We will offer training sessions on an as-needed basis...and will work to make the trainings fit with folks' schedules. It would be especially helpful to the program if each division could send parents through a training so that no one club or division is covering the entire activity. Ideally, at least 5 people will commit to any one training session. Contact the WSU 4-H office to sign up...360-679-7328 or 321-5111, ext. 7328 or e-mail Judy at judyfe@co.island.wa.us"

The deadline for our first writing contest has passed, but stay tuned for the writing contest at Fair. Information about how to enter will be in the premium book and inclosed in the packets that will be given to each club leader.

Whidbey Island Meat Goats

The Meat Goat Club participated in the United States Boer Goat Association (USBGA) Show held at the Stanwood Fairgrounds. Ten of their members showed their goats in Showmanship and Market classes. Riley took 2nd place in Showmanship, Morgan tood 3rd place in Showmanship. In market classes, Becca's goat won 2nd place in the lightweight class. Noah's wether took 2nd place in the medium weight class.

The classes wer large, with around 25 kids from all over the area showing their goats. Our club members did very well in spite of the big group! Especially since this was their first show, ever!!!

Christina, the club leader, has done a wonderful job of teaching the 4-H'ers how to bathe, clip, train to lelad, train to stand in place, and how to feed for a good market product. Thank you Christina!

Anything, Everything And Beyond went clam digging in Penn Cove on May 10, then on May 11 they learned how to clean them and turn them into chowder!

Leaders' Council - The Council has decided to combine Achievement Night and Rally Night events, and to try holding the combined event in January or 2009. Stay tuned for more details. Vicki Lawson has volunteered to help with the planning, and I'm sure she'd love some help!

Work on the new manure composting facility has been on hold, while the fairboard, City of Langley, and Island County work out the final details regarding placement of the infamous road. Once that has been officially, finally, set, we'll be able to get started on the manure composting structure.

Dog Project Committee - We had our first "Spring" Fun Match on the snowy weekend in April. Luckily we were at the Lloyd Arena in Greenbank whic is covered. The kids were freezing, but everyone had fun and made the most of it. The Spring Show at the fairgrounds went very well, even though it was a little too hot for the dogs (we went from freezing to heat wave). There were only a couple of members that weren't able to attend the Spring Show. On May 31st we had a work party at the dog barn. We weeded around the outside of the barn and it looks great! We finally have gutters on the dog barn, so hopefully we won't have any more problems with mud flowing into the barn. We cleaned out the mud that had washed in over the winter, and washed down the walls in preparation for some painting. We have been working with a local landscaper to try to get some work done on the dog arena to even out the lumps and bumps so the kids have a surface that is a little more level to show their dogs on. We will be setting up another work party which will mostly be for painting after one of our wonderful dads pressure washes the barn for us.

Horse Project Committee - The fairboard decided to veto the screening for the end of the arena, so riders are being strongly encouraged to continue working with their horses to get them used to unexpected noises and motions. The committee has just about completed a revision of the Island County Horse Rules, and they are now focusing on getting everyone ready for the summer shows and the fair.

Livestock Sale Committee - Everyone successfully completed weigh-in. Weights will be posted on the website soon, so keep checking! Jay and Judy have now made presentations to both the Oak Harbor and South Whidbey Kiwanis groups, promoting the market animal project and the auction too.

Between workshops, state meetings, Spring Show, and the last minute rush to beat the enrollment deadline, the month felt extremely full at the office. How did it feel to you?

There seemed to be a bit of confusion about the enrollment deadline this year, which seemed odd in light of how much time we spent discussing it at meetings and in e-mails. People can enroll in 4-H at any time of the year, especially leaders! BUT, it is an Island County 4-H rule and an Island County Fair rule that anyone wanting to compete for premium rewards at fair needs to be enrolled and in the 4-H database by June 1. If you are interested in the horse project, you need to have your enrollment and horse certificate in the office by May 1. And ALL 4-H'ers who want to show at fair need to be involved with their projects throughout the year, making sure they meet division requirements for the privilege of showing at fair. If you have any questions, please e-mail the 4-H Office.

We're still looking for a couple of 8th-10th graders who want to learn how to use HTML to design and maintain websites. In exchange for free lessons, you'll get real work experience as we develop our site, and you'll learn what it's like to be involved with WSU Extension staff and volunteers in the workplace. To bolster your resume' and college applications, you'll be given regular evaluations that you can include in your portfolio.

