NEW Miniature Horse Club

By: Cindy Pearce   If you are interested in joining a miniature horse club please come and see us on October 5^th at the Extension Office at 6:30 pm. See you there!

NEW Livestock Club  By: Rebecca Whitehead

 Absolutely Splitting Hares By: Sheryl Heater

           Hello to all! As you can see our club now has an official name. The club members did a great job coming up with name ideas and finally choosing one. Congratulations to our officers for the 2006-2007 4-H year! They are:

                   Damon Heater                        President

                    Lucas Hawthorne                   Vice President

Nicholas Nix                          Secretary

Sarah Hawthorne                   Historian

Avery Plemons                       Treasurer

Shane Stamper                       Sergeant at Arms

Our next meeting will be at the Extension Office on Monday, October 2^nd at 6:30 pm. We will be having a rabbit health check, all members need to bring their show rabbit(s) so that we can learn what to look for and how to treat minor problems so that when show time comes rolls around your rabbit will be in top condition.

We would like to invite new members to come and see what we are all about. For further information please feel free to call me, Ms. Heater, at 697-6449. See you there!

 Bacon Bunch By: Amanda Goggans

 The Bacon Bunch’s first meeting for the 2006-2007 year was held Tuesday, September 12^th at the Osceola Middle School cafeteria. Our new officers for the year were elected and are as follows:

Jared Prescott                         President

Carly Enfinger                        Vice President

Nikki Stratton                        Secretary

Chelsey Perry                         Treasurer

Amanda Goggans                   Reporter

Joe Barber                             Chaplain

Cory York                              Sergeant of Arms

Congratulations to all! We know you will do a great job.

We would like to thank our guest speaker, Mr. John Geitner from Sea Coast National Bank. He explained how to get financing for a large animal project. If you are interested in this you can call a bank representative at 467-7070. Remember, you must be enrolled in 4-H by October 31^st to be eligible to participate in the 2007 Okeechobee Youth Livestock Show in March.

Our club By-Laws state that each member must attend 60% of all meetings and one of the two workshops. Our first work shop will be on Saturday, October 7^th at the Highlands County Fair Grounds from 9:00 am until 2:00 pm. It is being presented by the University of Florida and should be very informative for all members, whether you are raising a swine, steer or beef breeding project. Lunch will be provided for our club members. Please call Ms. Audrey at the Extension Office to R.S.V.P. If you need help with transportation please let us know.

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, October 10^th at 6:30 pm at Osceola Middle School in the cafeteria. There will be a guest speaker from SunGlo. If you need to complete your 4-H enrollment please come to the meeting early. This presentation is open to all 4-H and FFA members. There is a lot going on this year with rule changes and different shows so please try to attend all meetings so you can stay informed. If you have any questions please call Mrs. Barnes at 634-8225 or Mr. Prescott at 634-8135.

Friendly Reminder: Carly Enfinger and Joe Barber are to do demonstrations at the next meeting!

Barnyard BuddiesBy: Logan Evans

The Barnyard Buddies had a great time at our first meeting. Dr. Letcher was our guest speaker and he talked a lot about rabbits and chickens. Thank you Dr. Letcher.

Congratulations to our newly elected officers:

Damon Heater                        President

Carma Rowlett                       Vice President

Tiffany Rowlett                      Treasurer

Logan Evans                           Reporter

At out October meeting we will have another guest speaker and we will be doing a plant project. I hope you all will come. It is going to be a lot of fun.

See you all on October 14^th at 10:00 am at the Extension Office for out next meeting!

Beef N’ Bacon Raisers   By: Ginnifer Mullis

           Boy, what a great meeting we had! It was so nice to see our returning members and our new ones. We discussed so much at the meeting, such as rules and regulations for 4-H and our workshops, weigh-in dates for the show and sale, fundraisers and much more. Please remember to be thinking about fundraiser ideas and please call me if you think of any.

          Congratulations to our 2006-2007 club officers. They are as follows:

         Janna Mullis                                              President

Brittany Avant                                          Vice President

Leanna Deloney                                        Secretary

John Conner                                              Treasurer

Ashley Murray                                           Reporter

Branson Butler and Josie Stratton           Historians

Our next meeting will be October 19^th at 6:00 p.m. at the Extension Office. Please make sure you bring your red folders, calendars and a pen.

If anyone is interested in attending the workshop in Highlands County please contact me at 763-5930. Leave a message if I don’t answer. I am planning on attending myself.

Have a great and safe month!

Bits & Spurs  By: Christina Talley

We held our kickoff meeting on September 14^th at the Extension Office. We were happy to see many new faces this year. We discussed the wreath fundraiser. Everyone who wanted to participate should have a catalogue, an order form and direct delivery shipping labels. We also discussed the upcoming events on this year’s tentative schedule. There were some date changes.

We went on a trail ride on September 19^th at Williamson Cattle Company. Everyone had a great time. On September 17^th we did community service at the Fellsmere Riding Club arena for the Steven Mauldin Memorial Rodeo.

