The Leaders Banquet was held on September 4, 2008. I hope all of the leaders who attended enjoyed the evening. I would like to take this time to thank all of the leaders in Perry County for the outstanding job that they do.

The second annual Blast-Off Picnic was attended by 110 people. We registered over 65 kids, including many new members. We started two new clubs in Perry County at this event. I would like to thank all of the people who made this possible: Larry Jones of Wilson Livestock, Wenneman's Meat Market, Perry County Market Place, Casey's General Store, Farm Credit Service, McDonald's of Pinckneyville. 4-H members -- if you are in any of these businesses you might want to tell them Thank You for supporting 4-H. If you missed the Blast-Off Picnic your new year folder and registration papers for the New Year are at the Extension Office. Call Rhonda if you have any questions.

National 4-H Week is October 5-11. This years theme is Go Green. I encourage you to do a poster, and I would also like to see more clubs do table and window displays. These are excellent ways to promote 4-H throughout our community.

Come and learn how to build a rocket. This workshop will take place on October 13th. The workshop will be held at the Presbyterian Church in Pinckneyville. We will begin at 10:00 am and finish at 12:00 pm. There will be a $10.00 fee. And will be limited to the first 20 who sign up.

Achievement Night will be held at St. Paul United Church of Christ in Pinckneyville on October 14. Supper will be 6:30 p.m. This is an evening to recognize members' hard work throughout the 4-H year. I hope to see as many members there as possible.

The Perry County Fall Festival will be held once again with the annual Fall Thresherman Show on October 18. We will begin at 2:00 p.m. Please park behind the Fairgrounds close to the Thresherman's Building. Supper will be at 5:00 p.m., at the home of Larry & Clydine Hardin. The event ends at 5:30.

With the new year here, I would like to remind members that becoming a Federation Delegate in your club is a huge responsibility. It can also be very rewarding. Federation Delegates please make sure that you can attend most of the meetings. The first meeting of the year will be on October 16th at the Extension Office beginning at 7:00 p.m.

We will once again share a booth with the Perry County HCE units. The morning begins at 8:00 a.m. and we will stay until 2:00 p.m. Anyone wishing to help, please contact the office.

There will be a sewing workshop in the month of November. We are going to make a quilt, and work on items that can be shown at the County and State shows. We do not have confirmed dates and times yet, but if you are interested in doing this, please call the office and sign up. We will contact you with confirmed dates and times.