In our efforts to downsize our operation, we have dissolved our 4-H Alpacateers Club. It was a difficult decision to make as we both enjoyed working with our kids and families so much. But we are ready to move along. On December 8th we had a farewell party and displayed the quilt each member had contributed to. Each one dry-felted a butterfly and one of our grandparents put the quilt together. It is a very fitting ending to our club and one that will be remembered long into the future. We’d just like to say we will miss everyone and hope they will stop by occasionally to see the alpacas and say hello (and maybe do poop piles).
Each of our 4H Alpacateers contributed a butterfly to this quilt.
In our efforts to downsize our operation, we have dissolved our 4-H Alpacateers Club. It was a difficult decision to make as we both enjoyed working with our kids and families so much. But we are ready to move along. On December 8th we had a farewell party and displayed the quilt each member had contributed to. Each one dry-felted a butterfly and one of our grandparents put the quilt together. It is a very fitting ending to our club and one that will be remembered long into the future. We’d just like to say we will miss everyone and hope they will stop by occasionally to see the alpacas and say hello (and maybe do poop piles).
Each of our 4H Alpacateers contributed a butterfly to this quilt.
We completed our final community service commitment on Sept. 24th. For the past two years we have helped clean up the Schuylkill River Trail three times a year. We thank all the members who gave their time to support this worthwhile project.
Our September trail crew.
4H Fair
The Montgomery County Farm, Home and Youth Fair was held on Aug-8-10. As usual our 4-Hers performed well.
Leah leads Arthur through the pool noodles.JUNIOR AWARD WINNERS: From left: Paige (two participation ribbons in her very first show), Olivia (two third places), Vanessa with a pair of seconds and Leah who won both showmanship and agility.SENIOR AWARD WINNERS: From left: Kylie with two participation ribbons, Naomi with a third in agility and second in showmanship, Annabelle with a third in showmanship and first in agility, Sarah with a second in agility and a blue ribbon in showmanship with a perfect score, and Aiden with two participation ribbons.Naomi (left) was named Reserve Champion with the second highest combined score, and Sarah was the Grand Champion.
Our 9th Annual Agility Invitational was a bug success. We had more than 40 kids participate from four 4-H clubs, including ones from Maryland and New Jersey.
Our kids performed well. Sisters Annabelle (12-14) and Vanessa (8-11) both nabbed first places in their respective age groups. Leah (second), Weston (third) and Asher (fourth) also laced in the 8-11 age group.
Naomi (second) and Kylee (seventh) too spots in the 12-14 age group, and Aiden came in seventh in the 15-18 group.
Vanessa leading DaggerNaomi taking Dagger through the change-of-pace.Leah takes Arthur over a jump.Kylee sets Nordic in the pool.Annabelle prepares to place a towel on Dagger’s back.
On Sunday, April 7th, our 4-H club met for the first of three trail clean-ups as part of our Adopt-a-Trail program (notice our club logo on the sign in the background). We cut back encroaching vines, racked leaves and trimmed overhanging branches and did a bit of socializing in the process. It was a perfect day.
The Crew
Ag Literacy
Each year the Pa. Farm Bureau sponsors an Ag Literacy Week in local schools to educate kids about where their food comes from. On March 13th, two of our 4-H kids read a book and led an activity with first graders in our local school district. They enjoyed the experience and the kids learned as well.
Annabelle reads to first graders at Salford Hills Elementary School.Naomi reads to another first grade class at Salford Hills.
• On Jan. 8, our 4-H kids competed at the Pa. Farm Show. We are very proud of their performance, which was one of the best in the last few years. We garnered two 1st places, three second places, one third place, three fourth places and one sixth place in the Showmanship and Agility competitions.
Our lone senior, Sarah placed fourth in Showmanship and second in agility and was awarded Reserve Champion for her performances.
Sarah responds to questions the judge asked her in the Showmanship competition.Sarah sidesteps King Arthur
In the Intermediate Division, Kaylee finished fourth in Showmanship and second in Agility.
Kylee backing up Dagger
We had three contestants in the Junior Division. Naomi, the most experienced, placed second in Showmanship and first in Agility to earn Reserve Champion.
