June 11-12
4-H Leadership Retreat
Twelve teens, four adults and lots of work, but balanced with fun, games, learning and activities -- all to plan a great 4-H camp experience. I may be partial, but I'm always so proud of our 4-H camp counselors for planning the whole camp event, preparing great classes, games, activities, camp fires and ceremonies!
June 25-28
Teton County 4-H Fair -- A Class Act!
We had a great time with 4-H members from throughout Teton County exhibiting 832 projects during the fair. 4-H members are learning amazing skills and leadership. The volunteers are so helpful and make such an important contribution to the lives of the youth, and really to the long-term fabric of our communities. Training youth to seek out additional educational opportunities, to always look for feedback while honing their skills and to contribute to their communities has very long-range impact.
At the fair, we also enjoyed fun, food and frivolity with Baker Bob and Jona McNamee. People of all ages and genders attended the demonstration style classes. The McNamees have a great informal and informative style of teaching. There has been plenty of demand for a repeat.
July 3-6
4-H Exchange Fundraising
This year, I'm involved in the 4-H Interstate Exchange program in a whole new way. I'm a parent of one of the participants. In addition to the ways I'm involved as an Extension agent, I get to be involved on a whole new level as a parent. Besides flipping burgers at the rodeo, I think 4-H Exchange cleaned the rodeo grounds three or four times over the Fourth of July weekend and the Choteau Pavilion a few times. While these are paid endeavors for the 4-H members, it also is a service to the community to keep the events rolling throughout the weekend. Plus, I heard several of the young 4-H members comment that it has made them more aware of putting their trash in the garbage, picking up after themselves and being respectful of the common areas and property. Some good educational perks for fundraising!
July 8-11
Montana 4-H Congress
Each summer, I travel with the Teton County delegation to Montana 4-H Congress. This year we had nine youth attend who were involved with projects and competitions from foods and nutrition to livestock evaluation. The 4-H members performed well and enjoyed attending other classes at 4-H Congress, as well as doing a service project while there.
July 14-17
Teton County 4-H Camp
Sixty-two youth and ten adults from Teton County enjoyed several days and nights at Camp Rotary near Monarch for the annual Teton County 4-H Camp. Camp had a medieval theme with many lords, ladies, knights and dragons arriving in the Clover Kingdom.
Workshops during the camp included making magical
medieval lanterns, stamping leather wrist bands, creating stained-glass
cookies, making sidewalk chalk, writing notes on parchment, constructing
catapults, shooting dragons in archery, braiding bracelets, using discs for a
seven-strand braid, decorating candles, making tic-tac-toe boards, learning
campfire songs, jousting with foam noodle swords and more!
The 4-H camp program strives to develop leadership and
communication skills, especially through the teen counselor education and
preparation for camp. The 4-H camp
program also strengthens a sense of belonging in youth who attend, strengthens
independence, develops generosity and allows youth to learn new skills. 4-H members attending camp develop a sense of
accomplishment. Many of the 4-H members
look forward to camp every year and enjoy the opportunity to make new
friends.
July 28-August 4
Teton County Montana 4-H Interstate Exchange with Cannon County Tennessee
4-H Exchange was a week of sharing our great state with 4-H members, volunteer leaders and extension agents from Tennessee. Our family hosted one of the 4-H members and I enjoyed reconnecting with Michael Shirley, 4-H Agent from Tennessee. He and I had met at a national 4-H conference two years ago. The 4-H members enjoyed hikes to Hidden Lake, camping in Glacier, whitewater rafting, camp fires, state fair, rodeos and learning about each others' states. It was an exciting time. The 4-H members in the Exchange program are looking forward to southern hospitality when they travel to reconnect with their new friends next summer.
August 4-8
MSU 4-H Bioscience
Eight 4-H members, two coaches and I got to spend a week on the MSU Bozeman campus with the BioScience program. I cannot say enough about this program and yet in one word I can describe it -- AMAZING! It was great to learn lessons in infectious disease, metabolomics, and neuroscience. It was awesome to see youth light up about science. It was fabulous to see 4-H members get around campus to a number of different buildings and classrooms. It was fundamentally valuable for building confidence. My sincere appreciation to everyone who made this opportunity possible for 4-H youth! 
So, there are my excuses for being absent from this blog! I hope you think they were worthwhile. Throw in helping my own kids get fair projects ready and six summer weekends at swim meets with my family and you have a pretty full summer. But I always say, "I'd rather have a full life than an empty one!"