Wow, October was a busy 4-H month! Busy but fun!!! I have enjoyed seeing pictures and hearing stories from all of the wonderful things clubs have done this month for promotion and community service. I also enjoyed seeing everyone at the County Achievement Celebration. Although, November seems to slow down a bit for 4-H activities, stay active in your project work! The more that is finished early, maybe the less crazy the summer months will be.

Kingman County Fair

Purple Ribbon Food Auction and Livestock Auction Checks

These checks are ready to be picked up in the office. Please remember that thank you cards need to be sent and all invoices need to be paid before checks can be picked up. Fair Association checks are only good for 90 days from the date the check was written. All the checks that are ready for pickup will become void after November 19, 2024. There will not be any checks reissued due to not cashing within the allowed time frame. 

Fair Ribbon Money checks are also ready to be picked up in the office!

New 4-H Year Information

Enrollment

I believe all the glitches have been fixed and the enrollment system is ready to go!! Please use this link to complete enrollment. https://v2.4honline.com/#/user/sign-in

Projects

If you want to try a new project this year, check out the 4-H Project Selection Guide to decide what you will enroll in this year. This can be found here: https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/download/4-h-project-selection-guide_4H1065

Upcoming Activities

4-H Week Coloring Contest

Thank you to those who entered the 4-H Week Coloring Contest. Winners include: Blaine Francis, Madison Francis, and Natalie Francis. 

Day Off Discovery Program

When school is out, come into the Office and Discover with us! This is a new program this year. I have looked at the school calendars and will be setting program dates on days off. It will take a while to catch all of the schools due to the office and my schedule, but I am going to try my hardest to hold one of these programs for everyone. The next Day Off Discovery program will be held on November 1 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. Participants do not have to be in 4-H to attend and there is not a registration fee. This will be a come-and-go format so if you can just stay for a bit, that is OK! At this session, we will have fun discovering candy science. This session should be less messy then the last one!! You can see the flyer for more details here. 

Ambassador Happenings

The Ambassadors will once again be hosting a Chili Feed and Bingo night this year. More information about this event will be coming out soon!

4-H Council Meeting

The next 4-H Council Meeting will be on January 15 at 7:00 pm at the Extension Office. 

Watch your email and our Facebook for information about upcoming programs!

Project Engagement Information

This year I would like to encourage members and their families to be active and engaged with 4-H project work all year! Watch this area for information you can use on your own time to grow project knowledge and special Countywide events for different projects!

Photography Showcase Project

This year I would like to encourage members to take pictures all year long! In each newsletter, I will give members a photo prompt and you can take pictures and send me your best 2 by the 20^th of each month. You can email me the file at mthimesch@ksu.edu or text me the files at 620-243-3766. I will apply a watermark to your image and then post a showcase each month on our Facebook page. I will also showcase photos on our digital frame here in the office. If a member isn’t in photography but would like to give it a try, this would be a great opportunity for that! 

November’s Photo Prompt is “What I am Thankful For.”

Building Block Engineering Project Meeting

Join us on Wednesday, November 13 for a County Wide Building Block Engineering project meeting. The project meeting will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 in the Extension Office. Legos will be provided, but come ready to talk about a favorite building technique. If you can attend, please bring your family calendar so we can set the next few meetings. If this time and date do not work for you but you are interested in attending, please let Melissa know dates and times that work for you. 

Free 4-H Curriculum Resources

There are some very good free 4-H curriculum online. If you go to 4-h.org/clover, you will find an online program called Clover. This is a place to find all kinds of activities. Families will need to set up an account and add learners. Then you can search for different activities on many different topics. There are materials lists provided and different ways to complete the activities including interactive experiences, seeing a basic webpage, or downloading a PDF will complete instructions. Setting up a Clover account is free and easy to do!

As a family, try to set a day this month when you can try one of these fun activities.

Club Corner

Whispering Willow 4-H Club Busy in October

The Whispering Willow 4-H Club started the new 4-H year with our monthly meeting on October 7^th at Livingston Community Building. We planned upcoming activities for the new year, including club fun day having a field trip around Kingman. We discussed our annual Haunted Forest to be held on October 25 and 26, and November 1 and 2. We welcomed two new members into our club, Chase Dodge and Makenna Piester. 

4-H Spirit Day was celebrated on October 9^th with members handing out promotional items and wearing 4-H t-shirts at St. Pats school. 

On October 4^th the Club members cleaned up after the Homecoming football game making the field look great!

On October 13^th club members celebrated 4-H Sunday together at St. Patrick Catholic Church. We all enjoyed a yummy breakfast of muffins and cinnamon rolls following Mass. 

A special Thank You to Floyd’s Auction and Real Estate for letting us use your window for our 4-H Week Display. 

