games and participation prizes will be awarded to each club! Please talk with your leader about getting your club registered to play.

4-H Wilderness Day is set for June 16th at Lowden Memorial State Park in Oregon, IL. Children, ages 5-12, are invited to participate in this interactive day camp event. Cost is $6 per child.

Wilderness Day '09 will follow the theme "Exploring Our National Parks." Participants will rotate in small groups to each of seven stations at which they will "travel" to some our nation's greatest treasurers for an up-close look at the geographical features and critters that make them so special. Workshops will be linked to cooking, arts and crafts, recreation, science, and history. All will be taught by 4-H volunteers.

Pre-registration is required by noon, June 11th. Completed registration forms can be mailed, faxed, or delivered to the Ogle County Extension office, 421 West Pines Road, Suite 10, Oregon, IL, 815-732-4007. To obtain a registration form, contact Extension at 815/732-2191, or visit the website at www.extension.uiuc.edu/ogle. In the event of inclement weather June 16th, Wilderness Day will take place on June 19th.