By Laura Allen
N.C. Cooperative Extension

Summer has been a busy time for Rowan County 4-H. In earlier articles, 4-H’ers have been recognized for their achievements and participation in district level presentations and talent and the state 4-H poultry judging contest. Now, it’s time to recognize 4-H youths for additional achievements during the summer months.

On June 14-16, four Rowan County 4-H’ers attended NC 4-H Citizenship Focus, held in Cary. During this conference, 4-H’ers learned about government, how a bill is made and how to be a good citizen. 4-H’ers also visited the General Assembly. Rowan County 4-H’ers were able to meet with Rep. Harry Warren, Rep. Julia Howard and Senator Carl Ford to discuss 4-H, government and our community. Rowan County 4-H’ers attending this event included Emily Barlow, Nathan Croyle, German Jaramillo and Samantha Simon.

On June 26-July 1, 17 youths ages 8-14 attended 4-H Camp at Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Educational Center. For many of these youths, it was their first time away from home for an overnight trip without their family. They learned how to be independent, overcome fear, challenge themselves and grow during this week-long camp. Camp activities included archery, horseback riding, rock wall climbing, hiking, ropes courses, swimming, canoeing, yoga, kickball, campfires, a talent show and more. If you are interested in your child attending 4-H Camp in 2023, contact laura_allen@ncsu.edu.

On July 8, Rowan County 4-H’ers competed in the NC 4-H Horse Artistic Expression competition. Those participating included:

Cloverbud Division:

• Sarah Tucker: Painting

Junior Division:

• Kate Gibbons: Painting

• Bonnie Goossens: Drawing, Painting

• John Tucker: Drawing (6th), Painting (7th), Photography

Senior Division:

• Kailey Newcome: Painting (7th)

4-H’ers also participated in the state 4-H Horse Show in Raleigh on July 6-10. 4-H’ers Jaysa Causby and Charlene Holt competed in various riding competitions with their horses.

On July 12-14, 4-H’er Nathan Croyle attended the 75th annual 4-H Electric Congress held at UNC Charlotte. Since 1947, Duke Energy and Dominion Energy have sponsored the annual congress to emphasize electrical energy concepts, energy conservation and safety working with electricity. Electric Congress is held for county winning 4-H’ers who participate in the electric program. During Electric Congress, Croyle participated in a community service project and toured the Duke Energy Emerging Technology Center and the Lincoln Combustion Turbine Station. He also participated in other educational and social activities.

For more information on the 4-H Electric Program, go to nc4h.ces.ncsu.edu/electric/.

On July 16, State 4-H Presentation Finals occurred on the campus of N.C. State University, where district qualifiers competed in state level 4-H presentations. Rowan County was well represented as 4-H’ers competed against youths from all across North Carolina.

Gold winners, first place in the state:

• John Tucker, 8, competed in the agricultural safety and health category. His title was “Safety First.”

• Guy Deal, 10, competed in environmental science. His presentation was entitled “The Soil Investigation Service.”

• Carson Halpin, 12, competed in pork char-grill, an outdoor cookery competition where he was judged on his grilling abilities and food safety.

• Nathan Croyle, 14, competed in the arts and communication category with his presentation on coin collecting entitled “Coins Worth Keeping.”

Silver winners, second place in the state:

• Mason Gabosch, 14, competed in the small and companion animal category, presenting on the topic of “Puppy Parenting.”

• Olivia Stirrup, 15, competed in the family and consumer sciences category, with the topic of “Stain Removal.”

Participation:

• David Croyle, 12, competed in the poultry category with his speech called “Crazy Quackers — Life with Backyard Ducks.”

• German Jaramillo, 16, competed in the fisheries and aquatics category with his presentation “A Look into the Life of Otters.”

NC 4-H Congress was also held on the campus of N.C. State University on July 16-19. This annual event focuses on leadership, citizenship, personal development, award recognition and the election process for the State 4-H Council officers. 4-H’ers from across North Carolina attended this event. Those representing Rowan County 4-H as delegates at 4-H Congress included: Nathan Croyle, Jaysa Causby, Skye Fernandez, Mason Gabosch, German Jaramillo, Christian Stebe and Olivia Stirrup. These youths participated in many workshops, listened to motivational speakers, participated in the democratic process, explored N.C. State University, and met new 4-H friends from across North Carolina. These 4-H’ers also participated in the 4-H Candlelighting Ceremony (a 4-H tradition), where Croyle was installed as a 2022-23 South Central 4-H district officer. On the final day, 4-H’ers made care packages and wrote thank you notes for active duty military personnel.

On July 17-22, two 4-H’ers participated in Fur, Fish & Game Rendezvous at Millstone 4-H Camp. This camping week was focused on hunting, fishing, and being outdoors. Participants included Lucas Parker and Jacob Parker.

We’ve also had 4-H Summer Fun programming happening throughout the summer at our county office. Workshops for youths have focused on robotics, electric projects, sewing, gardening, beekeeping, healthy living, agriculture and more. We have a few more Summer Fun camps next week to round out a busy 4-H summer.

As our summer programming will soon be coming to an end, please remember that the 4-H year continues. If your children are not already involved in 4-H, this is a great time to get started! We currently have five 4-H clubs in the county. These clubs meet once a month to conduct a business meeting and provide additional learning opportunities on various topics for youths ages 5-18 (as of Jan 1). There are other 4-H opportunities available as well.

For more information on 4-H, contact Laura Allen at 704-216-8970 or laura_allen@ncsu.edu. You can also go to rowan.ces.ncsu.edu/, the Rowan County 4-H Program Facebook page, or come by the Rowan County Cooperative Extension office at 2727-A Old Concord Road in Salisbury. 4-H is the youth development component of N.C. Cooperative Extension.