Hello Waukesha County 4-H Families,

It’s hard to believe that the summer is almost over and fall is upon us. Please take a moment to read our August Waukesha County 4-H Newsletter. You will find summer highlights, end of the year club and project numbers, and important updates and information regarding the upcoming Waukesha County 4-H year.

Enrollment for 2026-2027 will begin on September 4th. Youth members and volunteers should enroll as early as possible. All returning youth members and volunteers should re-enroll by November 1st. The enrollment dues for the first child remain $40 ($5 late fee after Nov. 1), and each additional sibling is now $15. The volunteer requirements will not change for 2026-2027.

Returning members and returning volunteers should not participate in or conduct any 4-H club or project meetings until you have met the county, state requirements and have been approved in 4-H Online.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the Waukesha County 4-H Open House on Wednesday, September 16th at the Waukesha County Expo (1000 Northview Rd. Waukesha, WI 53188) from 5:30 -7:30. This is a 4-H community event, and everyone is welcome to attend. All clubs and groups should plan on attending this event. This is a great opportunity to provide a hands-on activity, recruit new members as well as provide important information on your club or project.

We have so much to look forward to this upcoming year as we continue building leadership and life skills, developing quality programs and celebrating the efforts and accomplishments of our 4-H youth. Let’s have a great year and continue building a ready generation in a world of Change. We are preparing our youth to be Beyond Ready!

VIEW OR PRINT THE PDF NEWSLETTER HERE! 

Dates to remember:

It’s almost time to re-enroll for the upcoming 4-H year! All youth and volunteers must re-enroll every year in order to participate in 4-H. Enrollment for 2026-2027 will open on Friday, September 4th, and all returning members must be enrolled by November 1st. The enrollment dues for the first child remain $40 (plus $5 late fee after 11/1), and each additional sibling is now $15.

Remember that enrollment is a two-step process:

1. Re-enroll in 4-H Online. Log in to 4-H Online and click “Enroll Now” to re-enroll youth members.

2. Pay County dues through Regpack. Membership dues for 2026-2027 are $40 for the first child (plus $5 late fee after November 1st) and $15 per additional sibling.

For more information about enrolling, visit our website: Waukesha County 4-H Enrollment.

Before you log in to 4-H Online to begin the enrollment process, make sure your youth has reviewed the list of 4-H project areas and noted the ones that they might be interested in. You can view this list in the Quick Version of the 4-H Project Guide available at go.wisc.edu/g6zn1l.

If you’re unsure about a specific project area, select it! This does not obligate you to participate. Instead it helps 4-H Leaders and Educators know what types of projects to offer during the year, and it ensures that you will be contacted if a project you might be interested in is being offered.

Attention parents! We always need new volunteers to help our projects and youth thrive. Consider enrolling as a 4-H Volunteer to help support, co-teach, or lead 4-H activities or projects this year. Both new and returning volunteers must enroll in 4-H Online, complete 4-H training, and complete a background check every two years. All training/background checks must be completed by December 1st.

View the Waukesha County 4-H Volunteer Enrollment instructions to determine how you’d like to participate and view the enrollment steps. For information about volunteering and volunteer enrollment, visit the Volunteers section of our website.

The new Annual Authorization for Wisconsin 4-H Clubs and Groups has replaced the old Annual Financial Report and Charter Application processes. Each year, clubs must complete the Annual Authorization process to maintain their official 4-H charter status, which recognizes that your club is organized in accordance with the objectives and policies of the Wisconsin 4-H Youth Development Program. Through this Annual Authorization, the UW-Madison Division of Extension formally authorizes clubs to use the 4-H Name and Emblem. The information submitted in the Annual Authorization document will be reviewed by Waukesha County 4-H Educators and shared with the Wisconsin 4-H Program State Office. Please complete and submit your club's Annual Authorization by September 1, 2026.

Waukesha County 4-H is also requiring that all clubs and groups complete the 2026-2027 Waukesha Club/Group Update Form. This form includes your youth leaders, annual calendar, SMART goals, and other information that we need to support you throughout the year. Please complete and submit this form by October 1, 2026. In addition, please remember that it is important for Clubs to review their Bylaws every year and make any needed updates. Updated bylaws should be sent to james.boling@wisc.edu.

Leaders, your leadership and commitment are what make 4-H possible for young people throughout Waukesha County. Thank you for the time and effort you invest in your club and for helping us maintain a strong, safe, and thriving 4-H program! Please do not hesitate to reach out to the 4-H staff with questions.

Share your club and project news! Let us know about an upcoming event, highlight a project or activity, or show off your club’s use of the Essential Elements of Positive Youth Development: Belonging, Mastery, Independence, and Generosity. Submit your article using the Newsletter Submission form and email any photos/flyers to erussell@waukeshacounty.gov by the 3rd Wednesday of each month for publication in that month’s newsletter.

Countywide Projects Nights for 26-27 will begin in October, so be sure to hold these dates on your calendars!

Project Nights are generally held from 5:30–7:15 p.m. at the Waukesha County Expo Center Forum Building (1000 Northview Road), and they are open to all enrolled members. Sign-up is required and will open closer to the event dates.

