Strike It Rich with 4-H!

Three Teton County 4-H youth were among the 185 people who recently attended the Montana 4-H Rec Lab in Livingston, Montana, March 27-29.         

Delaynie Beadle, Michaela Gunderson and Brigid Miller attended the training accompanied by Extension Agent, Jane Wolery.  The 4-H members learned a variety of recreational games and mixers that can be used when they lead group events.  The first night they were welcomed by Todd Kesner, Interim Director of the Montana 4-H Center, who spoke on opportunities available in 4-H where members can find their bonanza.  Bonanza, the event theme, is a situation which creates sudden increase in wealth, good fortune or profits – like 4-H! 

 

4-H members work to build and program a robot cowboy.

4-H members were able to take a variety of classes and the Teton County delegation participated in Cashing in on Your Personality Style, Laser Maze Bonanza, Making Food Fun, Tall Tales Are Pure Gold, Learn to Zentangle, Fill Your Loop Making Rope Baskets, Quick Draw Cooking, Robot Cowboy, Crochet Headband and more. 

Cowboy robot maze.  Did they build and program correctly?

In addition to games, dances and classes, two excellent keynote speakers shared their messages.  Deidre Combs, from MSU, spoke on positive thinking, dreaming, planning and living well.  She shared many lessons from her own life and research as well as some great opportunities for youth.  James Brown, Montana 4-H Alumnus and current Cargill US Dairy Product Line Manager, spoke about how to strike it rich in your life through persistence, networking and goal-setting.    

Building rope baskets.

Gunderson said that one of the key components she took away from the conference was to be more aware of and open to opportunities.  Beadle relayed that she enjoyed the personality workshop and the benefit of recognizing a variety of strengths among people and using those strengths on team projects.  Miller really enjoyed meeting new people from across the state and was excited to learn how to make rope baskets.  Wolery remarked that statewide 4-H events, such as Rec Lab, offer 4-H members a chance to learn a wide variety of skills, practice their leadership and build their confidence.  

Filling Your Loop!

The Teton County 4-H Fair July 24-28

4-H – A Class Act is the theme of the Teton County Fair that will be held at the Choteau Pavilion and Weatherbeater Arena June 24-28, 2014. The event is filled with activities that showcase the talents of Teton County youth.

The fair starts on Tuesday with a horse show where members demonstrate their showmanship skills, riding and horse knowledge. The horse show is held at the Bouma Arena. On Wednesday, 4-H members from across the county will interview with judges about projects they have made and skills they have learned throughout the 4-H year. Projects over the past years have been amazing, ranging from spectacular photographs to quilts to woodworking, welding, cake decorating and everything in between. Following the judging, the projects will be displayed at the Choteau Pavilion for the public’s viewing enjoyment Thursday through Saturday.

On Thursday, the 4-H and Montana State University Teton County Extension Office will host guest presenters Bob McNamee, or “Baker Bob,” and his lovely wife, Jona McNamee, also an MSU Cascade County Extension Agent.  The two will be on hand Thursday evening teaching a variety of baking skills, including making homemade pasta; demonstrating two bread recipes -- a no-knead sourdough and no-knead brioche,  and to finish the evening, they will be showing how to make a variety of confections include fudge, divinity and brittle.  The demonstration-style classes will start at 5:30 and run consecutively through the evening.  Classes are free and open to the public.  You will be treated to taste-testing, as well as learn tried and true baking tips and tricks.  

New to the fair this year is a silent auction, being organized by the Prairie Stars 4-H Club.   As a tribute to the "great generation" and a memorial for Maxine and Doug Whinnery, a WWII Navy Veteran, the silent auction will be held to raise funds as part of Prairies Stars 4-H club efforts to sponsor local veterans on The Big Sky Honor Flight.  Items to be auctioned include art items by local artists, a professional blind hemmer sewing machine, and a charming collection of gently used Teddy Bears.  Items also include Shirley Sand's painting, Paige Watson Briscoe's custom copper jewelry, Bob and Leslie Burrows' metal sculpture, Andy Watson's pottery, Kirtland Briscoe's leathercraft mini-bag and Brad Ophiem’s woodworking.  Items will be displayed in the Pavilion and the silent auction will run from Thursday through the Chuckwagon Dinner on Saturday evening.

Swine, sheep, goats and small animal (cats, rabbits, dogs and poultry) shows will be held Friday. Friday evening, 4-H members offer a textile show, modeling outfits they have constructed and showcasing quilts they have made. The 4-H program is sponsoring a western dance class with Daniel Bitz on Friday evening.  Daniel has taught dance classes in Teton County two other times.  His classes are fun-filled and will leave you with plenty of new moves on the dance floor. 

Saturday, along with viewing projects at the Pavilion, people can enjoy the beef show at the Weatherbeater. As the fair concludes on Saturday, 4-H members sell their market animal projects at the 4-H Livestock Sale. 4-Hers in the market project learn a variety of aspects of animal husbandry and meat production. Anyone interested in purchasing 4-H-raised meat is invited to the sale and the Chuckwagon Dinner held from 4:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 28, before the sale.

The Teton County 4-H program and the MSU Teton County Extension Office plan the county fair. To obtain more information, view the Web site at www.msuextension.org/teton. The county fair provides a great opportunity to see what a class act the 4-H youth in Teton County are

On the Cutting Edge ...

On the Cutting Edge, a knife skills class, taught by Travis Standley and Jane Wolery, MSU Teton County Extension Agents, teaches participants the basics of knife selection and care, as well as efficient cutting skills for fresh produce. The knife skills class is planned for April 17 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Choteau Baptist Church.  The fee for the class is $5 per person and registration is required.  Class will be limited to 20 participants.  However, Standley and Wolery plan to offer more classes, so if you cannot attend the class on April 17, but are interested in taking the class, please contact the Extension Office to be placed on a waiting list.

During the three hour class, participants will learn about economical knife choices, cutting board care, knife care, sharpening and food safety.  Participants will also practice a variety of cutting techniques that should increase efficiency in food preparation, encourage production of homemade meals, and increase the use of fruits and vegetables. Students will practice the claw hold and tunnel hold.  Participants will learn several cuts to make food more appealing:  dice, cube, mince, julienne, rondelle, concasse and chiffonade.  Participants will learn how food choices relate to overall nutrition and disease prevention.  Skills learned in this class will be used daily in the kitchen when preparing food, and will be valuable for those prepping food for preservation.  The class is taught in such a way as to make the experience fun and rewarding for students!  Contact the MSU Teton County Extension Office to register for the class. 

Resources:

The resources are provided for enrichment, but are not intended to endorse an idea, product, company, etc.

Knife skills

Cutting Board Safety

Cutting Board Fact Sheet

Basic Knife Skills

Chef Tomm -- Great knife skills videos