Door County 4-H Newsletter

October 1, 2026

Hello Door County 4-H Families and Volunteers!

It is officially Fall and the new 4-H year has officially started! I'm so excited for all of our 4-H members - new and returning - to have some amazing experiences this year! I know some of our 4-H Clubs have already had their first meeting for this Fall (others will soon!) and we are already working on planning events and activities for the upcoming months!

Welcome to all of our new 4-H members and welcome back to our returning families! I'm so glad you are here! This electronic newsletter is my main way to communicate things that are coming up and important information. You may also receive emails from me or through 4HOnline. You can also find information on our Door County 4-H website.

As we start this new 4-H year, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send me an email to candis.dart@wisc.edu or call the Extension Office at (920)746-2260.

Thanks,

Candis Dart

Door County 4-H Program Educator

candis.dart@wisc.edu

(920)746-2265

Door County 4-H Website

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

Calendar of Events
4-H Club Information and Meeting Dates
4-H Enrollment Now Open!
Extension Office Hours
Lego Project Meeting
Save the Date! Door County 4-H Awards & Recognition Celebration
Tri-County 4-H Volunteer Summit
Something BIG for 2027! Sneak Peak
Cedar Crest Ice Cream Flavor Contest
Cake Decorating Workshop
Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame Nominations
National 4-H Week
Shop 4-H
State 4-H Opportunities
- State 4-H Horse Conference
- State 4-H Dog Learning Days
- Ambassador Teams

Calendar of Events

October

4-10 - National 4-H Week
4 - Door County 4-H Horse & Pony Project Open Ranch Pleasure Show
5 - Door County 4-H Adult Leaders Association Meeting, 6:00 p.m.
10 - Brown/Door/Kewaunee 4-H Volunteer Summit
11 - Country View 4-H Club Meeting, 1:00 p.m.
11 - Shining Stars 4-H Club Meeting, 5:00 p.m.
12 - Maplewood Missiles 4-H Club Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
17 - Door County 4-H Horse & Pony Project Spooktacular Show
17 - 4-H Lego Project Meeting, 10:00 a.m.
18 - Northern Cloverleaf 4-H Club Meeting, 4:00 p.m.
20 - 4-H Horse & Pony Project Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
26 - East Maplewood Beavers 4-H Club Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
27 - Door County 4-H Dog Club Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

November

2 - Door County 4-H Adult Leaders Association Meeting, 6:00 p.m.
8 - Door County 4-H Awards & Recognition Celebration, 11:30 a.m.
21 - 4-H Lego Project Meeting, 10:00 a.m.

Save the Dates!

Door County Fair 2027: August 11-15, 2027

4-H Club Information and Meeting Dates

Many of our 4-H Clubs took a break over the summer. Most 4-H Clubs will keep the same meeting schedule as last year, but there are some changes. Please find the list of 4-H Club leaders, contact information, and meeting dates/times on our website.

Here are the upcoming 4-H Club meeting dates. Not all 4-H Clubs are starting in September, so please note when your 4-H Club will be starting!

Country View 4-H Club: Sunday, October 11th at 1:00 p.m.

Door County 4-H Dog Club: Tuesday, October 27th at 6:30 p.m.

Door County 4-H Horse & Pony Group: Tuesday, October 20th at 6:30 p.m.

East Maplewood Beavers 4-H Club: Monday, October 26th at 7:00 p.m.

Maplewood Missiles 4-H Club: Monday, October 12th at 6:30 p.m.

Northern Cloverleafs 4-H Club: Sunday, October 18th at 4:00 p.m. (October meeting will be the 3rd Sunday)

Shining Stars 4-H Club: Sunday, October 11th at 5:00 p.m.

4-H Enrollment Now Open!

The 2026-2027 4-H Year is officially here and that means it's time to enroll/re-enroll in Door County 4-H! Here are a few quick notes, but more information can be found on the Joining 4-H tab on our website.

