Clover Clips

A newsletter for 4-H families

Clover Clips: Fair Edition

The 2026 Fair Edition of Clover Clips has been published. Click the button below to read and find all the fair details! Fair News includes information on project entries, events like Fashion Revue, public presentations, details on project check-in and SO MUCH MORE. Don't skip it!

Please see your recent email from Cyla Gardner with further details on the Agent transitions currently happening. Lexi’s last day in the office was Thursday, April 30th, Cyla’s last day will be Friday, May 8th. As the team works through the 4-H Agents transitions as well as the 4-H Office Professional transition, please use the JOCO4-H@jocogov.org email or call (913) 715-7000 for all questions, comments, or concerns.

Every year Johnson County 4-H offers a scholarship to two individuals who are either 4-H seniors or former 4-H members. The scholarship application and guidelines for the 2026 Johnson County 4-H Scholarships are posted on the Johnson County 4-H website. Applications are due to the Extension office by 5:00 PM on Monday, June 22, 2026. Take note of these requirements if you are applying as a high school senior or 4-H alumni:

• Must be or have been a Johnson County 4-H’er within the past four years.
• Must have been a 4-H Club member for a minimum of five years.

Mr. and Miss 4-H

The Johnson County Mr. and Miss 4-H Program recognizes young people for the leadership and commitment they have contributed to the 4-H program and their communities. Mr. and Miss 4-H support and participate in county events and activities throughout the year including Fair and promote Johnson County 4-H in the community. All 4-H’ers who have been a member for at least three years and are at least 13 (before January 1, 2026) are eligible to apply. More information about the Mr. and Miss 4-H Program can be found on the website. The application is also posted on the website and is due June 26. Interviews will be held at the Extension office on the evening of July 14 and coronation will take place on July 29.

Poultry Testing

Kansas continues its designation as a Pullorum-Typhoid (P-T) Clean state. The Johnson County 4-H Fair Book states that all poultry (chickens, turkeys, and guineas) must show proof of negative Pullorum-Typhoid testing at check-in. The exception is birds that are less than 90 days old. Johnson County 4-H will hold a testing date on Saturday, June 27th, 9:00 AM - 12:00PM at the Johnson County Fairgrounds. There will be a testing fee of $5.00/per family. If you have questions, please contact the Johnson County 4-H office. View the brochure for more information regarding testing. If you are unable to make this testing date, please review the list of certified testers through KDA and contact them to schedule other testing options.

Countywide Social Event

Saturday, September 26th

5:00 - 8:00 PM

Erfurt Park (24135 W 71st St, Shawnee, KS)

Join us for a come-and-go social at the park – food, games & PRIZES!

• Please bring a side dish or dessert to share, hot dogs & hamburgers will be provided.
• Bring a lawn chair and any games you may want to play – board games, card games & yard games.
• Gift Card prizes! You won’t need to be present to win gift cards to cool places!
• RSVP is open now!

Johnson County Fair & Kansas State Fair

4-H Horse Shows

Johnson County Fair & Kansas State Fair - To be eligible to participate, 4-H members must properly identify their horse with a Kansas 4-H Horse Identification Certificate by June 1 of the current 4-H program year. The 4-H Horse ID Certificate was updated in the 2025 4-H program year. Please make sure to use the updated certificate. (Breed registration papers will no longer be acceptable forms of identification.)

4-H members must have a copy of the Horse ID form signed by the 4-H agent on file at the Johnson County 4-H office by 5:00 PM on Monday, June 1, 2026.

Take note regarding State Fair: 4-H members currently enrolled in the 4-H Horse Project must meet four requirements to be eligible to compete at the Kansas State Fair 4-H Horse Show. One of the four requirements is the horse must be properly identified for the Kansas 4-H Horse Project.

Horseless Horse Project - 4-H members participating in the Horseless Horse Project must turn in a completed Johnson County 4-H Horseless Horse Certificate to the Johnson County 4-H office by 5:00 PM on Monday, June 1, 2026. More information about this project can be found on the website and in this handbook.

3-Year-Old Snaffle Bit Project Nominations - The 3-year-old snaffle bit project nomination/ID Certificate is to be postmarked on or before June 1 along with a $10 fee. Nominations are made through the Johnson County 4-H office and then sent to the State 4-H office, so plan ahead! More information about the 3-year-old snaffle bit project is in the Kansas 4-H Horse Show Rulebook, which is posted on the Johnson County 4-H webpage.

All forms can be found on the Johnson County 4-H webpage. Also posted on this webpage is an example of a correctly filled out Horse ID Certificate. Note that it must only be one page (front and back). Please also take time to review the Kansas 4-H Horse Show Rulebook, a link to it is posted at the Johnson County 4-H webpage.

The JoCo Dog Club has two upcoming shows. A Rally-O & Agility Show will be held on Saturday, June 20th and the Invitational Show will be held on Saturday, July 11th. Registration opens at 8:30 AM, with each show beginning at 9:00 AM. Pre-registration is encouraged but walk-in entries are also accepted. We will have multiple judges to help make it a faster show. Both shows will be at the Johnson County Fairgrounds and are great shows to attend if you are needing to qualify for the Kansas State Fair 4-H Dog Show. For more information contact the Dog Club. If you pre-register, each event is $10. Walk-in registration will be $15 per event.

YQCA

Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) is a national, multi-species youth livestock quality assurance program that focuses on nutrition, animal wellbeing, and character development, through age-appropriate educational curriculum for ages 7-21. 

If you plan to exhibit in the Johnson County Fair or at State Livestock Shows, you need to be certified. You must be certified by June 15th in order to exhibit in the county fair.

