The Town ‘N Kountry Kids Blue Group met on March 7 at 5 p.m. at the Letcher Community Center.      

As members signed in for roll call, they were asked to make a guess on the amount of candy in a fireman’s helmet.  

Cindy VanLaecken, from the Letcher Fire Department and first responder, was a guest speaker and provided basic first aid tips and reviewed stop, drop and roll. 

The meeting was called to order by President Brady Larson. Twenty-five youth were in attendance. The pledges were led by Brooklyn Larson and Cannon Zoss. The secretary’s report was read by Hudson Fouberg. No changes or corrections were made.

Payton Uecker gave the treasurer’s report. Outstanding bills to pay were reviewed.  Teagan Moody made a motion, with a second by Dean Hansen, to pay those outstanding bills and to approve the treasurer’s report. Health officer, Bryce Larson, read a book “Staying Safe on the Farm with Jackson” that was donated to the 4-H club. The real life story behind the book was reviewed with everyone. No safety officer report was available.

Committee reports: The Valentine’s Day cards that club members made at the meeting were distributed by Brooklyn and Janet. Residents were very happy to see them and very appreciative. 

Old Business:

Fruit Sale packets were due to the office on March 3. The delivery date is March 28. Members were asked to make plans to assist with unloading. The club had several top sellers; Dean and Ashley Hansen, Parker and Wyatt Ettswold, and Teagan and Memphis Moody were in the top six families that sold fruit.   

The 2019 Teen Leadership Conference State 4-H Ambassadors came up with the project Jeans for Teens. The club will be collecting jeans for this project through spring and summer. Please drop off your donated items at the office or bring them to a meeting.        

Ramsey Fouberg read a summary report on the “work day” for members that was offered on March 17. 

YQCA training is required for all 4-Hers showing any animals.    

New Business:

Members were reminded to send a text to Audra, Sherryl, or any of the leaders when they have completed a 4-H project. Their names will be entered into a movie ticket drawing for completed projects.  

A shooting sports update was given by Cole Wilson. A lot of 4-Hers are qualifying for the state shoot.

Upcoming dates to take note of: 

•May 21 – Farmers Union camp in Forestburg; 

•May 22 – Babysitting workshop in Forestburg;

•May 26 – YQCA training in Forestburg;

•May 28 – Market animal weigh-in at Forestburg;

•The design for the Achievement Day T-shirt will be changed. The deadline is March 31;

•The 4-H Rodeo paperwork deadline is May 1;

•A reminder was given for parents to read all updates that are sent out.

•Some changes were made in the fair book this year that include Showmanship, Meat goat, Swine, Livestock judging, Poultry & Rabbit, CDM Skill-a-thon, Public presentations and Companion animals.

•April 4 will be another project information meeting opportunity for members. No meeting will be held. Talks and Demonstrations are welcome. More info to come.

Shay Bechen gave a demonstration on “Poster for Visual Arts,” Brooklyn Larson gave a demonstration on “The Incredible Edible Egg” and Bryce Larson gave a demonstration on “Trapping.”

The meeting was adjourned.

  Youth enjoyed a meal provided by the Plamp, Adams, and Bechen families. 

The next meeting will be April 4.

Hostesses were the Shawn Moody family, Ed Hoffman family and Denny Fouberg family.

Talks were given by Memphis, Oaklyn, Weston, Kaylee, Riley and Brady.

…See photos in this week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal!

The Town ‘N Kountry Kids Blue Group met on Feb. 1 at 5 p.m. at the Letcher Community Center.      

Prior to the meeting the members were able to work on making Valentine’s Day Cards as a community service project. Youth enjoyed a snack provided by the Ettswold, Evans, and White families. 

The meeting was called to order by President Brady Larson. Twenty-four youth were in attendance. The pledges were led by Parker Ettswold and Hudson Fouberg.

The secretary’s report was read by Hudson.  

Payton Uecker gave the treasurer’s report. Teagan Moody made a move to approve the treasurer’s report, Parker seconded the motion.  

Safety and Health officers were absent from the meeting; no reports available.  

The group welcomed four new club members:  Vada and Beau Enfield and Kadyn and Averie Turner.

Committee reports: 

The Valentine’s Day cards that club members made at the meeting will be distributed Feb. 14. Club members should contact Janet if they are able to assist. They may be limited in visiting depending on the illness report at the local nursing home.  

