November

4-H Achievement Night

• Date: Saturday, November 18th
• Location: Smart's Mill Middle School
• Time: Ice Cream Social at 5:30pm; Awards at 6:00pm

VCE Loudoun Holiday Office Closings

• Dates: Friday, November 10th and Wednesday, November 22nd - Friday, November 24th

December

4-H Junior Camp Teen Counselor/CIT Applications Released

• Date: Friday, December 1st

VCE Loudoun Holiday Office Closings

• Dates: Friday, December 22nd and Monday, December 25th

January

4-H Club Enrollment Deadline

• Date: Monday, January 1st
• Location: 4-H Online (https://v2.4honline.com)
• This is the deadline to enroll in all 4-H clubs in order to remain eligible to exhibit animal projects at the 2024 Loudoun County Fair.

VCE Loudoun Holiday Office Closings

• Dates: Monday, January 1st and Monday, January 15th

Loudoun County 4-H Club Enrollment - Now Open!

Enrollment for Loudoun County 4-H is completed online through the web-based program, 4-H Online. All returning members must re-enroll every year, even if all of their information remains the same.

To access 4-H Online, please visit: https://v2.4honline.com

For questions about registering with 4-H Online, please contact Kim at [email protected].

Members do not receive credit for attending any events, meetings or activities until they are officially enrolled in their clubs for the new year. Additionally, for those who plan to participate in the Loudoun County Fair, enrollment must be completed by January 1st, 2024.

Winter Weather Policy: 4-H Activities and VCE Loudoun

4-H programs will follow along with Loudoun County Public Schools. If schools are closed or let out early, 4-H programs for that day/evening will be cancelled. If club leaders feel that the roads are clear enough in time for their program, they will contact the 4-H staff for guidance. In the event that clubs continue with a program when schools have been cancelled, 4-H members can not be penalized for missing that program.

The VCE Loudoun office follows the Loudoun County government openings and closings. If the government is closed, delayed, or releasing early, our office will do the same.

4-H Member Accomplishments

Congratulations to all of the Loudoun County 4-H Rabbit & Cavy Club members who participated in various shows during the late summer and fall seasons.

Mary Grace Menuey

• Blue Ridge Rabbit & Cavy Show
• Best of Breed Florida White - Youth Show A
• Best Opposite Sex of Breed Florida White - Youth Show A
• 2nd Reserve in Show - Youth Show A
• Best of Breed Florida White - Youth Show B
• Best Opposite Sex of Breed Florida White - Youth Show B
• Honorable Mention for Best in Show - Youth Show B

• ARBA Convention
• 2nd Runner-Up ARBA Queen
• 1st Place Senior Woodworking
• 1st Place Senior Color Photography
• 1st Place Senior Needlework
• 1st Place Senior Drawing
• 7th Place Sr. Florida White Buck

• Richmond Rabbit Breeders Assoc. Show
• 1st Place Sr. Breed ID
• 1st Place Overall Breed ID
• BOB Florida White - Youth Show A
• BOS Florida White - Youth Show B
• BOV Sable Mini Rex - Youth Shows A & B
• BOG Shaded Mini Rex - Youth Shows A & B

Avery Barry

• Blue Ridge Rabbit & Cavy Show
• Best in Show Cavy - Youth Shows A & B

Anna Kasianides

• ARBA Convention
• Best in Division Fine Arts

State Fair of Virginia Livestock Shows and Exhibits

Shout-out to Eden and Lincoln Reck for their successful exhibits at the State Fair of Virginia! Eden placed 2nd in the 3-D art scholarship competition and won an $800 college scholarship. Lincoln placed 2nd in the culinary arts scholarship competition with his gluten-free lemon tart and won a $500 college scholarship.

Congratulations to Emily Stanford on her supreme showing during the State Fair of Virginia beef shows. Emily received 1st in her classes with her heifer and steer. She was also named Grand Champion Senior Showman, then went on to win Master Showman for beef. She was 3rd runner-up in the State Fair's inaugural Supreme Showman competition. For her outstanding showing she received a total of $350 in scholarships. Way to go, Emily!

