Happy October!
As I sit here typing my weekly column, I’m refreshed by the cooler temperatures and the sounds of the Sulphur Springs High School band as they practice for Friday night football. Hopkins County 4-H enrollment has gotten off to a great start, and many opportunities are available during the month of October. As promised last week, below is a list of 4-H events:
- October 2-8: National 4-H Week – our Hopkins County 4-H’ers invite everyone to join them for refreshments and the reading of the National 4-H Week proclamation, Monday, October 3, 4:30 p.m., on the courthouse steps. We’ll also have a canopy set up with photos, newsletters, and enrollment information for anyone who would like to join 4-H. Judge Newsom and a slew of 4-H members, parents, and leaders will be on hand to greet visitors.
Following the presentation, the County 4-H Council will meet at the Extension Office (approximately 5:30), to pack school supplies for students who have been affected by flooding in Louisiana. They will also discuss the county-wide 4-H Christmas party and other events.
- October 3-6: 4-H Project Show – entries will be accepted at the Extension Office. Guidelines and categories are available (and also listed in the September/October 4-H Gazette newsletter). Entries will be judged on Friday, October 7, and will be open for public viewing on Monday and Tuesday, October 10 and 11. We invite everyone to drop by the Extension Office between 8:15 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to admire the creative projects that the Hopkins County 4-H members have entered! Entries may be entered in the Fall Festival Creative Arts Contest, as well.
- October 4-5: Ag-in-the-Classroom will be held at the Civic Center for 4th grade students in Hopkins, Rains, Delta, and Franklin Counties. Extension agents, guest presenters, and volunteers will present sessions about poultry, dairy, beef, honeybees, grains, horses, wildlife, cotton, and 4-H. This is an amazing event, and 4th grade students are surprised to know that everyday living involves agriculture, from the food they eat, to the clothes they wear, to the homes in which they live.
- October 5-16: Tractor Supply Paper Clover Campaign – if you shop at Tractor Supply, please consider contributing $1 extra at checkout. Funds raised go toward helping local 4-H’ers with camp and registration fees. Over the past several years, Tractor Supply, Inc. has partnered with 4-H to empower more young people with the skills to succeed in life today and career tomorrow. Studies point to a yearning from youth for more guidance to become True Leaders, and with this partnership, our staff is able to assist more youth!
- October 8: “One Day 4-H” – the Dike 4-H Club will partner with the Dike Community for the annual garage sale. Concessions and miles of sales will be available. Head over toward Dike for all the action! Also, 4-H members from other clubs will be heading to the South Sulphur Unit of Cooper Lake to work on the butterfly garden near the entrance. Interested 4-H’ers may meet at the Extension Office at 9:30 to carpool, or you may meet at the site.
- Other 4-H happenings: Robotics group will meet at the Sulphur Springs Public Library on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 4:30 p.m. The Arbala Harvest 4-H Club, Infinity 4-H Club, Miller Grove 4-H Club, and Paws 4-H club will all have meetings in October. The Dike 4-H Club invites all interested students to join them for bicycle project meetings.
Contact our office for information on all these activities!
Fall Festival Creative Arts Contest
We have received some very positive feedback concerning the Creative Arts Contest. The entry divisions have been changed slightly, and we are looking forward to having many entries this year! Entry divisions are: Art, Bake Show, Clothing, Creative Crafts, Decorated Cakes, Food Preservation, Handiwork, Holiday Corner, Horticulture, Photography, Quilts/quilted items, and Woodworking. We also have a separate category for Assisted Living and Nursing Home residents. Contact the Extension Office at 903-885-3443 for more information, or drop by and pick up a copy.
Entries will be accepted Thursday, October 20 from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., and Friday, October 21 from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the Sulphur Springs High School Conference Center. Alternate times are Monday thru Wednesday, October 17 to 19, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at the Extension Office, 1200-B W. Houston, Sulphur Springs. Entry fee is only $1 per person (except classroom and 4-H entries).
Judging will take place on Friday, October 21 starting at 10:00 a.m. and items will be on display for public viewing that afternoon (approximately 1:30 to 5:00 p.m.) and on Saturday, October 22 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Entries with a purple rosette are deemed best of show or reserve best of show, and winners will have pictures taken at 1:30 p.m. Items may be picked up following pictures.
Fall Festival Arts & Crafts Show
Wow, wow, wow! We have some fantastic vendors lined up for the Arts & Crafts Show! To me, this is one of the major highlights of the Hopkins County Fall Festival. Be sure to bring your wallet and enjoy early Christmas shopping! This event will take place in the Sulphur Springs High School cafeteria, north entry hallway, north entry walkway, and grassy area beside the bus lane, on Friday, October 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Saturday, October 22 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
As of this writing, a few spaces still remain, so if you are interested in a space, contact me and I’ll send you a registration form and guidelines. Reminder: this is only for handmade, handcrafted items. No commercially made items will be accepted.
Closing Thought
You must do the thing you think you cannot do – Eleanor Roosevelt
Johanna Hicks
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Family & Consumer Sciences
1200-B W. Houston
P.O.Box 518
Sulphur springs, TX 75483
903-885-3443 – phone
903-439-4909 – Fax
[email protected]