Central Electric Supper that was served by the Leaders was reported on by Brooklyn Larson and Memphis Moody. Approximately 75 attended the meeting.

Old Business:

YQCA training is required for all 4-Hers showing any animals. Upcoming training dates were reviewed. See the Dec. 26, 2019, email from the office for more details.

Several members reported on the opportunity of Capitol for the Day, Jan. 15. All reported that they enjoyed the trip, meeting new people, and learning about the legislative process. 

Teen Leadership program – Steve Zoss reported that 19 kids applied and seven are from Sanborn County. The kick-off meeting is in February. This program is for youth in the seventh through 12th grades. Youth from Sanborn, Jerald/Buffalo, Aurora, Davison and Beadle counties are able to participate.  

New Business:

Fruit Sale packets were given to each family.  Deadline for return to the 4-H Office is March 3. The delivery date is March 28. The club goal is for each family to sell at least 10 boxes of fruit.  A brief discussion was held on ways the money raised could possibly be used within Sanborn County.  

Members were reminded to send a text to Audra, Cheryl, or any of the leaders when they have completed a 4-H project.  Their names will be entered into a drawing for movie tickets for completed projects.  

There may be an upcoming “work day” for members. This would be an opportunity to work on getting demonstrations and talks completed.  The club may also do the muffin judging at this time.  There will be more to come on this. 

Teens for Jeans – 2019 Teen Leadership Conference State 4-H Ambassadors came up with this project. Our club will be collecting jeans for this project.  Members are asked to bring a pair of gently used or new jeans to the March meeting for donation, any size.    

A few 4-H t-shirts were available at the meeting for members needing a different size. If someone is needing Club t-shirts, let Janet know, so they can be ordered.  

Teagan gave a demonstration on “How to make a Homemade dry erase board;” Parker demonstrated “How to make Microwave Kettle Corn;” Ramsey showed “How to make a Clipboard for your Locker;” Hudson gave a demonstration on “How to make Cornflake Bars.”

The meeting was adjourned.

The next meeting will be March 7, 5 p.m., at the Letcher Community Center.

Hostesses were Adams, Bechens and Plamp.

Talks were given by Brooklyn Larson, Sophie Kelly and Kenzie Uecker.

…See pictures of the meeting in this week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal!

On Jan. 15, 4-H members and volunteers, totaling a delegation of forty-six, took part in the first ever “4-H Day at the Capitol.” Youth ranged in age from nine to sixteen years old. “It was really cool that so many of us could be there from our area,” said Caden Faulhaber, Aurora County 4-H member. Upon arrival 4-H members attended a legislative round table discussion with Representative Spencer Gosch of Glenham, Senator Josh Klumb of Mt. Vernon, Representative Jess Olson of Rapid City, and Representative Mary Duvall of Pierre. Youth were able to ask questions and engage their government leaders. Some of the topics discussed included funding in education, future of hemp, and issues in agriculture. Representative Gosch circled back in closing comments to remind our 4-H youth to push themselves and step out of their comfort zones each year and learn about something new. “I learned a lot more about how our three branches of government work and I really liked the round table session,” stated 4-H member Harlee Heim of Jerauld-Buffalo Counties. “It was nice to put a face with the name of who our representatives and senators are. They made the point that they are interested in hearing from the youth too when it comes to policy and laws,” remarked Carissa Scheel, also a 4-H member from Jerauld-Buffalo Counties.

The capitol scavenger hunt was a hit and challenged youth to explore the capitol building. Jenae Hansen, 4-H Volunteer Development Field Specialist, led the tour of the State Capitol. The tour had the group finding out more about the goddesses painted on the ceiling of the rotunda. Another fun fact that the 4-Hers learned was that the building floor plans for the Capitol were purchased from Montana for $15.

Of the delegation who traveled to Pierre, twenty area youth are participating in Teen Leadership Academy, a new program in Jerauld-Buffalo, Aurora, Sanborn and Davison Counties. These youth will meet once a month through May to develop their leadership skills, learn more about potential careers and engage in project areas and service projects to help them meet their goals. Teen Leadership Academy is funded in part by grants from the SD 4-H Leaders Association and Agtegra/Land O’Lakes Foundation.

If you are interested in 4-H programs, please contact Audra Scheel, SDSU 4-H Youth Program Advisor for Jerauld-Buffalo, Aurora, and Sanborn Counties, at audra.scheel@sdstate.edu or the Jerauld County Extension office at 605-539-9471.

…See a photo in this week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal.