Kevin Tatum, County Extension Coordinator
It’s almost fair time! That means it’s time to enter the many contests and events available to 4-H’ers at the Georgia National Fair in Perry. The dates for the fair are October 7-17, but the entry deadline for Coffee County 4‑H’ers is 4:00 PM on Friday, September 17. NO LATE ENTRIES WILL BE PROCESSED!
Contests for 4-H members include: Computer Graphic Design, Decorated Agricultural Products, Recycling, Terrarium/Dish Garden, Family Scarecrow Building Contest, Instant Camera Photography, Public Speaking, Variety Show, Family Seed Art, Cotton Boll Speech, Family Pumpkin Decorating, Cloverleaf Peanut Contest, Cupcake Masters, Healthy Commodity Contest (Corn), Homemade Ice Cream, and Pizza Contest.
You can get a copy of the rules for each contest/event from the 4-H office or by visiting the Georgia National Fair website at georgianationalfair.com (go to Georgia Living→Youth Educational Exhibits→Competitions-4‑H). Registration forms and exhibits/entries must be turned in to the county 4‑H office by September 17.
For more information, visit their website at georgianationalfair.com or contact the fair at (800)987-3247 or (800) YUR-FAIR
GEORGIA NATIONAL FAIR TRIP
Plans are being made for Junior and Senior 4-H members to go to the Georgia National Fair on Monday, October 11. The tentative fee for attending the trip is $40 per person. This includes admission to the fair, an armband for the rides, insurance, and transportation. The fee is due in the 4-H office no later than Friday, September 10.
LIVESTOCK SHOW INFORMATION
The County Goat and Lamb Show will be held on Saturday, September 25, starting around 9:30 AM, at the Coffee Middle School Livestock Facility in Douglas. Please come and support our youth involved in this event. The state shows will be held in conjunction with the Georgia National Fair with goat weigh in on Thursday, October 7, and shows on Friday, October 8, and Saturday, October 9 and lamb weigh in on Friday, October 8, and shows on Saturday, October 9 and Sunday, October 10.
Also, students interested in showing cattle should contact Mr. Kevin at the 4-H office at 384-1402 or Mr. Spenser Highsmith at Coffee High School as soon as possible. The state entry deadline is approaching quickly and all cattle must be tagged, tattooed, and registered.
The tagging date for hogs will be in mid to late November. All animals will be tagged at the Coffee Middle School Livestock Facility. Please make sure that you have your animals there so you can participate in the shows this year.
4-H VOLUNTEER LEADER UPDATE
4-H Volunteer Leaders who are current with their status as a volunteer leader need to remain current by attending an event, meeting, or activity within a four month window. If someone goes longer than four months, they will have to start the application process all over again to become a volunteer. Our staff will be glad to check your status and let you know if you are current.
Volunteers who have not taken the online Risk Management Training since August 1, 2021, need to do so before participating in an event with 4-H members. This is a Georgia 4-H requirement, so please take the time to do this training. An email with the link for the training and exam was sent out in August to every active volunteer. If you have deleted the email, you may contact us to resend the email to you. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the 4-H staff.
4-H WEEK PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS
Junior and Senior 4‑H members are encouraged to record public service announcements for National 4‑H Week coming up in October. We will record the announcements at the 4-H office after your regular 4-H meetings on Monday, September 27, for Senior 4-H members, and Thursday, September 30, for Junior 4-H members. These PSA’s will be played on local radio stations during National 4-H Week (October 3-9). 4-H members are asked to write their own PSA around their DPA project so as to help with content for their portfolio.
Students interested in doing this should sign up by September 16 by turning in a copy of their PSA to the 4-H office.
If you have questions about the Coffee County 4-H Club program, or questions around the farm or home, please feel free to contact the Coffee County Extension office at (912) 384-1402. Remember, we are YOUR local connection to the University of Georgia.