Milam County 4-H Open House set for Aug. 17
The Milam County Texas A&M Agrilife Extension office is excited to announce they will be hosting an open house for Milam County 4-H later this month.
The event will be held at the Milam County Annex, located at 806 N. Crockett in Cameron, on Saturday, Aug. 17 from 9 a.m. to noon.
Kids across Milam County are invited to stop by and learn about all the clubs, projects, contests, teams and events Milam county 4-H has to offer.
Milam County has seen a huge enrollment increase in the past year for its 4-H program.
“Our annual open enrollment is Sept. 1 through Oct. 31, but the numbers continued to climb all year for 2023-2024, in fact we ended the year with over 200 students enrolled across Milam County,” says CEA-FCH Agent, Micah Holcombe. “Although some new members are transferring from other counties, many are brand new to the 4-H world, and we are finding out they really don’t know what 4-H offers. Events, projects and teams can vary from county to county as well. This event has been designed to share information with new or potential 4-H members on absolutely everything you can do as a part of Milam County 4-H.”
This will be a come and go event, set up like a job fair. The tables will be manned by current 4-H Members and their parents from across the county. Milam County has four active primary clubs that meet monthly, those include Cameron, Rockdale, Gause and Thorndale.
In addition to those clubs a Shooting Sports Club is also active as a secondary club. Representatives from each of these clubs will be on hand to distribute information and answer questions about their club meetings, fundraising and other events.
Other topics represented include information regarding 4-H Enrollment process, how to complete a 4-H Record book and scholarship opportunities through 4-H.
“Kids can become Cloverbud members from Kindergarten to 2nd Grade, and full members starting at 3rd grade,” Holcombe said. “And it’s really never too early to start working on a 4-H Record book which becomes the key tool for Senior 4-H Members to apply for scholarships.”
It has become a top priority for the Extension office to educate Milam County 4-H families on the financial awards students can earn. In the past few years, Milam County 4-H Seniors have earned over $300,000 in scholarships based on their accomplishments throughout their years in 4-H.
Livestock is a huge part of Milam County 4-H. Kids across the county raise rabbits, chickens, lambs, goats, sheep, swine, heifers and steers every year to compete in livestock shows across the state. There will be tables for each species with veteran exhibitors and their parents to answer questions about how to get started showing livestock and the time and commitment involved. Milam county has two local stock shows each year. Representatives from Milam County Junior Livestock Show and Rockdale Fair will be on hand at this event to field questions regarding their annual events as well.
In case you didn’t know, animals are not a requirement of 4-H involvement. There are several other projects, contests and events members can participate in that don’t require the expense of owning and raising livestock. The open house will have tables manned by the coaches to highlight all the judging teams for Milam County. This includes Ag Product ID, Plant ID, Consumer Judging, Horse Judging and Livestock Judging. Milam county has teams that compete across the state bringing buckles, banners, plaques and scholarships back year after year. There are also several projects that members can participate in on an individual basis. Attendees will also be able to gather information on Food & Nutrition, STEM, Photography, Leadership and Public Speaking.
“This is second year for this event in Milam County, we are hoping that both new members and families considering joining 4-H will stop in on the 17th to get a peak into all the opportunities Milam County 4-H has to offer,” Holcombe said. “We have partnered with Ruth Canady of Sno -Sisters to have snow cones available for those attending the event. Kids will receive a bingo card to get stamped as they visit tables and can trade it in for a ticket for a free snow cone. If you ever wanted to know anything about Milam County 4-H, this event will be a 1-stop chance to learn it all.”
Doors open at 9 a.m. and the event is free to attend.
If you are unable to attend, project information will be available on the Milam County 4-H website after the event. Contact the Extension office if you have any questions at (254) 697-7045.