Officer & 4-H Volunteer Training November 8th

Please make plans to attend the multi-county 4-H Officer and Volunteer Training, Saturday, November 8th, in the Orange County High School cafeteria. All 4-H club officers, as well as those youth interested in serving as an officer one day, are encouraged to attend. This event will help prepare you for your job as an officer in a fun, hands-on way. 4-H'ers from Orange, Madison, Culpeper, Louisa, Fluvanna, and Albemarle are invited.

There will be a separate training tract for all 4-H adult volunteers--not just club leaders. Come learn more about 4-H opportunities, All Stars, involvement, etc. We've created topics based on input from 4-H adult participants, so please plan to attend.

Times: 9 a.m. to 12:00 Noon; light refreshments provided
Please RSVP to the Extension Office if you plan to attend. Thanks!

Welcome Mrs. Gilley, New Unit Support Staff!

Please join our office in welcoming Mrs. Tina Gilley to the Extension Office team! Today is her first day on the job, and she is excited about meeting the local 4-H members and volunteers. Tina resides in Madison with her husband, Calvin, and they have two grown children. Her last name likely sounds familiar because her son Jacob served as our Extension Intern this summer. Tina is familiar with 4-H and Extension programming and has served as a volunteer for a number of years. She has a background in administrative support work and will be an asset to our office. Welcome, Tina!

True Blue Cloverbud Meeting 10/21/08

The True Blue 4-H Cloverbud meeting will be held Tuesday, October 21st at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be a Halloween party, and all members are asked to contribute a snack. The LEGO Robotics group will be giving a demonstration of their activities. Come for the fun!

Free Tree Seedlings Available to 4-H Groups and Individuals

Free hardwood and pine tree seedlings are available to 4-H groups and individuals next spring, but now is the time to order. Trees help our environment and learning to plant and manage a living thing is a valuable life skill for youth to learn. What a great community service project for a 4-H club to plant seedlings in a public area or an area experiencing some environmental inadequacies! If you are interested in participating in this project, please call the Extension Office. Seedlings will be delivered in March & April 2009, so there's plenty of time to prepare.

Horse Members Place Well (& Often) at State Show

Orange County has a lot to be proud of when it comes to the State 4-H Horse Show. Held in Lexington, VA, last month, the show featured more than 600 horse/rider combinations, and Orange County claimed at least twenty of those. For a complete listing of show placings, please visit http://www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/horse/statehorseshow/documents/PlacingsbyCounty.pdf and look on pages 95-98 of the pdf document. First place ribbons were awarded to Molly Lumsden, Ashleigh Ramey, Emily Goodwin, and Shauna Prasse. The State Show features serious competition and we are proud of ALL of our 4-H'ers. Please congratulate them when you see them!

Stockman's Team Fairs Well in Contest at State Fair of Virginia

Congratulations to members of the Orange 4-H Stockman's Contest, who competed in Richmond Friday at the State Fair of Virginia. Junior Team A, consisting of Robert Nixon, John Michael Knight, Hope Johnson, and Garret Chambers placed seventh overall out of more than 50 teams. In the Senior division, Devon McGinnis placed 18th overall and Bobby Chambers was 12th overall, out of 197 inviduals. Senior Team A, including Devon, Bobby, and Kyle McGinnis and Elizabeth Nixon, placed sixth overall out of more than 60 teams. Watch this week's Orange Review for a photo and full story!

4-H Members Invite You to Fall Fiber Festival this Weekend

Several Orange 4-H members will be participating in the Fall Fiber Festival at Montpelier this weekend, October 4-5. They invite you to the grounds of Montpelier to learn about cashmere, mohair, alpacas, etc. There are even sheepdog trials! Visit the event website at www.fallfiberfestival.org for more information. The festival is open Saturday from 10-5 and Sunday from 10-4. See you there!