The M-Bar-C Garden is growing beautifully. We continue to work with them on the possibility of doing more shows and exhibits at their wonderful facility.

Our Food For Thought Program still continues to grow slowly. We do have more seeds to give away to any family who is tracking the program.

Judy has broccoli, radishes, beets, carrots, and sunflowers that have been joined by green beans, collard greens, asian greens, and cucumbers. Her potatoes are growing quickly, and her onions are getting fatter and sweeter.

Just like last month, the weather continues to provide some challenges to gardens across the island, but even that has given us opportunities to think about all of the different uncertainties faced by our farmers.

So what's growing in YOUR garden? Does your club plan to enter any garden projects at Fair? If so, you'd better get busy! Also, seriously consider participating in the Plant A Row project as a club community service as wellas a Food For Thought activity. You can get more info about this worthy approach to providing fresh foods to our food banks by contacting the Hummingbird Farm at 360-679-5044.

It seems that as gas prices go up, and food prices go up, wages aren't necessarily doing the same. Many here on Whidbey are feeling the pinch. Please consider food drives and neighborhood potlucks for your community service projects. Think about ways you can be in service with your community, not acting out of charity, but out of support for your friends and neighbors.

The website has some new podcasts posted! Just in case you haven't already, check out the samples of their work at their website.

Premium Books should be available soon. Also, Molly Kay will be attending our June 12 Leader's Council Meeting to go over the new entry process. There are new rules and deadlines this year that you will need to pay close attention so, so we hope every club is well represented at this meeting.

We will have two new, non-premium contests this year. They have been designed to increase our general participation across the entire 4-H portion of the fair. The club with the highest percentage of members participating in all of the activities below will win a special prize on the last day of Fair: In-progress Record Book; Educational Poster; Public Presentation; Club Banner; Club Scrapbook; Kitchen Activity (Home Ec Contests); Quiz Bowl. To count toward the total, each 4-H'er needs to have done ALL of the above at fair.

The club with the highest percentage of parents participating in all of the activities listed below will also win a prize on the last day of fair: Herdsmanship judging; 4-H Building desk shift; Public Presentation Judging; WSU Extension info booth; Evening Awards meeting attendance. To count toward the total, each 4-H parent needs to have done ALL of the above at fair.

About that Public Presentation Judging...we need your participation! To judge at fair, you will need to attend one of the two trainings Judy will offer in June. The first one will be on Saturday, June 28, from 10-noon at the Commissioners' Hearing Room, and the second will be on Monday, June 30, from 5-7pm, at the WSU Office. Ideally, we would have at least one parent from each club volunteer to help out with this very important part of 4-H. But if you're trying to win that club prize described above, you'll want more than just a couple of parents signing up!

Remember that If you submitted your enrollments after June 1 (May 1 for horse projects), you are welcome to participate at fair as a support to your club. You will not, however, be able to participate in any events for premium points. Look at it as a lower stress way to be there for your friends and help your club show well in the barns.

Master Gardeners - Plant Clinics have begun. If you're garden plants are having problems, you can take a sample of the leaves/stem/roots to one of the clinics for suggestions from these great volunteers. You can learn more about the place and dates of these by visiting the Master Gardener website and going to their June calendar.

Livestock Advisors - available to share information with our 4-H clubs…ask Judy

Beach Watchers - they have a new class of trainees!

Waste Wise Volunteers - Janet is crossing her fingers for our manure composting project, as she prepares to leave for her bike across America with the American Lung Association.

Shore Stewards - Scott is working on grant funded projects at Strawberry Point and Holmes Harbor…if you live in those areas and are interested in participating (possible some grant funding available for clubs) let me know!

Admiralty Head Lighthouse Docents - Lighthouse License Plates are still for sale!

Agriculture Sustainability & Land Stewardship - working on all sorts of exciting ag projects! Olivia is a great resource for us, so be sure to introduce yourself to her at some point. We want all of our 4-H families to be models of good land stewardship.

Go to the WSU Extension programs website and wander around for more detailed information.

4-H is in the business of growing kids! We do this by working in our community to offer a wide range of opportunities for K-12 youth. Our goal is to support kids as they discover their talents and interests and then provide them with experiences to help them deepen, strengthen, and use those talents and interests! In addition to the club structure that many are familiar with, we also offer activities for families that can be done outside of a commitment to a club, and resources for educators to use in their classrooms.