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Teen Leader, Zach Shepherd, assists 4-H Clover Kids with a relay race during 4-H Day Camp.

Hopkins County 4-H members make up a large portion of participants during Multi-county

4-H Camp, where they participated in a variety of workshops and sessions.

Never let it be said that there is nothing to do in Hopkins County! A large portion of my summer has been devoted to youth camps and activities for all ages. Here's a sampling of the fun:

Multi-County 4-H Camp - Hopkins County sent 27 4-H members and leaders to "Proud to Be an American" Multi-county 4-H Camp at Lakeview Baptist Conference Center in Lone Star. Activities included the ropes course/zip line, canoeing, climbing, shooting sports, sewing workshop, Master Gardener sessions, water/outdoor life session, swimming, paddle boats, team building, talent show, and terrific food!

Hopkins County 4-H'ers came home with several camp awards. Brianna Isham won 1st place in the talent show with her song and rhythm routine. Wesley McDonald and Matthew Harper won 3rd place with their skit "No Fishing". Morgan Mayers won the "Betsy Ross" Most Patriotic Girl award Brenton Burnside won the "George Washington" Most Patriotic Boy award for their winning essays on "Why I'm Proud to Be an American".

All 4-H'ers came home with a decorative pillow case that they made during the sewing workshop.

4-H Day Camp - The temperature was hot, but the kids were cool as they played games, completed crafts, ate a 6-foot Sub sandwich, and spent the remainder of the afternoon on water slides, bounce houses, dunking booths, giant slip-n-slide, and obstacle course. Teen leaders Katelyn McDonald, Zach Shepherd, Aleigh Bessonett, and Kayleigh Lester assisted with recreation and crafts, while gaining valuable leadership experience. Special thanks go to Margarette McDonald, Tammy Burnside, Carolyn George, and Fari George for assisting with transportation and crowd control!

Kids' Camp: Fun, Food, Fitness - The 2nd annual event was a huge success, thanks to the Community Health/Wellness Alliance member, Blue Blaze Drill Team, Master Gardeners, Master Wellness Volunteers and other volunteers who made it possible. Sixty young people who just completed grades 1-4 registered for the 4-week camp, which included nutrition, bullying, physical activity, and gardening/recycling sessions.

Camp took place on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to noon for four weeks and the unanimous consensus was that it was FUN! Each participant received a booklet of recipes, craft ideas, and important facts that they learned during the camp. One of the features was "Walk Across Texas", a program to encourage walking and physical activity. The goal of Walk Across Texas was to achieve 833 miles during the 4-week period. The campers really stepped up to the challenge and achieved 3,066 miles! Each camp day, campers earned 60 minutes of physical activity each (equivalent to 3 miles).

A puppet show featuring the "Food Groupies" was presented by the Blue Blazes, and camp participants enjoyed cooking demonstrations, sampling, and even prepared a pancake mix from scratch. They also learned what to do if they encounter a bullying situation and did some role-playing to show their skills in handling bullying situations.

The final day featured a celebration of all that they learned, including a water slide, bounce house, barrel train, and stations for making fruit pizza, "Hairy Heads", and other activities. Thank you, parents, for allowing us to work with your children!

Upcoming Events - Hopkins County 4-H members and guests are invited to participate in the 4th Annual Project Tour Day, to be held on Thursday, August 2. For those wanting to carpool, we'll meet at the Extension Office at 9:30 a.m. Our first stop is at 10:00 a.m. for a tour of Clayton Homes (related to housing and food projects), followed by a visit to Fenton's Wildlife Ranch near Cumby at 11:15 a.m. (related to wildlife/outdoor projects). We'll eat lunch at the ROC - Recreation Outreach Center of First Baptist Church, and spend a little time playing basketball, walking on the indoor track, etc. (related to recreation, sports projects). Our final stop will be a tour of La Pooch Pet Salon and boarding house (related to companion animal, dog, vet science projects) at 2:00 p.m. An optional Jewelry Beading class will be held for interested 4-H members and parents/leaders at approximately 3:00 p.m. Due to the nature of the workshop, there will be a $15 charge to cover cost of materials, but please contact our office if financial assistance is needed. Interested 4-H members, parents, and leaders must call our office to sign up for the Project Tour Day - 903-885-3443.

Well, I'm out of room for this week! Keep posted for more good things coming your way!