At the Waukesha County 4-H All Leaders Quarterly Meeting on August 20th, Center Oak 4-H Club, which has about 60 youth members and meets at North Lake School, presented leaders with a Spotlight of their club’s activities over the past year. Here are some of the highlights from their presentation:

Thank you to the Officers of the Center Oak 4-H Club for sharing your accomplishments during the 2025-2026 4-H year!

Club Members: 369                                        Cloverbuds: 82
Total Youth Members: 451                              Volunteers: 154 (an increase of 50!)

Top 20 projects areas in 2025-2026: 

This year’s 4-H Open House will take place on Wed., September 16th. See details in the flyer below. All Waukesha County 4-H approved clubs and groups are expected to attend this Countywide event! Club and project leaders, sign up for a table here. 

Our summer Americorps service members Grace and Aryn recently wrapped up their time with Waukesha County 4-H, and they will be missed! Their energy, creativity, and initiative were a great help over the busy summer season.

Grace

"My time as an AmeriCorps with Waukesha County Extension 4-H has been an incredible experience. I have met so many people that I hope to stay in contact with, made new memories, and improved my skills in teaching, leading, and teamwork. I have loved the opportunities I have had to work with youth through experiences like Emerging Leaders, my programs at the Waukesha and New Berlin Public Libraries, and 4-H Camp. I look forward to staying involved with 4-H as I move on to my next chapter in life at Mount Mary University!"

"Hello Waukesha County 4-H families! As the summer comes to a close, I would like to express my thanks to all, as well as some highlights. Throughout this summer, I had the opportunity to be a part of many events such as Nature Extravaganza, Emerging Leaders’ program and college tours, the County Fair and 4-H Kids Zone, and summer camp at Phantom Ranch. On top of all these events, my colleague, Grace, and I hosted a total of eight programs at the Waukesha and New Berlin libraries. I have had so much fun attending these events, executing programming, and connecting with the youth involved. Thank you to all volunteers, youth, and adults who have made my service, and first year of 4-H, such a positive experience. I felt very welcomed and supported by the 4-H team and participants, and my successful service could not have been completed without a great community!"

Aryn

Thank you to everyone who has participated in the Love Bug Project, which has been an overwhelming success, and continues into 2027. The Love Bug committee recently attended Hartland Kids Day, where the crew had an outpouring of support, engagement and fun with hands-on bug themed crafts for kids, and the handoff of 50 Love Bugs to the Hartland Police & Fire Departments so they can distribute them in the community.

We recently received this story from a Waukesha County Firefighter: “Yesterday we had a bus accident with 13 terrified kiddos that had minor injuries but needed more hugs than just our crew were able to provide. I was able to give the cuddle bug a big hug and the kids passed the “hugs” around as each kid needed. They were between 8-10 years old and didn’t have their parents there so the cuddle bug was a perfect stand in while we provided patient care.”

Club Challenge!! 

We are having a competition between the Waukesha County 4-H Clubs to see who can complete and turn in the most Love Bug forms between September 1–December 31. Anyone can make the forms—members, family members, friends, etc. They can be turned in at any time to Sarah Tetzlaff, Sara Wells-Tomjanovich, the 4-H office, or your club leaders. We will post monthly totals and the winning club will receive a pizza and ice cream party! View the flyer for details.

The Member Evaluation is the application process for awards and scholarships for 4-H trips, and it includes the ME application form and an in-person interview. For more information, visit the Awards & Scholarships page on the 4-H website. This year’s ME Interviews will be held on October 10th at the Pewaukee Public Library.

Applicants: ME Forms and Record Books must be submitted to your club leader by the club's deadline. You will receive more information about the interviews after September 10th.

Club Leaders: ME forms and Record Books to the 4-H Office by September 1st.

All approved adult 4-H volunteers, as well as 4-H youth who hold a leadership role in their club, are automatically members of the Waukesha County 4-H Leaders’ Association. If you are a volunteer or youth leader and are interested in becoming more involved, consider joining one of the Leaders’ Association committees below by entering your name on this Committee Sign-Up. 

To nominate yourself or someone else for the Board, submit the Board Nomination Form by October 30th.

Save the Date! The annual Waukesha County 4-H Leaders’ Association Leader & Member Recognition Banquet has been scheduled for Monday, December 7th at the Waukesha County Expo Center. Watch for further announcements.

Behind every 4-H member is a leader or leaders who have contributed time and talent to help you achieve successful results. Now is the time to thank them! Please take the time to fill out an Adult Leader Award Nomination form and submit it to the Awards Committee for consideration.

The opportunities in 4-H are endless, and the County Fair was one highlight for this summer for many of our youth. From Kid Zone fun in the Forum Building (with A/C!), beating the heat and wildfire smoke, livestock shows, and kids showing their skills for project judging, Fair experiences bring together a whole year of dedication and life changing moments all wrapped in a few long days each July.

