BIG NEWS, 4-H families!

We’re excited to introduce our new Family Camp! 

Mark your calendars and get ready for a day of outdoor fun, connection, and unforgettable memories together. 

🗓 Saturday, August 8, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
📍 Camp Nawakwa

More details coming soon—this is one you won’t want to miss!

We are looking for older youth and adults to lead one or more activities at Family Day camp on August 8.  Current options include:  Field Games, Arts & Craft, Nature Exploration, Canoeing, Fishing, or making an after-bite medicine.  

4-H Junior Chef Competition at 3PM at the Extension Office.  You might make a main dish, decorate a cake, or chop up a salad.  Talk with a judge about your culinary prowess.  Show off your skills and share what you cooked with fellow contestants.  Open to anyone in 4-H.  Registration opens May 20.

Calling all Cloverbuds! Bring your favorite stuffed animal and experience the fun of showing—no live animals required!

WHEN: Friday, July 24th, at 3 pm
WHERE: Eau Claire County Fair

This exciting event is inspired by and proudly gives credit to Dunn County 4-H, who started this wonderful Cloverbud tradition. 

A fun, low-pressure 4-H experience designed just for Cloverbuds—perfect for building confidence and learning showmanship skills!  

Contact Gracie Gray at glgray2@wisc.edu with questions

More details coming soon—stay tuned! 

Come join us at the Extension Eau Claire County office for a free Cloverbud mindfulness activity! On Tuesday, May 26th, from 6 PM to 7 PM, youth can enjoy yoga and affirmation button making. We ask that a parent or guardian stay for the entire program--siblings are welcome to join as well! 

Contact Gracie Gray at glgray2@wisc.edu with questions.

Join the new poultry superintendents and 4-H project leaders for a poultry project meeting May 5th at the Pleasant Valley Community Center.  They will cover poultry paperwork, breeds and classes, fair updates, chicken bugs & washing, and pullorum testing.  Bring a list of the poultry you plan to show this year to help figure out what class they should be entered in.

Do you have questions about Eau Claire County 4-H?  Join us in person or via zoom to ask questions, learn about the 4-H program and get some tips on how to engage.  We'll play some games and get to know each other, too.  Children and parents are encouraged to attend.  Registration is encouraged, but not required.

A Cake Decorating learning opportunity with professional decorators at HyVee on June 2 from 5-6PM.  Learn techniques and decorate a 5" cake square.

Cost=$10 (pay Eau Claire County Extension) (This price is half of the full cost.)

For 4-H Members in grades 4 and up

Register in 4-H Online before May 31.  (Please contact Rachel with issues with sign up.)

Attend the 4-H Rabbit Project meetings to prepare for showing at the Eau Claire County Fair.  All meetings start at 6:30PM.

May 13: Welcome to Rabbits, Intro to FairEntry, and What to Bring (to the Fair)*

June 10: Rabbit Knowledge & Showmanship*

July 12: Rabbit Tattoos and Nail Trimming**

Location: *St. Luke’s Lutheran Church basement, S12798 Coon St, Osseo

                     **Linda Rauter’s house, S12752 Coon St, Osseo

Both obedience and agility will meet Mondays at 6:30PM at the fenced in area at the Expo Center Grounds, Mondays May 4 through July 13.  Reach out to Deb Motzing if you have questions!  deb.motzing@gmail.com

One more in-person YQCA opportunity left on May 26. Sign up for them on the YQCA website.  Questions? Contact Rachel Hart-Brinson or check out the FAQ on the YQCA website.

Older Youth Council is open to anyone in Eau Claire County 4-H, 7th grade and up.  You can just show up, but if you have questions, please contact Jodi Thesing-Ritter at thesinjm@uwec.edu.

Join OYC for their Meeting and Social Monday, June 1 at Reboot Social--220 S Barstow Street in Eau Claire

We invite youth and adults to participate in the LEGO Brick Build Challenge. This challenge encourages participants to imagine their dream vehicle and then create it using LEGO bricks.  Where will your vehicle take you?  How will it move?  Will it travel under or on the water, through the air, or on the earth’s surface?  Does it rely on tracks to stay on course or can it fly through the air to anywhere?  Does it require a special launch system?  Grab that LEGO tub and build a model to show the rest of us what a cool vehicle you dream about.  

Submission Details
• Due Date: June 1, 2026
• Submit Here:  https://go.wisc.edu/96x8z9
• Topic: VEHICLES
• Each participant or team may submit one entry.
• Entries may include up to three photos of the LEGO model taken from different perspectives.
• When submitting, please indicate whether the entry is from an individual or a team. Youth and adults are both welcome and encouraged to participate.

A virtual Viewing Party will be held on June 7th, where all submitted creations will be showcased and celebrated. This is a wonderful opportunity to share your imagination and creativity, see how others use Lego to bring their ideas to life, and enjoy the creations of other LEGO fans.  

We look forward to seeing the unique and thoughtful LEGO creations that represent your dream vehicle.

Three youth and an adult volunteer from Eau Claire County traveled to Huntsville, GA to experience SPACE CAMP in April.  You can see most of the group pictured here with some Chippewa County 4-H members.  I heard it was "out of this world!"

Leaders Association Meetings are held at the Eau Claire County Extension office the 2nd Tuesday of September, November, January, March, May, and June. 6:00pm will be a time to hear policy updates, ask the 4-H educator questions, and brainstorm club ideas. Meetings will start at 6:30pm. PLEASE make every effort to send a representative to these meetings.  Attending is how we make connections and learn from each other to bring the best program we can to the young people in our clubs. It connects your local club program to the wider county program and makes you aware of the wider opportunities in 4-H so that you can promote those to your club members.

$300 scholarship awarded to Eau Claire County 4-H or FFA member involved in the Eau Claire County Fair who plans to pursue post secondary education.  Due 11:59PM on Friday, July 17

The Eau Claire County Fair will be July 20-26.  The schedule is posted!  Please visit the Eau Claire County Fair Website (see button below) for the most up-to-date information.  Note:  The fair book has been completely overhauled to be more in line with state regulations.  Please be patient and reach out to Tammy Schlewitz at eauclairefair@gmail.com or 715-456-6119 for questions.

FairEntry is the program that the Eau Claire County Fair uses to register exhibits.  It talks to 4-H Online, but it is not the same.  If you want to exhibit at the Eau Claire County Fair under 4-H, you must be an approved 4-H member in the 4-H Online program.  Please reach out to Rachel Hart-Brinson if you have questions.

Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) is required for all youth exhibiting any animal that stays overnight at the Eau Claire County Fair.  There are in-person ($3) and online ($12) options.  Register and pay at the YQCA website.

Non-Discrimination Statement:

The University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming in compliance with state and federal law.

La University of Wisconsin–Madison División de Extensión proporciona igualdad de oportunidades en el empleo y en sus programas, según lo que exige la ley federal y estatal.

Lub Tsev Kawm Ntawv University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension muab cov cib fim uas muaj vaj huam sib luag hauv kev ua hauj lwm thiab kev muab kev pab raws li lub xeev thiab tsoom fwv teb chaws txoj cai lij choj. 

Rachel Hart-Brinson, Bilingual 4-H Program Educator

Rachel.hartbrinson@wisc.edu   

608-572-3656

Extension Eau Claire County

227 1st Street W

Altoona, WI  54720

715-839-4712