Congratulations to this year’s officers! They are as follows:

Kayla Davis                  President

Megan Mullin               Vice President

Christina Talley            Reporter

Sarah Payne                  Treasurer  

Shiloh Anuez                Chaplain

Rachel Muros               Secretary

Our next meeting will be October 3^rd at 6:30 pm at Mi-Cin Ranch. See ya there!

 Chobee Cattle Kids  By: Tyler Mills

 The Chobee Cattle Kids held our first meeting of the new year on September 6^th at the Extension Office. We handed out OYLS rules and went over them, as well as the enrollment information. Remember, October 31^st is the deadline for 4-H enrollment.

 We elected officers for the new year. They are as follows:

                     Maci Culligan                        President

Carson Williams                    Vice President

Taylor Robbins                      Secretary

Kaley Dees                             Treasurer

Tyler Mills                              Reporter

Channing Williams                Chaplain

Cody Smith                            Parliamentarian

Jessica Humphrey                  Historian

Colton Smith                          Sergeant at Arms

Nathan Candler                      Hurricane Tracker

Cole Fulford                          Custodian

          Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, October 18^th at 6:30 pm at the Extension Office.

Chobee Crackers   By: Laura Lee Bryan

 The Chobee Crackers held their kickoff meeting at the home of members Jamie and Peter Jones. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed swimming in their new pool. A big “thank you” to the Jones Family for their hospitality!         

Our next meeting will be Thursday, October 12^th at Osceola Middle School at 6:30 pm. We will have a guest speaker and member demonstrations. Don’t forget to celebrate National 4-H Week in October!

Chobee Roundup   By: Dudley Kirton

Chobee Roundup’s next meeting will be on October 3^rd at the Extension Office at 7:00 pm. We will be going over selection of animals at this meeting. Please bring your record books so we can work on them also. See you then!

County Council/Jr. Leaders  By: Joy Burnham

County Council/Jr. Leaders held their meeting on September 18^th. Members who attended CWF, 4-H State Congress and the Tallahassee trips discussed with the group what each trip was about. Officer elections were held and the officers for this year are as follows:

Jamie Burnham                      President

Kelly Buchanan                      Vice President

Rachel Muros                         Secretary

Alicia Lewis                           Treasurer

Joy Burnham                          Reporter

Austin Pluskot                       Chaplain

Jared Prescott                         Parliamentarian

 All these officers will lead the county-wide officer training, which will take place on October 17^th at the Extension Office at 7:00 pm. Officers of other clubs are encouraged to attend.

  Members will also note that the Annual 4-H Foundation BBQ has been moved to October 16^th. Please meet at the Freshman Campus to help. Help is needed all day long.

Keep in mind that our yard sale will take place on December 2^nd at Mims Veterinary Hospital parking lot. Start cleaning out closets and rooms!

Our next meeting will be October 17^th at the Extension Office at 7:00 pm. I hope to see all of our members there!

 Places To Go  By: Pat McCoy

          The Places To Go club met last month to discuss our calendar for the year and we made a fabulous fall craft.

          The McGehee family brought paints, brushes, hammers, nails, screwdrivers, screws and wood. When we were all finished we had spooky fall wall hangings of orange, black and yellow.

          Our next activity will be to travel to Umatilla, Florida for the Bear Festival on October 7^th. Please call Mrs. McCoy to RSVP.

          The next regular meeting will be October 17^th at the Extension Office at 6:30 pm. We will elect officers at this time.

Prairie Porkers   By: Bruce Mewbourn

        The Prairie Porkers met for the first time on Sunday, September 24th. We are a small group but we are very excited about our new endeavor. This will be our first experience with swine and we hope to make a good showing at the County Fair in March. In addition to swine we will attempt to raise a few chickens and possibly a goose or two.

We elected officers at the meeting. Jaime Mewbourn was elected President, Jessica Wagner was elected Vice-President and Jody Mewbourn was elected Secretary. This is a first for all elected and I am sure they will to do an admirable job for the group. Our next meeting will be held Sunday, October 22^nd at 5pm at Mr. Bruce Mewbourn’s home. Any questions or comments can be directed to the leaders Mr. Bruce Mewbourn at 697-3008 or Mrs. Anna Jones at 561-718-1212.

Sharp Shooters  By: Audrey Driggers /Matt Dorriety

         The club met September 21^st at Mr. Sellers’ house. The first order of business was enrollment, dues and insurance. Next, everyone took turns introducing themselves. Welcome to all the new members. Nominations for club officers were made and the results are as follows:

                   Jordan Verano                        President

                   Joe Menendez                         Vice President

                   Drew Selvey                           Secretary

                   Ciara Verano                          Treasurer

                   Matt Dorriety                         Reporter

                   Austin Pluskot                       Parliamentarian  

          The club discussed our Plan of Work for the year. There will be a Jake Shoot on October 14^th at Flying G. Only 15 members can attend and you must be between the ages of 9-15 years old. Sign up with Mr. Sellers. The club will be purchasing four more shotguns with a grant received from the NRA. Farm City Day was discussed and it was explained that the club officers were to attend.

          Matt Dorriety demonstrated how to properly and safely pick up a gun. Remember! Rule number 1 is keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction! Also, when someone hands you a gun, say “thank you” so they know you have control of it.

