Saline County 4-H gears up for National 4-H Week, Oct. 1-7

National 4-H Week will be observed Oct. 1-7. Our theme for the week and for the 2017-18 4-H year is "4-H: Join the Team, Change the World!"

Our Saline County 4-H program continues to grow and expand as members and adult volunteers are busy living up to the 4-H motto, "To Make the Best Better."

There will be 4-H displays in various locations throughout Saline County in honor of National 4-H Week. Contact information is included in each display. Please call one of our 4-H clubs or call me at the University of Illinois Extension office at (618) 252-8391 to find out more about Saline County 4-H.

Or stop by our Saline County U of I Extension office at 912 S. Commercial St. in Harrisburg to talk to one of our staff members. We are open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Tune in to WEBQ radio, 102.3 FM, during National 4-H Week to hear the public service announcements that members and adult volunteers previously recorded. Thank you WEBQ for your support of Saline County 4-H.

This week is a great time to recruit new members. We encourage each 4-H member to wear your 4-H T-shirt to school this week. Tell a friend about 4-H and the projects you exhibited at the fair this year. Invite a friend to attend your next 4-H club meeting. 4-H. The fun starts here!

Deadline Sunday for window contest

Clubs participating in the National 4-H Week display contest are reminded to have window displays completed for judging by Sunday, Oct. 1. The displays should remain in place until Saturday, Oct. 7, the end of National 4-H Week.

Rules for the contest were in the September 4-H newsletter, and they are also available at the Extension office. Individual 4-H members who would like to design a poster for National 4-H Week should follow the same guidelines for the window display.

Don't forget to call the Extension office to notify us of your display or poster location. Prizes for the top three displays and a prize for the winning poster will be awarded at Achievement Night on Monday, Oct. 16, in the cafeteria at Harrisburg Middle School.

Achievement Night Committee to meet Monday

The Saline County 4-H Achievement Night Committee will conduct a short meeting Monday, Oct. 2, to plan the decorations, food and program for the upcoming Achievement Night.

Committee members are asked to come with ideas that relate to our chosen theme, "4-H: Join the Team, Change the World!"

National Youth Science Day experiment

It's almost National 4-H Week and time again to explore the new 4-H National Youth Science Day experiment, incredible wearables! Join us from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2, at our Saline County U of I Extension office.

This experiment gives young people the opportunity to use the engineering design process to build a wearable fitness tracker that will help people lead healthier lifestyles. Along the way, young people will learn how circuits, sensors and health data can be blended with fashion to create a viable, wearable tech product.

This experiment is sure to wow participants. Please RSVP to (618) 252-8391 if you can make it!