We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Shandel Fouts, an adult leader with the Blaine County 4-H, dishes up spaghetti during the recent spring carnival and spaghetti supper hosted by the 4-H Team Leaders of the county. 4-H members who are 13-18 years old complete a 'leadership' project to become part of the group that assists with the county fair, does projects in the community and organized the spring carnival held at Chinook High.
The Blaine County 4-H Teen Leaders hosted a carnival and spaghetti supper in the Chinook High gymnasium recently. The carnival and feed was both a fun time for kids and a fundraiser for the 13-18 year old 4-H members who make up the leadership group. Any 4-H student in the age group can chose to do the "leadership" project to qualify for the leadership team. To become a 4-H Ambassador, 4-H Teen Leaders submit an application and are selected by interview.
Kendra Seilstad, MSU/Blaine County Extension Agent, said, "4-H Ambassadors go to an annual statewide retreat, both as a way to meet other 4-H youth leaders and an opportunity to gain new leadership skills. For our Blaine County Ambassadors the county fair often conflicts with the state retreat so we have our own biennial retreat for both our Teen Leaders and Ambassadors." Part of the proceeds from the carnival and spaghetti supper will help support the biennial retreat and the rest will go to projects the county leadership team puts together.
The 4-H Teen Leaders organize and help with a lot of events for youth, like the carnival. The only current 4-H Ambassador in Blaine County, Kourtney Hanson, said, "For several years the 4-H Team Leaders organized and staged the Valentine Day Dinner and Dance. That event was not so well attended in the last few years. About two years ago the PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) disbanded so they were no longer doing the spring carnival. We decided to abandon the Valentine event and restart the carnival because we all enjoyed it so much as kids." And the kids at the carnival seemed to be having a great time this year as well.
There were skill games, raffles and face painting. Kids were tossing hoops around targets, others were on a "cookie walk" game, older kids were shooting basketballs and the little guys were tossing ping balls at targets. There were a lot of activities with 'kid-themed' prizes. Tickets were twenty-five cents and the more elegant the game and bigger the prize, the more tickets had to be spent. There literally was a game or activity for every age from toddlers to grandparents. And nice sized helpings of spaghetti for everyone.
The games and contests were all staffed by 4-H Teen Leaders, JUMP members or Chinook High National Honor Society members. All three groups assist with many events in the community, especially if kids are involved, and worked collaboratively to make the carnival a success.
Kendra Seilstad said, "For help with 4-H and county fair activities, the Team Leaders and Ambassadors are my go to people. They are the first ones I call to help judge an event at the fair, organize some activities for kids or do other volunteer work." Several 4-H Teen Leaders did presentations about how to make simple holiday decorations at the Blaine County Library's Hassle Free Christmas held the end of last year.
The "Journal" thanks the 4-H Teen Leaders and 4-H Ambassadors for all the work they do to help in their community. And thanks for bringing back the spring carnival, it was a nice break after a tough winter and in the midst of a flooding spring.