Sam Thimesch

Club Reporter

This year I would like to share club highlights each month in the 4-H newsletter. If club reporters would like to email me a short paragraph about what your club is doing each month, I will include that here! Please email that to me at mthimesch@ksu.edu by the 20^th of each month. 

Record Book Round Up!

Permanent Record Section 2  

This is where members will list project work completed, communications, presentations, and judging events. I like to see this section broken up with each different project. For example:

If something doesn’t really fit with a project, that information can be listed after all project work is listed.

Changes to the Record Books for 2024-25

To better align with regional record book screening, there will be a few slight changes made to the record books for the new 4-H year. The traditional book option will remain the same. Members will still need to submit a personal page, 4-H story, pictures, and permanent records. The story here will be what is looked at for the “Best 4-H Story” Award in each age group.

The change will be with the Project Report Forms. A separate 4-H story will not be required. Instead, members will write a detailed project reflection in Section 8. This needs to include information about the following:

What did you accomplish related to this project?

How did you overcome challenges?

What did you learn/how did you grow in skills and knowledge related to this project area?

How do these skills apply to other areas of your life?

What are your future goals related to this project and your educational/career aspirations?

Please see the Record Book Help Sheet for more information.

State Events

Registration now open for the K-State Junior Producer Days!

Since 2025 is an odd year, we will host Junior Swine Producer Day and Junior Meat Goat Producer Day (beef and sheep are in even years). Registration is now open and we look forward to seeing everyone in Manhattan in March!! All attendees must register, which includes all youth, parents, and adults. You must register by the deadline to receive a t-shirt. Information to register online is included below.

What are the junior producer days?

The junior producer day events are one-day family educational programs to learn about the selection and management of swine and/or meat goat youth livestock projects, as well as a variety of aspects related to the animal science industry. Each day is dedicated to one specie. These events are open to all ages and skill levels including youth, parents, extension agents, ag teachers, project leaders, and other volunteers. The tentative program and topics for each day are included on the flyers. This is a family event! Parents and youth are invited to come learn together!

Where will these events be hosted?

The 2025 K-State Junior Producer Days will be hosted at the Stanley Stout Center, which is in Manhattan, north of campus, near the KSU Sheep & Meat Goat Center and KSU Purebred Beef Unit. A map and more specific directions will be provided to families who register the week leading up to the event.

NEW THIS YEAR – LIMITED REGISTRATION!

Registration for each junior producer day will be capped at 400 participants this year. Register early to reserve your spot! Space will be filled on a first come, first serve basis through the online registration process.    

K-State Junior Swine Producer Day

Date – Saturday, March 1, 2025

Registration Deadline – February 5

Cost - $20/person by February 5

*Only those who register by February 5 will receive a t-shirt.

**Both youth and adults attending (including parents) need to register.

***No refunds.

****Participation is limited to the first 400 registrants.

*****Late registration fee after February 5 is $25/person and these participants will not receive a t-shirt.

Online Registration - https://commerce.cashnet.com/KSUASIND

K-State Junior Meat Goat Producer Day

Date – Saturday, March 22, 2025

Registration Deadline – February 26

Cost - $20/person by February 26

*Only those who register by February 26 will receive a t-shirt.

**Both youth and adults attending (including parents) need to register.

***No refunds.

****Participation is limited to the first 400 registrants.

*****Late registration fee after February 26 is $25/person and these participants will not receive a t-shirt.

Online Registration - https://commerce.cashnet.com/KSUASIND

Follow us on Facebook

If you would like to stay up to date with what is happening at K-State Research and Extension – Kingman County and the Kingman County 4-H Program, follow us on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/kingmancountyextension Currently we have 970 followers, help us reach 1000!

Dates to remember

Nov. 1 Roll Pickup, Club Financial Reports Due to Office, Day Off Discovery Program 2-4

Nov. 5 Popcorn Pickup

Nov. 11 Extension Office Closed for Veterans Day

Nov. 12 Extension Council Annual Meeting

Nov. 13 Building Block Engineering County Project Meeting

Nov. 28 & 29 Extension Office Closed Happy Thanksgiving!

If you have questions regarding the information in this newsletter, please contact me at:

Kingman County K-State Research and Extension Office

Melissa Thimesch

125 N Spruce

Kingman, KS 67068

620-532-5131

mthimesch@ksu.edu

K-State Research and Extension is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services, and activities. Program information may be available in languages other than English. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities, including alternative means for communication (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, and American Sign Language) may be requested by contacting the event contact Melissa Thimesch two weeks prior to the start of the event at 620-532-5131 or mthimesch@ksu.edu. Requests received after this date will be honored when it is feasible to do so. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information will be provided free of charge to limited English-proficient individuals upon request.

Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service

K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.