4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

NEWSLETTER

21 Central District

"TO MAKE THE BEST BETTER"

DISTRICT 4-H CALENDAR

AUGUST

2nd - Stafford County 2nd Beef Carcass Show at 5:00 pm
4th - Wheat Expo at 8:00 am in Butler County
14th - Let Extension Offices know if you are participating in the State Fair
15th - KJLS Entry Deadline
16th - Stafford County 4-H Council at 2:00 pm in St John
22nd & 23rd - Livestock Sweepstakes
24th - Edwards County 4-H Council at 7:00 pm in Lewis
28th - State Fair Entries Due in Offices

SEPTEMBER

All club officers and council members should be elected
Record book help in Extension Offices by appointment only
10th - All State Fair foods should be in the offices by 8:00 am
11th to 20th - Kansas State Fair
25th - SFCO Sunflower Awards drop off in St John office
27th - Officer Training in St. John at 2:00 pm in the SFCO Annex Building

OCTOBER

1st - New 4-H Year!
1st - Record Books, Pin Applications, Club Finances & Club Seals DUE in the Extension Offices
2nd to 4th - Kansas Junior Livestock Show
4th to 10th - National 4-H Week
10th & 11th - 48Hrs of 4-H

Reminder: Send Thank You Letters/Cards! We want our buyers and supporters to continue their support, so please show them your appreciation!

If you need any cards, we have some in the office!

2026 County Fair Results

Congratulations to all 4-H members who participated in the 2026 County Fairs! If you would like to review results from the fairs, click the links below!

Stafford County - Edwards County

Kansas State Fair Information

Reminder must be 9 and older as of Jan 1, 2026, to participate

If you received a purple ribbon at county fair or club day your exhibit qualifies for the state fair Visual Arts, shopping in style, fashion review, and livestock all have other exceptions

Kansas State Fair Handbook

Must let the office know by Friday, August the 14th if you would like to participate in the state fair

Must have exhibits in the extension offices by Friday, August 28th

All foods entries need to be in the extension offices by 8:00 am Thursday, September 10th

Communication Opportunities at the State Fair and 2026 Public Speaking Topic

Remember that 4-H Members ages 9 and older who participated in 4-H Day and received a Purple or top blue ribbons can take their project talks, demonstrations, and illustrated talks to the Kansas State Fair. Poetry entries can also be entered.

Public Speaking entries can come to the State Fair; however, regardless of the topic used locally, all contestants at the State Fair will use the same topic: "How has your journey in 4-H contributed to being Beyond Ready for current challenges and future goals?" More information can be found in the 2026 State Fair Book.

Club Finances

What needs to be turned in for your club to be reviewed and approved by the Extension Board

Club Financial Report Form
Completed Treasurers Book
DUE October 1, 2026

CLUB OFFICER ELECTIONS

For the new 4-H year please elect club officers and council members as officer training will be held at the end of September

Officer Election Resources

Unsure how elections should run? Here is some guidance!

4-H Club Officer Elections & Committee Appointments

Step by step guide on:

What to do before elections take place
Position descriptions
Different methods on electing officers

A Guide to Practicing Parliamentary Procedure

Rules to handling motions
Rules for elections, nominations, & voting

RECORDBOOKS DUE SOON

Requirements for Each County:

Edwards County: Must be 100% complete & turned in by the deadline to participate in the 2026 Edwards County Fair Premium Auction
Stafford County: Must be 100% complete & turned in by the deadline to be eligible for the 4-H Council Scholarship

Recordbook Information

*We would love the opportunity to take more books to Regional Judging next year!!
What should your record book look like?
21 Central – 4-H Record Book INSTRUCTIONS (PDF)
How will it be judged?
Evaluation Score Sheet
REMINDER:
Color-coded binders
Juniors (Ages 7-9)– Black, Intermediate (Ages 10-13) – White, Seniors (Ages 14+) – Green
Separate Binder for each project (Limited to 3 project areas total to be judged)
Front Page check sheet
Leader signatures are required to receive an award
If you want to get started with online record bookkeeping, click the link below
Zsuite Website
Click “Sign Up”
Complete the prompts to register new household
Once the household is established, go create each 4-H member profile

New 4-H Year - October 1st

What is all due?
Recordbooks
Club Seal Applications
Club Financial Report Form
New Year Club Forms
Edwards County - Award Nominations

All of these documents can be found on our website

https://www.21central.k-state.edu/4-h/resources/leaders/

4-H Membership ACHIEVEMENT PINS:

Check out the website with the new applications.

21 Central District | Website