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06/10/2008: "4-H Schedules All-Island Cleanup Of Fairgrounds"

4-H club members from all islands in the county will converge on the county Fairgrounds July 26 to clean, repair and paint buildings used by 4-H, and clean up other areas of the Fairgrounds.

This workday reflects 4-H’s commitment to the Fairgrounds, which is used for 4-H activities throughout the year, culminating with the San Juan County Fair event itself.

With more than 700 San Juan County youth involved in 4-H programs, the effort should show considerable improvements at the Fairgrounds as it readies for the annual Fair August 13-16th. A higher percent of school-aged youth are enrolled in San Juan County 4-H than in most Washington counties. Our 4-H program has the second highest enrollment in the state with 28% of all school students enrolled.

The day’s work plan includes painting inside all 4-H buildings, upgrading the swine barn’s water system, weed-eating the fairgrounds, as well as cleaning and repairing the horse barn and large livestock pen, and the rabbit and poultry cages.


The effort is one of many community service projects done each year by 4-H around the county. Other events this past year include the Earth Day cleanup involving San Juan’s Bits & Spurs horse club, which helped gather more than 650 pounds of trash on South Beach.

San Juan’s Country Critters showed rabbits and chickens to other island kids at the Children’s Festival at the Fairgrounds. The Shaw Island Pioneers have an annual beach cleanup. Lopez photography club members make Christmas ornaments and sell them to support the Lopez Cemetery. T

he Horse Rangers 4-H club raised $400.00 for the Lopez Island Hospice and Home Support. Orcas Trailblazers (horse club) offered Christmas caroling on horseback! All members of 4H are required to participate in at least one community service event each year.

Each year, individual clubs have done cleanup and repair projects at the Fairgrounds. This year’s effort will bring all island 4-H members, and many parents and supporters, together for a much larger, more comprehensive effort.

The San Juan Kiwanis Club will provide lunch for the volunteer workers.

To celebrate this county wide gathering, there will be a group tie-dye activity during which all volunteers can create a tie-dye t-shirt using 4-H green dyes (Please bring your own clean, white, cotton t-shirt).

All 4-H alumni, supporters and friends are invited to join in this effort to support both 4-H and the Fair.The Fair Board’s budget has been reduced significantly for this year so all community help is much appreciated. Our club members are fun and enthusiastic to work with, so come join in for this special 4-H service day.

4-H -- Head, Heart, Hands and Health –- is more than social service projects and animal husbandry. 4-H members develop leadership skills and communication skills, while learning to collaborate as a team to achieve both personal and club goals. Acquiring these positive lifelong skills, empowers 4-H youth in all other areas of their lives.

4H members participate in a variety of club projects ranging from: livestock, environmental stewardship, horticulture, photography, performing arts, rocketry, food-preservation, skills, and astronomy. Enrollment in San Juan County is up 4% from 2006, which is a good indication that 4H’s hands-on education approach continues to attract youth from our changing island community.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Cindy Gauthier; 4H Coordinator 378-4414