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Sioux County 4-H Newsletter
November 2023
Calendar of Events
Nov. 9 - 4-H Council Meeting at 6 pm
Nov. 10 - OFFICE CLOSED - Observed Veteran's Day
Nov. 17 - Progressive Ag Safety Day 2 to 4 pm
Nov. 23 -24 - OFFICE CLOSED - Thanksgiving
Nov. 30 - Entrepreneurship After School group
Sioux County Office Hours
Office hours will tend to be Tuesdays-Thursdays 1 to 4 pm unless otherwise stated in the newsletter. Remind messages along with Facebook posts will be sent if the office is closed on a regularly scheduled day. If you have questions or need items please feel free to call Melissa at (402) 322-0655 or email at mmracek2@unl.edu.
Sioux County Fun Feed
The Sioux County Fun Feed was held on Sunday, October 22nd at the Harrison Fire Hall.
Fair Champions were:
Clothing - Chisum Pelster
Junior Foods - Chisum Pelster
Senior Foods - Baxter Reece
Fashion Show - Ruger Pelster
Plants - Abby Anderson
Dog - Abby Anderson
Visual Arts - Jaime Turbiville
Home Environment - Rebecca Reece
Cat - Torri Neal
Science, Engineering, Technology - Ty Chinn
All Around Horse Winners:
- Junior - Gracyn Schaefer
- Intermediate - Boone Button
- Senior - Jaime Turbiville
Top Livestock Exhibitors:
- Sheep - Jaime Turbiville
- Poultry - Natalie Turbiville
- Beef - Boone Button
Achievement Application Pins
- Tilton Button - Beef and Horse
- Boone Button - Visual Arts
- Chisum Pelster - Clothing and Food and Nutrition, Shooting Sports
- Ruger Pelster - Clothing, Home Environment, and Shooting Sports
Outstanding 4-H Member - Ruger Pelster
Clover Kid Applications:
- Shiloh Button
- Linnea Pelster
- Canton Pelster
- Aquamarine - Ruger Pelster
- Ruby - Tilton Button and Chisum Pelster
- Sapphire - Boone Button
Diamond Bud Winners:
- Linnea Pelster
- Canton Pelster
Volunteer Years of Service:
- 2 years - Garrette Naillon and Gerald Foerderer
- 5 years - Carmen Pelster
- 15 years - Katie Reece
- 30 years - Deb Mack
Heart of 4-H: Amanda Anderson
This summer Amanda went out of her way to help all throughout the fair handing out ribbons, displaying school art, and so much more!
4-H Alumni: Jenny Nixon
Over the years Jenny has ensured that the Sioux County 4-H Program thrived. Even into retirement this summer, she still came and volunteered hours at the County Fair.
Outstanding Business: Village Barn
They have gone out of their way the last two years to support Sioux County 4-H by hosting amazing leather workshops.
4-H Online Enrollment for 2023-2024 is Now Open
The 4-H Online website is now open for enrollment. The deadline to participate in the Sioux County Fair is June 15th. Members who are participating in Shooting Sports need to enroll prior to starting practices. All 4-H'ers must complete this annually to become an active 4-H member!
**Helpful tips:
- The grade you select is the grade the youth is in for the 2023-2024 school year.
- If your child has turned 8 BEFORE January 1, 2024, they will no longer be a Clover Kid.
New for this year:
Starting in the 2023-2024 program year, project selection is now optional. By successfully completing the 4-H member enrollment by the June 15th deadline, youth will be eligible to participate and exhibit in any project area, contest, county and state fairs. While project section is optional, it is encourage for youth to select the projects they are interested in exploring.
- Youth can only participate in one project area or contest in a single county
- Horse and Shooting Sports members are still required to select these project areas due to the parental consent required to participate in these projects.
Progressive Ag Safety Day
Agriculture is one of the leading causes of death in America. Progressive Ag Safety has partnered with Sioux County 4-H to host an Ag Safety Day on November 17th at the Harrison Bible Church from 2 to 4 pm. This event is free and all participants will receive a goody bag, t-shirt, and snack. Topics being covered are Home Alone Safety, ATV Safety, Fire Safety, First Aid, Roadway Safety, and PTO Safety. Please register by November 10th by contacting the office at (308) 668-2428 or emailing Melissa at mmracek2@unl.edu.
Maker Day
Join us as we mix, "make", and explore at our 2nd annual Maker Day! We are offering a December 4-H Maker Day for ALL youth ages 5-18 on Wednesday, December 20th from 2:00 - 4:30 pm at the Harrison Security 1st Bank Basement. There will be activities for ages 5-7 years, ages 8 & up, and all ages (5-18). Youth are ONLY allowed to sign up for FOUR Projects. You can see the project options below or download the flyer. Costs of each project vary.
Registration deadline is December 1st. You need to turn in the second page of the flyer to register- 1 form per youth please! Youth have to pick projects ahead of time. They can't decide the day of. Checks can be made out to "UNL Extension"
Need Volunteers for Maker Day
We would love to have volunteers help lead the Maker Day Stations. All the stations will be happening at one time. If you would like to volunteer at the December Maker Day, please contact Melissa by November 20th.
Entrepreneurship Group
Do you like to design and make your own things? Ever think about trying to sell them to others? Melissa is organizing an afterschool group that will learn how to use the Maker Space equipment (3D printer, Cricut machine, and more) while also developing their own business. The group will start meeting on November 30th afterschool until 5 pm. Please contact Melissa if you are interested in participating.
Shooting Sports Practice To Start Soon
The Sioux County Shooters will be starting practice soon. Youth who are ages 8 and above that are interested in participating in BB Gun, Air Rifle, or Pistol please contact Randy Ellis, Laura Button, or Montana Button.
Fed Steer Challenge Applications
Applications are open and due December 1, 2023 for the 2024 program year. For more information
regarding the Fed Steer Challenge, or to apply to participate in 2024, visit https://4h.unl.edu/fed-steer-challenge
Join us for a virtual learning session about the Nebraska 4-H Fed Steer Challenge
Wednesday November 8th at 8:00 p.m. CT/7:00 p.m. MT
Via Zoom: https://unl.zoom.us/j/94751323224
*This meeting will be recorded and posted on the UNL 4-H website.
Animals inside & Out Field Day
On Tuesday, October 10, we hosted our Animals Inside & Out program at the Dawes County Fairgrounds in Chadron! 4th Grade Students from around the area, including Sioux County, were able to learn about animals- what they eat, produce and how their bodies work.
Nebraska Extension Sioux County Office
Email: mmracek2@unl.edu
Website: go.unl.edu/siouxcofair
Location: PO Box 277 Harrison, NE 69346
Phone: (308) 668-2428
Facebook: facebook.com/UNLSiouxCounty