Door County 4-H is open to all youth, grades 5K - 13 (first year after high school). Youth can enroll in 4-H at any time during the year, but early enrollment is encouraged to get the most out of your 4-H experience.
Youth Re-enrollment should be done before November 1st. After this date, you will be removed from the Door County 4-H email list and will no longer receive updates. ***All youth enrolled by November 1st will be entered into a drawing for some fun 4-H swag!***
Enrollment will be done online at http://wi.4honline.com/. If you are re-enrolling, please use the email and password that was used last year to login.
Be sure to update your contact information - in the individual profile and the family profile.
If you would like to change 4-H Clubs, you can do this when enrolling in 4HOnline. If you choose to change clubs after submitting your enrollment, please reach out to Candis for assistance.
County Membership Dues: Dues are $3.50/member (Including Cloverbuds) or $10 for a family of three or more. Dues should be paid to your 4-H Club, who will then pay the Extension Office. If your family is experiencing any hardships, please reach out to Candis - we do not want this to be a barrier to 4-H enrollment!
Volunteers: 4-H Volunteers also need to re-enroll in 4HOnline and complete any required trainings and background checks. Volunteer re-enrollment needs to be completed by November 1st and all trainings/backgrounds checks complete by December 1st. Adult volunteers must complete this process and have all parts completed before they can be in custodial care of youth. Please help us ensure that 4-H is the safest place for your youth and our volunteers!
We can always use more 4-H volunteers! Whether it is to help with a one time project/event or you are interested in leading a 4-H Club - we would love to have you join us! We have youth with a wide variety of SPARKS (interests) and we need volunteers to help fuel those! Reach out to Candis if you are interested and we can help you get started!
Any Questions? Please reach out to Candis at candis.dart@wisc.edu or (920)746-2260.

Extension Office Hours

The Door County Extension Office is typically open Monday - Thursday from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Please note - there may be times that the office is closed due to staff schedules. I encourage you to call the Extension Office at (920)746-2260 or email me at candis.dart@wisc.edu before stopping by to ensure that someone is available.

A quick note on my schedule - I am not always in the office during our open hours. My schedule varies quite a bit depending on whether I have meetings in the evenings/weekends and what I have going on at home. The easiest way to get in touch with me is email - I typically see those fairly quickly.

Lego Project Meeting - Saturday, October 17th

Please join us for our first Door County 4-H Lego Project meeting!

Date: Saturday, October 17th

Time: 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.

Location: Peninsula Room, Door County Government Center (enter through the doors on 4th Avenue, across from Sturgeon Bay Library; someone will be watching to let you in)

Who: Any Door County 4-H youth interested in the Lego project may attend (including Cloverbud members)

What to bring: Your creativity and ideas! We will have plenty of Legos available for youth to build with - please do not bring additional Legos!

We do ask that an adult plan to stay with younger members.

Come join us for building fun!

Registration: To help us in planning, please complete this registration form

Door County 4-H Awards & Recognition Celebration

Registration Now Open! Tri-County 4-H Volunteer Summit

Door County 4-H Leaders and Volunteers! Check out this great opportunity for new and experienced volunteers alike! I would love to see a great showing of Door County 4-H Leaders and Volunteers! This is a fantastic way to gain new skills, meet new people, and be inspired for the new 4-H year!

Great things happen when we come together. Connect with fellow adult 4-H volunteers and leaders for a day of inspiration, skill-building, and collaboration at the Tri-County 4-H Volunteer Summit, hosted by Kewaunee, Door, and Brown Counties.

📅 Date: Saturday, October 10, 2026
⏳ Time: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM (Check-in opens at 8:30 AM)
📍 Location: STEM Innovation Center, 2019 Technology Way, Green Bay, WI 54311
🥗 Food: Complimentary lunch and snacks provided

To register and to learn more: go.wisc.edu/strongertogether

This summit is designed to empower volunteers with practical tools, fresh ideas, and valuable resources to enhance their leadership and strengthen local 4-H programs. Through engaging sessions and meaningful networking opportunities, participants will exchange successful strategies, build relationships with fellow mentors, and explore new ways to support and inspire youth.

Together, we can cultivate stronger clubs, more impactful programs, and lasting connections across our tri-county region.

Something BIG for Summer 2027!

Something BIG is coming for Summer 2027! We're just getting started with the planning but trust us... this is one adventure you won't want to miss hearing about. Stay tuned! ✨🍀

Cedar Crest Ice Cream 4-H Flavor Contest

We need a big flavor! Is your Wisconsin 4-H club up to the challenge?

Cedar Crest Ice Cream and the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation have again teamed up to present the Cedar Crest Ice Cream 4-H Flavor Creation Contest.

Wisconsin 4-H clubs are invited to collaborate to imagine a delicious new ice cream flavor, and come up with an interesting flavor name. Each club may submit up to five entries. The contest is open to all Wisconsin 4-H clubs and members.