          The next meeting will be Thursday, October 19^th at 7:00 pm at Mr. Sellers’ home. See you there!

Steaks & Chops   By: Shayla Pendrey and Cheyenne Thibodeau

          Hello! Welcome old and new members. Our first meeting was held on September 11 at Yearling Middle School . We elected our new 2006-2007 officers. They are as follows:

                    Cristin Shelton                       President

                   Jessika Siefker                        Vice President

                   Shayla Pendrey                       Beef Reporter

                   Cheyenne Thibodeau             Swine Reporter

                   Elizabeth Maggard                 Secretary

Congratulations to all the newly elected officers!

          We talked about fundraiser ideas at this meeting. Some of the ideas that were brought up are candy sales, bake sales, horseback rides and a hamburger and hotdog cookout. We will be discussing more fundraiser ideas at our next meeting.

          We also talked about purchasing new show shirts for this year. We had some really good suggestions for colors and designs.

          Last year the club put a float together for the Christmas parade. Everyone had a lot of fun and the club is interested in doing that again next year.

          After all our new business was discussed, we split into two groups. Mrs. Howell took the swine kids and Mr. Howell took the beef kids. Both groups talked about how important it is to keep good record books on your animals and to turn them in at the end of the year.

          We also discussed the workdays and entry dates for this year. Listed below are some to mark on your calendar:

October 31          Deadline for 2006-2007 4-H enrollment

November 6        Beef Breeding entry deadline before 5pm at the Extension Office

December 2         Swine Weigh-In 8-10 am at the Okeechobee Livestock Market

Make sure you all look over your rule book. There are some changes this year.

Our next meeting will be Monday, October 9 at 7:00 pm at Yearling Middle School . Hope to see  everyone there! Have a safe and happy Halloween.

Swine Time  By: Tomi Zeller and Cindy Pearce

           We are happy to have all our new members. Thanks for joining! Our new officers for the year are as follows:

                    Taylor Enfinger                      President

                   Josey Pearce                           Vice President

                   Tyffani Zeller                         Secretary

                   Kailey Hoover                        Chaplain

                   Shea Pinder                            Treasurer

                   Michael Coker                       Historian

           We will have a Sunglow Representative coming to Osceola Middle School on October 10^th at 6:00 pm. Please join us!  Don’t forget about our 4-H BBQ on October 16^th at the Freshman Campus. Please come and help!  Our next meeting will be on October 17^th at the Extension Office at 6:30 pm. See you there!

Udder Bunch   By: Fallon Curren

          Our first meeting was held at the Civic Center on September 11^th. All new officers were sworn in. They are as follows:

                    Hannah Bishop                       President

                   Kelly Buchanan                      Vice President

                   Alicia Lewis                           Secretary

                   Rebekah Bishop                     Treasurer

                   Lindsey Rucks                        Parliamentarian

                   Jamie Burnham                      Public Relations Specialist

                   Austin Pluskot                       Chaplain

                   Fallon Curren                         Reporter

           Our next meeting will be on October 9^th at 7:00 pm at the Extension Office. Nutrition and heifer selection will be discussed. See you then!!

Vittles Cooking Club  By: Bobbie Poole

          Youth ages 8-18 years old are invited to learn basic cooking and baking skills. They will learn about cookies, cakes, pies, measuring spoons, pots, pans, dry and wet measurements, shortenings, cleanliness and safety.

          The first class will be October 19^th from 5:30-7:00 pm at Bobbie Poole’s Studio. The address is 106 SE Park St. Call Miss. Bobbie for information at 467-2614.

What’s Your Focus? By: Bobbie Poole        

           This camera club’s first meeting will be October 18^th at 5:00 pm at Bobbie Poole’s Studio. Each member needs a film camera. No digitals unless apertures and shutter speeds can be set.

          Students will learn what true photography is. They will study color, black and white, and go on field trips to Butterfly World.  Call Miss Bobbie at 467-2614 for more information.

 Wild Bunch   By: Celena Letcher

          The Wild Bunch had their first meeting of the year on Saturday, September 15^th at Arnold ’s Rehabilitation Center . The returning members of the club welcomed three new members. Previous club activities were discussed. New officers were elected. They are as follows:

                    Teal Sheffield                          President

                   Elyse Matteo                          Vice President

                   Celena Letcher                       Secretary

                   Colt Smith                              Historian

 Congratulations to our new officers.   During the meeting we discussed what we plan to do as a club this year. These plans include a car wash fundraiser and to help with the Center’s Christmas float. As part of our wildlife awareness, Mrs. Doni Sheffield and Mrs. Cindy Letcher spoke to the club about hurricanes and other natural disasters and what animals do to prepare. To conclude our meeting we took a tour of the center to see the animals and look for butterflies in the new butterfly garden.

 Our next meeting will be on Saturday, October 21^st at 10:00 am at the Center. All members need to wear old clothes and closed toe shoes and a hat. We will be spending almost all of the meeting outside creating a large display for the Center’s upcoming Open House. Club members are also reminded to bring a pumpkin and $10.00 for their tee shirt. Hope to see you there!

No news from Spurs & Saddles.