Seaford Blue Jays – Jayda Riefler, Reporter
The Seaford Blue Jays met at the Seaford Legion on April 9, 2025. Caydance our president led the meeting by starting us off saying the pledge of Allegiance and the 4-H Pledge. We talked about the Junior Leaders weekend where the people that attended learned self-defense strategies and enjoyed a bonfire and other fun activities. We also discussed fair entries, upcoming demonstrations, as well as the 4-H formal.
Our club will once again plant and service flower boxes at Lofland Park for the residents to enjoy. Our president introduced two new families to our club. Our end of the year gathering will take place in June at Lickety Splits. Our next meeting will be on May 14, 2025 at the Legion, hosted by Paloma and Zipporah. We adjourned this meeting to enjoy a craft and snack from Sophia and Claire. Happy spring!!!!!!!
Hollymount – Frankie Joella, Reporter
We began our April 2025 4-H meeting with our usual pledges, secretary report, and the treasurer’s report. Next, we talked about all our old and new business. As for old business, the Spring Walking Challenge goes from April 18-27 and winners in different age groups receive prizes. April 15 and 16 was the Demonstration Contest, and those participating had to register by April 4. With the upcoming summer months, we have many great 4-H events to look forward to. As of April 1, State Fair entries are now open. May 17 is Animal Science Day at the State Fair New Castle Building, which is a day of learning about many different farm animals. Besides our old and new business, we also did many fun activities tonight. We made Meals on Wheels favors and did yoga! Our next meeting will be May 8.
Lord Baltimore Helping Hands
Our meeting began with pledges led by Grace and Ruby. We discussed the events from the past month and shared the results of the Foods judging contest. Ruby then stressed the importance of reading the newsletter for important information on upcoming events and their sign-up deadlines. She spoke about the day camp, overnighters, and the state fair, answering questions from the new members as well as their parents. Miss Kathy shared that we had received the grant money requested from the DE 4-H Foundation for our community service project, making a monthly meal for the Shepherd’s office. We also decided on the date of our multi-family yard and bake sale, to raise more money for our project. Then Miranda and her grandmother, Mrs. Raybuck, taught us about plant propagation. We then were given the plants and pots to propagate the Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti she shared with us. Everybody got several plants to root and pot in the weeks to come. Next, Ruby showed us how to cut out and begin knotting our no-sew pillows for the fair. We can’t wait to complete them at our next meeting, May 18th.
Bridgeville Mustangs – Cole Carpenter, Reporter
The Mustangs had such a memorable March meeting! After discussion of many 4-H events such as Favorite Foods, Indoor Archery, and State Teen Conference, the members all got to choose a ceramic to paint! Every one of the members who painted were so excited to show off their creativity using different shading and blending techniques with their brushes and choosing the perfect variety of colors to highlight their ceramics. This is certainly a project they can enter in to the fair and I can’t wait for everyone to see them! We followed up our meeting with the perfect blend of healthy and sweet St. Patrick’s Day snack enjoyed by all. In April, Junior leaders were happy to report on all the fun they had during Junior Leader Weekend including a counselor hunt, community service projects, a bullet journaling exercise, a life skills segment taught by Junior Council officers, and a self-defense workshop lead by 4-H Moms! Sounds like they had an awesome time! Members also discussed Mustangs Arts & Crafts Day where each member was invited to get a head start on their fair projects and Equine Art exhibit. The meeting was followed by a comical rendition of “Ships & Sailors” lead by the Junior Leaders. Mustangs are encouraged to join us for next month’s meeting on May 8th.
Sussex County 4-H Jr. Council – Linda Adams, Reporter
In March we had 22 members who joined in as we went over old business including Favorite Foods & State Teen Conference. Team Energizer, Lillie, hosted a team-building exercise that was enjoyed by all. Juliette led a service project along with helpers: Brooke M., Hannah H. & Megan K. The members really took pride in making dog treats for the animal shelter. Afterwards, we celebrated St. Patricks Day with a sweet snack brought by Juliette Anger.
The April meeting of the Sussex Junior Council was held on April 7th. President Ainsley West called the meeting to order and began by revisiting some items from March. We discussed the Horse Bowl and Junior Leader Weekend—congratulations to the 31 happy teens who attended and made the weekend a success! We also talked about the Spring Walking Challenge and reminded everyone to keep registering their steps and stay active and engaged. Finally, we noted that State Fair Entries are now open and members are encouraged to begin planning their submissions.
For new business, President Ainsley West shared some exciting upcoming events and deadlines including Registration for Sussex 4-H Animal Science Day and the County Archery Shoots are just around the corner. She also reminded everyone that applications for the Delaware 4-H Foundation Scholarships are due May 1st—a great opportunity for senior 4-H members!
During the meeting, Lillie Bradley shared her amazing experience attending Fair Fest and Addison Freebery and Linda Adams gave glowing feedback about their time at Junior Leader Weekend. We also enjoyed a special presentation by Caydance and Embrey Means on Over the Counter (OTP) medicine. It was an informative lecture, and we all walked away knowing more about making safe and healthy choices. Juliette Anger and Lillie Bradley spoke about their fantastic time at the IGNITE SUMMIT! To end the night on a fun note, Caydance and Embrey hosted a creative activity where members got to decorate emptied chicken eggs with markers for Easter. Everyone had a blast showing off their creativity! Our next meeting will be held on May 5th @ 7PM. We look forward to seeing everyone there!