Eastern Loudoun Community Club

Submitted By: Colin Brunner

The annual Eastern Loudoun potluck was held at Hal and Berni Hanson Regional Park in August. We all ate food at the potluck. There were some quesadillas, yummy brownies, and good drinks. Then, the parents gave an information session to all of our new members about what our club was like. The kids went and played Tag and Capture the Flag outside of the pavilion. The kids made some new friends with the new and old members.

The September meeting was held at Mill Run Elementary. In this meeting, our club elected the executive officers for the club. The 2023-2024 budget was approved. Grayson Weber won the 2022-2023 Outstanding Member Award! The remainder of the meeting was spent signing up for projects, such as Board Games, Photography, Skateboarding, All About Arts, Outdoor Adventure, Exploring STEM, Domino Creations, Rollerblading Games, Share the Fun, and Be the Change.

The October meeting was held at Hillside Elementary. One of our members gave a report about Honor Flight. Honor Flight is when you go to Dulles Airport and welcome the veterans to DC. The executive officers were installed at this meeting. Our club was informed about the Southern States Farm Tour Stop volunteering opportunities. Our club had an information booth there. The Bylaws and Constitution were updated at this meeting. The educational part of the meeting was a report from the Civil Air Patrol. They are an offshoot of the Air Force.

Sprout Horse Club

Submitted By: Ryan Griswold

We have had a lot of fun getting our Sprout 4-H Horse Club started! We spent our first two meetings getting to know each other. Congratulations to Brooke Kelly who is our President, Kacy Baumgart who is our Vice President, Delaney Sullivan who is Secretary, Katie Hess who is Treasurer, and Teagan MacDonald who is Historian. My name is Ryan Griswold and I am the Reporter for the club!

We have some big goals for our club this year! We would like to go to EquiSmartz and to the Loudoun County Fair! We started to think about our fundraisers and community service for the year so we can fund our goals. We decided on our education topics for each meeting based on the knowledge needed for EquiSmartz and had our first presentation.

Our Vice President, Kacy Baumgart, gave a great presentation on Equine Nutrition. It was fun to look at different feeds and see the similarities and differences in them. We took a walk around the farm and looked at the fall grass. Lastly, we looked at a horse and measured his weight and the weight of hay to calculate the amount of forage he needed each day. 

We are looking forward to doing our Project Books throughout the year - we chose Horses are Fun and the Junior Record Book! We also look forward to building our club this year by doing outreach in our community and adding new members.

Chefs & Stitches Club

Submitted By: Emma Martin

The September Chefs and Stitches Club meeting was held on September 16, 2023. During the meeting, club members were able to work on and complete their Project Books for the year. Everyone did such a great job and the Project Books looked awesome. We were also able to elect club officers. We are happy to introduce the new officers for the year. For President we elected Arabella Horton. Vice President is Katie Brander. Our Treasurer is Elise Laney. The Secretary is Emma Laney. Lastly, the Reporter is me, Emma Martin. Congratulations to all the officers elected!

Our October meeting was held on October 21, 2023. Arabella and Katie were able to meet before the meeting and discuss what theme the club should have this year. They came up with a great idea: Sleepovers! During the meeting, we learned how to sew pillow cases which is a great project to start off the year because it was easy and fast to sew. It was also really fun seeing all the fabric everyone brought and getting to catch up with our friends while sewing. And lastly, during the business portion of our meeting, we were able to elect a Sergeant at Arms, Clara Lavis. Congratulations Clara!