This year we want to celebrate a successful 4-H Food Stand, Club & Project leaders guiding Fair entries and preparing youth to enter projects, and volunteers and parents supporting 4-H youth on every level—from project shuffling to “poop scooping.” Early mornings and late nights were a common theme, and many united to support performances, auctions, livestock shows, and more. The 2026 Waukesha County Fair was filled with moments that made us so very proud of our 4-H youth, families, volunteers, clubs and the community we continue to pledge to make better.

4-H @ the Fair by the Numbers

Despite challenges from the heat and smoke, over 91,000 people attended the Fair over five days. 245 4-H youth exhibited a total of 2,221 4-H entries, which included 618 livestock entries and 1,603 non-livestock projects. What a showing for Waukesha County 4-H! The 4-H Kids Zone welcomed 16 community partners along with several 4-H volunteers leading over 40 educational, hands-on activities for Fairgoers. 

Thank you once again to our Kids Zone sponsors—Blain’s Farm & Fleet, Woodman’s, and Merton Feed Co.—for their generous support!

Mark your calendar for the 2027 Waukesha County Fair, which will take place July 21–25, 2027!

On August 12th-15th, Waukesha County 4-H held its annual Summer Camp at Phantom Ranch Camp in Mukwonago. Thank you to everyone who contributed to another successful year of 4-H Summer Camp!

We had over 125 campers that were led by a fantastic group of 22 youth counselors, 22 adult volunteers, and both 4-H educators! What a wonderful event that was highlighted by all aspects of teamwork to emphasize Belonging, Independence, Generosity & Mastery. This year’s theme was Conspiracy Theories ~ The Creatures of Camp. Campers moved through camp as crypto- zoologists, the people that study cryptids, uncovering clues to prove their creature exists or reveal clues that other cabins’ creatures were HOAXES. At every station youth and counselors were challenged to collect the clues, and in the end opened a code box to reveal their cryptid. While investigating their cryptids, campers participated in a wide variety of hands-on, active stations that included a rock wall, hiking, field games, STEM activities, a trail ride, group games, owl education, archery, campfires, cabin chants, and creature creations. View more camp photos at the bottom of this newsletter.

If you were a camper or a parent of a camper and haven’t filled out the survey about your camp experience, you can do so here: Camp Survey.

The opportunities listed below highlight some of the statewide opportunities that are available to Wisconsin 4-H members. For more information about statewide 4-H programs, visit 2026-2027 Wisconsin 4-H State Programs & Educational Experiences or view the 2026-2027 Wisconsin 4-H Program Guide.

Sweet Skills Cake Decorating Day Camp

Do you love baking, decorating, or getting creative in the kitchen? Save the date for Sweet Skills: Cake Decorating Day Camp on Saturday, February 27, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the STEM Innovation Center in Green Bay. This hands-on day camp is open to youth in grades 3-13 and is designed to help participants build cake decorating skills at their own experience level. Youth will choose the Beginner or Intermediate track. The cost is $20 per youth, and lunch is included. Participants will leave with new skills, creative confidence, and delicious decorated cakes! Registration will be available through 4HOnline.

4-H Shooting Sports Volunteer Instructor Certification Workshop September 19th

The next opportunity for approved volunteers to become a Wisconsin 4-H Shooting Sports Certified Instructor, or add an additional discipline certification, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Central Wisconsin Sportsmen's Club in Marshfield from 8 a.m.– 5 p.m. Come spend the day learning from extremely knowledgeable state-level instructors, many of whom are Level 2 National 4-H Certified Instructors, with decades of combined experience to share! Becoming a qualified instructor does not mean you need extensive experience or background knowledge. This training will prepare participants to help lead or support an existing Shooting Sports program. Registration closes on Sept. 13. Learn More: Shooting Sports Leader Certification Workshops

Fall Forum Registration September 1–15

Fall Forum is an opportunity for youth in grades 7-13 and adult leaders to attend the statewide training weekend on November 6-8, 2026, with county and state staff, allowing youth and adult leaders will come together to connect, collaborate, celebrate, and continue building excitement and energy for a new year of 4-H learning. Registration will open on September 1 and will close on September 15, 2026! Learn more: 2026 Fall Forum.

Beyond Wisconsin: Exploring the Midwest Registration Opens November 22nd

This new trip is an new Wisconsin 4-H travel experience for grades 6–8. In February 2027, youth will journey from Wisconsin to St. Louis explore science museums and art centers, and enjoy live music and performances, during a weekend of hands-on, interactive experiences in STEM, art, music, and regional culture. Registration will be open October 26 - November 22 in 4-H Online. Learn more: Beyond Wisconsin: Exploring the Midwest.

Extension Waukesha County is committed to supporting quality educational experiences for our youth as well as supporting our volunteers and families. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or if you need any assistance.

James Boling

Sr. PYD/4-H Educator

james.boling@wisc.edu

262-548-7784

Sara Wells-Tomjanovich

Associate 4-H Educator

stomjanovich@wisc.edu

262-548-7774

Erin Russell

4-H Program Support

erin.russell@wisc.edu

262-548-7782

An EEO/AA employer, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title VI, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requirements.