Five finalists will be selected from all entries received. All finalists will receive a Cedar Crest Ice Cream party for their 4-H club.

But One of those five finalists will be chosen as the grand prize winner.

In addition to an ice cream party, the grand prize winner will also receive a $500 prize for their 4-H club. Best of all, the winning flavor will be produced as a Cedar Crest Ice Cream Feature Flavor for the month of July! The winning flavor will be available in parlors and ice cream scoops shops that serve Cedar Crest Ice Cream.

To participate in the Flavor Creation Content, 4-H Club Leaders may submit your entry (up to 5 entries per club). See the website for online entry form or downloadable entry form. Entries are due by November 15.

4H Flavor Creation Contest - Cedar Crest

Sweet Skills Cake Decorating Day Camp

Do you love baking, decorating, or getting creative in the kitchen? Join us 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!

This hands-on day camp is open to youth in grades 3-13 from the Eastern Region and is designed to help participants build cake decorating skills at their own experience level. Youth will choose from one of two tracks:

Beginner Level

Perfect for those new to cake decorating! Participants will learn:

How to make buttercream frosting

How to fill a piping bag

How to change decorating tips

Basic piping and cake decorating techniques

Intermediate Level

For youth with some cake decorating experience. Participants will learn:

How to create a multi-level cake

How to make and apply a crumb coat

How to frost a double-layer cake

More advanced piping and decorating techniques

The cost is $20 per youth, and lunch is included. Participants will leave with new skills, creative confidence, and delicious decorated cakes!

Registration is available through 4HOnline. Login to your family account and click on Events. Scroll down until you find this workshop.

Don't miss this sweet opportunity to learn, create, and decorate!

Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame Nominations Now Open

You are now able to submit nominations for the Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame!

The Hall of Fame recognizes 4-H volunteers, financial supporters, staff, and pioneers who made major contributions to the 4-H movement at the local, state, and national levels.

Any group or individual is eligible to submit a nomination for consideration.

All nominations must be submitted electronically either through the Qualtrics form or by emailing the MS Word Doc to pydadminteam@extension.wisc.edu by November 2, 2026.

Find more information and the nomination forms on the Hall of Fame website.

National 4-H Week

Mark your calendars! Next week is National 4-H Week! This year, we’ll come together as a system to recognize National 4-H Week and the Beyond Ready initiative on two celebratory days.

Day 1: Go Green - Monday, October 5, 2026

On Monday of National 4-H Week, Go GREEN and show your 4-H state spirit! A simple, cohesive way for youth, professionals, volunteers, alumni & supporters across the country to celebrate their 4-H program being Beyond Ready. Wear a green hat, clothing, face paint - anything green goes. Let's paint the nation GREEN, on Monday, October 5th!

Share your Go Green moment on social and tag National 4-H, your State 4-H program, and use #4HBeyondReady #National4HWeek

Day 2: Thankful Thursday - Thursday, October 8, 2026

On Thursday of National 4-H Week, help us shine a light on all the good that 4-H does! A day to recognize all 4-H'ers who are doing good and making positive impact by helping their communities and beyond.

Share your own story or celebrate someone who is making a difference - another 4-H'er, volunteer or educator We want to know, on Thursday, October 8th and use #4HBeyondReady

Explore the Go Green Map at https://4-h.org/events/4-h-week/ to locate landmarks that will be lighting up green on October 5th in support of 4-H! Visit a landmark near you and share your photos with us by using #4HBeyondReady #National4HWeek

Shop 4-H

You can help promote Wisconsin 4-H when you buy your Shop 4-H gear! Wisconsin 4-H Positive Youth Development earns a portion of the proceeds when you use our affiliate link .

This supports Wisconsin 4-H programs and the youth they serve. You can use and share the link to help create more opportunities for 4-H’ers across the state!

Use this link to get yours today: https://bit.ly/3MzeVlJ

State 4-H Experiences and Events

Check out the Wisconsin 4-H website for a full list of Wisconsin 4-H Statewide Experiences and Events

You can find more information about each of the specific experiences below by clicking on the picture for the experience.

As you look through and consider these experiences, please know that there are funds that may be available through the Door County 4-H Adult Leaders Association to help support these opportunities. Talk to your Club Leader or Candis for more information!