Dairy Club

Submitted By: Mary Grace Menuey

It’s fall, y’all, and the Loudoun County 4-H Dairy Club has started off the new 4-H year with a bang! At our September meeting, belt buckles were handed out for our showmanship winners, and the club was excited to learn that our non-ownership program will still be in place this coming year! Our club also elected officers for the 2023-2024 year, and the results are as follows:

President - Ashley Williams

Vice President - Valerie Greenleaf

Secretary/Reporter - Mary Grace Menuey

Treasurer - Elliott Cochran

Historian - Olivia Barfield

In addition to our officers, the club has two new leaders this year, Mr. Cochran and Mrs. Lutman! We are excited for our new leadership team, and can’t wait to see what this year brings!



At our October meeting, we discussed plans for the new year, such as educational programs, field trips, and dairy knowledge competitions that the club is hoping to participate in. Mr. Cochran informed members that, provided there is enough interest, the club will likely be participating in several dairy judging competitions and dairyman’s contests this year. A few of our club members are ahead of the curve on competitions however, as we had three members compete at the All-American Dairy Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania back in September. Valerie Greenleaf exhibited in the Youth Show, Elliot Cochran competed in Showmanship, and Mary Grace Menuey exhibited as an alternate leadsperson for the Youth Show, in addition to competing in Showmanship. A notable placing from our club came from Valerie Greenleaf, who took home first place in the Aged Cow class with her Guernsey Cow, Victoria! Congratulations to Valerie, and the other club members who exhibited.

Rabbit & Cavy Club

Submitted By: Ellie Dalgetty

Hi, everybody! Our October meeting was held on the 24th. During this meeting we talked to the new members about the three main focuses for the 4-H year: hopping, showing, and breeding. Members gave a quick presentation on each of them in which they explained what was involved and the benefits and difficulties of each. We welcomed new members and encouraged them to explore one of these topics. The newly elected leaders also taught a lesson on how to make your project book goals clearer and more attainable.

At our September meeting we held elections for officers for the new 4-H year. Congratulations to all of our new officers! Anna Kasianides will be serving as President, Sarah Hart will be serving as Vice President, Grace Kasianides will be serving as Secretary, Peter Menuey will be serving as Treasurer, Ellie Dalgetty will be serving as Reporter, and Joe Rivers will be serving as our Historian. We are looking forward to a great year with our enthusiastic leaders and our awesome new members!

Our next meeting will be on November 28th at 7pm in Sykes Hall. Upcoming rabbit shows include one on November 11th in Westminster, MD and one on November 18th in Baltimore. Good luck to all those participating!

Alpaca & Llama Club

Submitted By: David Olorunda

After an August recess, the 4-H Alpaca & Llama Club kicked off its new club year in September with a fast start. Our club took the September business meeting as an opportunity to highlight our club members' 4-H achievements, along with voting for new club leaders. Our new President is Deborah Olorunda, our Vice President is Breanna Young, our Treasurer is Penny Baker, and our Secretary is David Olorunda. Congratulations to these named individuals. Regarding our members' achievements, three club members were selected to represent Virginia 4-H as ambassadors on a trip to the Dominican Republic. In addition, three of our club members participated and excelled at the Maryland State Fair show. Congratulations to Avannie, Penny, Breanna, Deborah, and David on their success in these activities.

As the seasons changed and the weather cooled, the Loudoun County Fall Farm Tours arrived. These tours were an excellent success as our members engaged with the public in a variety of ways including: manning our club booth, and sharing their alpaca and llama expertise with our captivated visitors. This weekend was very special, as individuals present on the farm had the opportunity to witness the long awaited birth of one of the crias who is doing exceptionally well! 

We also want to recognize Farmers Doug and Bonnie of Double 8 Alpaca & Llama Ranch along with Farmers Alex and Ashley of Mountain View Homestead for their continued support through our various club activities.

Looking ahead, our club is having numerous upcoming farm sessions including “Herd Health” and “Friends of the Farm” beginning in early November. These on-farm sessions give our club members continued exciting farm experiences, along with beneficial practice opportunities working with the alpacas and llamas.

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact the VCE Loudoun office at 703-777-0373/TDD* during business hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to discuss accommodations 5 days prior to the event. *TDD number is (800) 828-1120.

Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments. Its programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, military status, or any other basis protected by law.