June Cloverbuds Meeting
At the June meeting, our Cloverbuds played wild animal BINGO, then they learned about shoot/don’t shoot scenarios for safety. There were also two demonstrations from club members.
Shooting Sports
Loss of a 4-H Leader
It is with great sadness that we write that Jim Easthouse lost his battle with cancer on Sunday, June 4, 2023. Jim and his wife Jackie have been instrumental leaders in the Larimer County 4-H Shooting Sports program. They have both been certified leaders in a number of disciplines. Those in the livestock arena knew Jim as the brand inspector. We do not yet have information about services, but we will share details as soon as we do.
Club News for May 18
Schedule Updates
It’s very important that you check the club calendar. It has the most up-to-date information and lately it seems like lots of dates are changing—scheduling and weather have been challenges. For those in shooting sports it is extremely important that you go to the shooting sports website and sign up for the Remind notifications, especially with the weather we have been seeing lately.
Cloverbuds (and all 4-H Members) Invited to the Park on Saturday
This Saturday, May 20, the Cloverbuds are meeting at the park at the Berthoud Recreation Center at 3:00 p.m. Since this is an outdoor activity with lots of space and hopefully great weather, all club members are invited to come and have a get-to-know-each-other activity. We have a signup so that we can be sure to have snacks and activities for everyone. Click here to go to the Signup.
Cloverbuds Invited to Participate in Cake Decorating Contest
The Cake Decorating Contest will be on Saturday, June 3 in the McKee 4-H Building Exhibit Hall at The Ranch. Here is the tentative schedule:
· 9:00 a.m. – Check in for Unit 10.
· 9:15 a.m. – Unit 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 Check-in.
· 9:30 a.m. – Unit 10 Judging will begin (Unit 10 will get 1 1/2 Hours to complete their cakes).
· 10:00 a.m. – Judging for Units 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, & 11 will begin (All of these Units will get 1 hour to complete their cakes).
· 10:00 a.m. – Unit 1 and Cloverbuds Check-in.
· 10:30 a.m. – Unit 1 and Judging Begins (Cloverbuds and Unit 1 will get 30 minutes to complete their cake).
Registration is required. Deadline to register is May 28. *Please make sure you register for the Unit you are enrolled in.
Register here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c4aacad29a4fc1-4hcake#/.
Please arrive on time for your check-in so judging can begin on time. All stations must be set up prior to the start of judging and cleaned up by the time judging ends.
Please direct your questions to Christie Barrett: Christieginger@msn.com.
Postponed: Lon Hagler Archery Range Workday / May 13, 2023
CHANGE OF PLANS: Due to the wet conditions, we’ll schedule a later date to paint the benches and picnic tables at Lon Hagler Archery Range.
The Big Thompson Bowhunters group maintains the Lon Hagler Archery Range. They are holding their annual workday on Saturday, May 13 beginning at 8:00 a.m. and our 4-H club has volunteered to help with painting at the range.
This is a great community service opportunity!
Saturday, May 13 at 8:00 a.m.
Lon Hagler Archery Range
West County Road 16E, Loveland, CO
Please RSVP and plan to wear clothes suitable for PAINTING!
Club News for March 30
March sure has gone by fast!
4-H Carnival
A huge thank you to every club member who sold carnival tickets and helped the day of the carnival at the club booth. It was truly appreciated. The final numbers should be available at the next club meeting. A short summary our club sold 6,053 tickets! Liam Babcock sold 1,000 tickets himself. Our club averaged $56.05 per member, which is great! Including Liam, we had 8 members sell 100 or more tickets—that’s amazing! We also discussed the club booths at the meeting and got great feedback and positive suggestions for next year’s carnival.
Shooting Sports Leaders
We have three more certified shooting sports leaders in our club, and one newly recertified leader:
- Brett Dennis – Rifle
- Walker Cameron – Rifle (Junior Leader)
- Gideon Rivera – Archery (Junior Leader)
- Nate Schuelke – Archery (Recertified)
Visual Arts
Our club’s Visual Arts group is having fun. They have started on sculpting including learning how to make the plaster of Paris, then pour it into a mold, and sculpt it. The next meeting is Monday, April 10 at 5:30 p.m.
Foods
The Foods group went on a tour at The Spice and Tea Exchange in Fort Collins in March. The next meeting will be Monday, April 3 at 6:00 p.m.
Scrapbooking
The Scrapbooking group is meeting on Saturday, April 8 at our club’s Scrapbooking leader Barb Hummel’s home in Berthoud. The SignUpGenius is on the website, and the deadline to sign up is Tuesday, April 4.
Beekeeping
On Wednesday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m., Beekeeping will have a guest speaker from the Butterfly Pavilion. Everyone is welcome to attend!
Club Calendar
It is very important to check the calendar on the club website for upcoming workshops that might pertain to your project. You can find the calendar at hch4h.org/calendar.
Club Shirts
A wonderful display of artistic talent was shown at March’s meeting when we began the process of choosing the next design for our club t-shirts. Each club member present voted for their favorite 2. The selections were narrowed to a final 4. These 4 are posted on the club website so club members can place their votes. The voting will close at the end of the day tomorrow, Friday, March 31. We will announce the winner at the club meeting on April 10. After that time, we will post a form for members, leaders, and Cloverbuds to place their orders. We will offer T-shirts, hoodies, and zipper Hoodies with the new design. The club covers the cost of one t-shirt per member, Cloverbud, and leader.