Naomi running Dagger
Our other two contestants were competing at the Farm Show for the first time. Leah placed third in Showmanship and second in Agility. Weston place fourth in Showmanship and sixth in agility.
Leah taking Arthur through the streamersWeston receiving his award
As a conclusion to the competition each county competed in a fun event, dressing up an alpaca. No awards were given but each county dressed an alpaca and then concocted a story about it.
Our annual 4-H Fair, now called Farm, Home and Youth Fair, was held Aug. 9-11. The kids competed in Showmanship and Agility in Senior and Junior divisions.
In the Senior Showmanship, Naomi place first with 87 points, Jonathon came in second with 83 and Kylee placed third with 80. Annabelle came in first in Senior Agility with 94 points, Jonathon finished second with 92 and Maggie came in third with 87.
In the Junior Showmanship, Weston won with 85 points, Leah placed second with 80 and Vanessa was third with 74. In Agility Leah finished first with 92 points, Weston was second with 87 and Vanessa scored 79 points for third.
The judge watches Weston tie a quick-release knot.Leah places a towel on King Arthur’s back.Maggie coaxes Arthur to stand in the ring.Vanessa leads Channing over the tarp.Fair participants, back row from left: Maggie, Jonathon, Annabelle, Kylee, Naomi. Front row: Vanessa, Leah, Weston.
Our 8th Annual Invitational was a great success. We had over 30 kids from three 4-H clubs participate on May 16 at the Montgomery County 4-H Center. In the 15-18 age group, Aiden finished second in agility and third in showmanship, while Sarah was second in agility and first in showmanship; in the 12-14 age group, Naomi placed first in agility and first in showmanship, Annabelle took second in agility and second in showmanship, Kylee placed first in agility and fourth in showmanship and Jonathon finished fourth in agility and first in showmanship; in the 8-11 category, Asher was first in both agility and showmanship, Vanessa was sixth in agility and fourth in showmanship, Weston was third in both agility and showmanship, and Leah was second in agility and showmanship. Congrats to all the kis for a great showing!
Leah taking Arthur over the teeter totter.Annabelle backing up Dagger.Naomi taking Dagger over the teeter totter.Kylee taking Dagger over a jump.
• To help celebrate Ag Literacy Week, Sandy, Alex and Grace, one of our 4H members, visited a local elementary school on March 19th to read a book and play a bingo-related game with a class of first graders.
Grace reads Tyler Makes Pancakes to a first grade class. The book explains where all the ingredients in pancakes come from.One of the students proudly displays her bingo card.
On the following day, Alex, Sandy and Julia visited another elementary school, where we read the same book and and played bingo.
Julia reading Tyler Makes PancakesJulia reads the questions the students have to find the answers for on their bingo cards.
Community Service
• On a brisk March Saturday morning, our 4-Hers and parents began spring cleanup on a section of the Schuylkill River Trail in Stowe. The club has adopted that section and will perform two more cleanups during the year.
The 2018 Pa. Farm Show is in the books and we had another outstanding showing. The four 4-H kids who competed came home with four ribbons. In the Showmanship Class, Naomi followed in her sister Grace’s footsteps (two blue ribbons in two years) by winning the Junior Showmanship competition. As a winner she was eligible to compete for Grand Champion against the winners of the Senior and Intermediate classes. She was awarded Reserve Champion (second place) among the four competitors.
Also in Junior Showmanship, Jonathan placed second to Naomi in a tiebreaker.
In the Junior Agility competition Annabelle placed fifth of eight competitors.
After the main events, the kids had a great time dressing Arthur in the costume class. They were provided with a huge piles of clothes from which to choose articles to dress an alpaca. Then they had to write a short story to go along with the costume.
Congrats to the four kids who put in a lot of extra time practicing for the big event.
Sarah answering judge’s questions in Intermediate Showmanship.Jonathan taking Arthur over the teeter-totter in Junior Agility.Naomi shows Dagger’s teeth to the judge.Annabelle answers question in Jr. Showmanship tiebreaker.Annabelle, Naomi, Sarah, Jonathan display the ribbons they won at the Farm Show.Kylee, Naomi, Sarah, Julia and Jonathan work on King Arthur’s costume.