Certification can be done by completing an online training. Registrations and payments must be made through the YQCA website. The online training is $12 per youth. Families are responsible for turning in a printed copy of their YQCA certificate or emailing a copy to the Extension Office by June 15th, 2026. No late submissions (after June 15th) will be accepted. Additional details can be found on the Johnson County 4-H Livestock webpage.

Livestock Tagging

All market and commercial breeding animals, including beef, sheep, goats, swine, and bucket calves, must have been tagged by Extension staff on or before the designated tagging deadlines to be eligible to show in the 4-H division at the Johnson County Fair. All registered animals must provide paperwork during livestock check-in at fair. All animals must have been tagged on or prior to their species' last date to tag which were March 15th for Beef and May 1st for Small Livestock. Animals tagged after these dates will only be allowed to show in open class where there is open class competition at the county fair unless prior arrangements have been discussed and approved by Extension staff, the Livestock Superintendent, and the Department Superintendent.

State Livestock Nominations

4-H members planning to show their animals at the Kansas Junior Livestock Show (KJLS) and/or the Kansas State Fair must submit nominations to the KSU Youth Livestock office. Market beef nominations are due by May 1. Commercial heifer, swine, sheep, and meat goat nominations are due by June 15. Information regarding state livestock nominations, ordering DNA envelopes, and the nomination process can be found on the webpage.

May 8th - Discovery Days Registration DUE

May 15th - Kansas State 4-H Geology Field Trip Registration DUE

May 25th - Insect Spectacular Registration DUE

June 1st - Horse ID Forms Due

June 15th - Commercial heifer, swine, sheep, and meat goat nominations DUE

June 15th - YQCA certifications DUE

The 2026 4-H Geology State Field Trip will be held June 12th-14th. The headquarters for the trip is at the Parsons Middle School (2719 Main Street, Parsons, Kansas). This trip will focus on the Tri State Mining District, the Southeast Kansas Coal Mining Area and the Silver City Dome Mining Area, collecting specimens from the Pennsylvanian and Mississippian age rocks of the Cherokee Lowlands and Osage Cuestas. Registration is $10 per person. Every family member who attends trip must register!

Field trip T-shirts can be purchased for $20. Exhibit boxes made of various wood and prices are also available. T-shirts and exhibit boxes need to be purchased through the online registration system. There will be a variety of educational publications for sale through the Kansas Geological Survey as well as glass vial and plastic mag box specimen containers. Publications and specimen containers will be available for purchase at the field trip headquarters. If you plan to attend this field trip, registration is due by May 15th - no late registrations will be accepted!

The 2026 Discovery Days will be held June 3rd - 5th in Manhattan, KS. Discovery Days is a mini college experience designed for youth who are 13-18 years of age as of January 1. Youth will have the opportunity to select classes and attend social functions. The primary purpose of 4-H Discovery Days is to gain new ideas and expand your 4-H experience. You experience this through action-oriented learning activities, fun tours, and great evening social events. You will meet new people, build leadership skills, and grow as a person! Registration will close on May 8th.

2026 Insect Spectacular

Beetles, bugs, dragonflies and more! It’s time to get registered for the 34th Insect Spectacular. The State Entomology Workshop will be held Friday and Saturday June 19th and 20th. Activities will be based at the North Community building in Iola, Kansas.

Registration is open and will close May 25th. Once registration closes, it will not be reopened. There will be no cancellations or refunds of money after registration closes. Cancellations before registration closes are eligible for a 50% refund. A parent from each family must pay full registration and attend the workshop. A parent is to stay with your child or children at the workshop. 

View the event flyer for more trip details.

RoeFest is looking for community organizations to partner with that will provide an educational, interactive booth during this festival on Saturday, October 3rd from 1:00 - 6:00 PM and will be located on Roe Blvd in the Price Chopper/Lowes parking lot. Johnson County 4-H has been invited to participate as a community partner booth. Does your club want to host a kid's craft tent? Lead a hands-on activity? Provide a few animals for a little petting zoo? Be creative and share 4-H! Take note: booth space is typically 10'x10' or 10'x20' and you must bring your own set-up supplies (tables, chairs, tent).

Another way to participate (other than a booth) is to volunteer at this event by helping with things like crowd management, ticket taking, and general support. Individuals must be at leat 16 years old to volunteer in these roles.

Whether you would like to host a booth or volunteer, please contact Cece Riley by June 1st.

The Johnson County Extension Master Gardener Public Garden Tour returns June 12–13, 2026, and ticket sales are now open! This beloved biennial event offers self-guided access to six beautiful private gardens you won’t see any other time. Visitors can also enjoy free activities, including the Garden Thyme Marketplace, guided tours of the Dennis Patton Garden Gallery Demonstration Garden, and the Extension Expo. Purchase early bird tickets before May 10th for $25. After May 10th, tickets will be $35. You may also purchase day of tour tickets for $40.

Wonders of Discovery is a free event for all ages hosted annually by the Extension Master Naturalists at the Pollinator Prairie. Visitors will be greeted with beautiful native plant gardens that are filled with busy pollinators. There will be interactive exhibits such as Caterpillar Wonders, What’s the Buzz About Native Bees, the Soil Conservation Tunnel, and much more. Games and activities are planned for children, so this will be a fun and educational event for the whole family. This event will take place on Thursday, June 18th from 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM at the Pollinator Prairie in Olathe, (320 S. Blake Street).

How can you help spread the word? One simple way you can help that will have a big impact is to interact with Extension on social media. By doing this, you help the algorithm help us: your small actions send out ripples that carry trusted information farther into our communities. Social media has changed the way it decides what people see. Instead of pushing out everything, platforms now elevate the content that real people find valuable — content they like, comment, share, save, or send to someone they know. That means our members can play a powerful role in spreading our impact. 

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