Community Service
Remember, every club member must participate in a community service project for 4-H. This is very simple. If you participated in the 4-H Carnival by selling your tickets or volunteering at the club booth, you have fulfilled this requirement. We also had the Wreaths Across America project. We wrapped presents at the December meeting. And if you help with range setup or tear down at a shooting sport practice, this also fulfills this requirement. Keep track of these!
Demonstrations
Every club member must present a demonstration. Sign up on the club website. This can also be completed at a Cloverbud meeting (prior permission is required). Due to the large enrollment numbers in our club, I will allow members to work with other club members. If you are doing a demonstration outside of a club meeting, prior approval must be obtained. Please do no wait until the July club meeting!. I am trying to book another opportunity or two, but scheduling is a challenge.
Shooting Sports Orientations
- Air Rifle, Air Pistol, .22 Rifle, .22 Pistol Orientation – Friday, March 31 at 6:30 p.m.
- Archery Orientation – Saturday, April 1 at 9:00 a.m.
- Shotgun Orientation – Tuesday, April 4 at 5:30 p.m.
- Muzzleloading Orientation – Wednesday, April 5 at 5:30 p.m. or Sunday, April 23 at 1:00 p.m.
These are the final opportunities for these orientations. If you do not fulfill this requirement as a new member (or a returning member adding the discipline), you will not be allowed to attend county practices and county shoots. However, you can and should still complete the projects.
Wear Your Club Shirt, Meet Other Members
Remember, if you have a club t-shirt, please wear it to 4-H events, practices, and activities. Let’s get to know each other. I love seeing so many of you outside of club meetings.
Hunter Education Course / March 25–26, 2023
Update as of March 13, 2023: We currently have 6 slots open for our Hunter Education class on March 25–26. This is an Internet Completion Course, so it requires that the online portion to completed prior to attending.
Larimer County 4-H Shooting Sports is hosting a conclusion course for Hunter Education on March 25–26, 2023. This conclusion course requires all participants to have completed the online course PRIOR to attending the in-person course.
Please be sure to read this document thoroughly BEFORE you register. Click here to access the class information.
Shooting Sports Annual Safety Meeting on Zoom
Getting Started as a New Shooting Sports Member
Members new to Larimer County 4-H Shooting Sports must complete the orientation process by attending an Annual Safety Meeting on Zoom first, followed by orientation for the discipline second.
Annual Safety Meeting on Zoom
- Friday, January 20 at 6:30 p.m.
- Friday, February 17 at 6:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m.
New Member Orientation
Each Shooting Sports discipline will be holding its own orientations for new members. Go to each discipline’s page or the calendar for dates, times, and locations. Dates are still being scheduled.
Returning Members
All returning members are required to attend the mandatory Annual Safety Meeting on Zoom. (Returning members are defined as those who participated in practices for the discipline during the previous year.)
Annual Safety Meeting on Zoom
- Friday, January 20 at 6:30 p.m.
- Friday, February 17 at 6:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m.
Returning shooting sports members who are adding a new discipline must attend the new member orientation for the new discipline before they can attend practices.
Zoom Meeting Links
The link for each of the Zoom meetings will be emailed to all members who are enrolled in Shooting Sports. If you have not enrolled but wish to receive the link, please email info@lc4hss.org with your request.
If you have questions, please email info@lc4hss.org.
Tentative 2023 Dates for Shooting Sports Leader Certification Training
Larimer County 4-H has a strong Shooting Sports program, and our club has many members involved in this project. The only way that the Shooting Sports problem is able to sustain itself and continue is by having robust leadership. If you are interested in volunteering as a Shooting Sports leader, please mark your calendar and plan to attend the training.l
Here are the tentative dates for the Shooting Sports Leader Certification trainings for 2023:
- March 3–5, 2023 in Morgan County
- March 10–12, 2023 in Weld County
- March 17–19, 2023 in Pueblo County
- March 24–26, 2023 in Garfield County
Please note that all disciplines are NOT offered at all locations. More information will be released soon about what disciplines are offered at each.
Volunteers must have the leader process and background check completed and be active, approved, enrolled volunteers in v2.4HOnline.com PRIOR to registering for a training. For more information about becoming a leader, please click here.
Larimer County is in serious need of more Shooting Sports leaders. Please block out time on your calendar and plan to attend. Senior 4-H members can also attend these trainings to become certified as Shooting Sports Junior Leaders.
Watch for more details to come!
Club Members Compete at National 4-H Shooting Sports Championships
Two of our club’s members traveled to Grand Island, Nebraska to participate in the National 4-H Shooting Sports Championships from June 26–July 1, 2022. Colorado sends teams of 4 members for each shooting sports discipline. There were 391 total participants representing 39 states.
Nicholas Freeland competed in Air Rifle and Walker Cameron competed in Small-Bore Rifle.
Thank you for representing our club, our county, and our state so well, Nick and Walker!
Fishing Adventure on Friday, May 27, 2022
We have scheduled a fishing outing for Friday, May 27 from 8:00–11:00 a.m. at Buckingham Reservoir on the west side of Loveland. This is a private lake that Colorado Parks and Wildlife officer Clayton Brossart has retained permission to fish, and he will be hosting our trip. He will have bait/lures for crappie fishing. If you wish to fish for bass, bring your own bait/lures. This will be a catch-and-release experience.
The dam of Buckingham Reservoir is on the east side, and parking is on the shoulder of First Street. Leaders and parents are welcome to attend. But remember that anyone 16 and older MUST have a Colorado fishing license. Please RSVP to Cindy if you plan to attend so she has a count of members and parents who will be participating.
What a great way to end the school year and get a kickoff to Sportfishing/Outdoor Skills with a field trip!