August 26th, 2026

Marie's Message

Dear 4-H Families,

After a busy and rewarding week at the fair, it's worth taking a moment to celebrate all that our young people accomplished. The fair is much more than exhibits and ribbons. It is a showcase of months, and sometimes years, of learning, growth, and dedication.

Learning on Display

As another county fair comes to a close, we want to congratulate all of the youth who shared their projects and talents throughout the week. From livestock and animal science to foods, photography, crafts, woodworking, STEM projects, and countless other exhibits, our young people demonstrated the knowledge and skills they have been building through hands-on learning experiences.

The fair provides a unique opportunity for youth to tell the story behind their work. Through conferences, judging experiences, demonstrations, and conversations with community members, youth practiced communication, confidence, responsibility, and problem-solving skills. While ribbons and awards are exciting, the true success lies in the learning that happened along the way.

Fair week also highlights the caring adults, volunteers, families, and community partners who encourage youth to pursue their interests and develop their sparks. Their support helps create an environment where young people feel confident trying new things, overcoming challenges, and striving for excellence.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this year's fair a success. We are proud of the dedication, creativity, and leadership displayed by our 4-H members and youth participants. The fair serves as a powerful reminder that when young people are given opportunities to learn by doing, they develop skills that will benefit them for years to come.

As we look ahead to a new year of 4-H programming and opportunities, we celebrate the accomplishments of the past week and the bright futures being shaped through these experiences.

Hats off to all of our youth exhibitors for a job well done! 🍀

Marie

Marie Witzel
Positive Youth Development Educator
marie.witzel@wisc.edu
920-386-3790

If clubs or groups have items to share, send them by noon on Monday to be included in that week’s issue. Anything received after 12 p.m. Monday will be considered for the following week. 

Please send any 4-H or youth development related emails to marie.witzel@wisc.edu

Thanks to everyone who showed up to help in the Promotion Booth.  Some signed up and many just showed up:

Autumn Slechta, Cindy Pillsbury, Layla and Charlee Peters, Rebecca Artin, Abby Hessel, Amy Zahner, Josie and Alaina Zander, Dane and Alex Laufenberg, Morgan and Lily Zahn, Whitley and Audrey Mersch, Amelia Stellmacher and Norah Gentz, Kora and Kennedy Wegner, and the Chelsy Herring Family.  We could not have done all of the
4-H outreach and promotion without you!

Horse Project (Isabella Radichel) - Officer elections were held at the Aug 4-H horse project meeting

Representing the 26/27 year are:
President-Kari Schmidt
V. President-Axel Vande Zande
Secretary-Raylee Everson
Treasure-Aubree Reider
Scrapbook-Bella Stiers
Reporter-Isabella Radichel 

Congratulations to all on a new year!

Dear Youth of Dodge County,

You are needed!

My name is Joshua Roberts (Lakeside 4-H), I’m one of the youth representatives on the Dodge County 4-H Leaders Association Executive Board.

I’m currently serving my second, and last, term on the board. For the last two (2) years I have been serving as the Reporter on the executive board.

The executive board holds meetings on the 3rd Tuesday of every other month at 7:00pm at the Administration building in Juneau.

Being on the Dodge County 4-H Leaders Association Executive Board is a chance for the youth of our county to experience what making choices and attending a higher-level meeting means. It’s where your opinions get heard and you have a chance of being part of changes and improvements that will benefit the 4-H youth in our county.

The 4-H leaders work for the youth, but we need to be a part of it as well – the youth must voice their opinions and let the leaders know! Make the commitment and be the voice for the youth on the board!

What are some of the other reasons why you should join the board? It’s a chance to gain great leadership and communication skills. It will give you an insight into management/board processes. This will also be a good experience/skill to have on your resume when you fill out college or job applications.

We are actively seeking youth to join the board at the start of the next term (October 2026).

If this is something you are interested in, please attend the General Leaders Meeting in September (look for info in the Focus).

If you have any questions or would like to hear more, an adult board member and I would be more than happy to come to your club to talk about it. Please reach out to the Extension Office and they will let us know.

On behalf of the Dodge County 4-H Leaders Association,

Josh Roberts
Reporter

Are you 6th Grade or older? The 4-H Preparing for the World of Opportunities is a series of workshops that helps youth 6th grade and older prepare for the real-world experience of applying for member experiences, scholarships and even employment.

These are especially helpful for youth thinking about:

Beyond Wisconsin St. Louis, Missouri (Grades 6-8),  Ignite by 4-H: STEM or Animal Science Track Washington DC (Grades 10-12,  4-H Community Accelerators @ Ignite, Washington DC (Grades 10-12), National 4-H Congress, Atlanta, Georgia (Grades 10-12),   National 4-H Conference, Washington DC (Grades 10-12) and the  Wisconsin 4-H Key Award (Grades 9-13)  which are all due on Sept 30th

The series will focus on learning about the 4-H World of Work curriculum from Utah State, including how to find opportunities, creating a resume and cover letter, preparing for an interview, interview time and next steps. 

Get these answers, ask more questions, and get some helpful tips to success at the Preparing for the World of Opportunities sessions. They are held on zoom so you can work on your documents at home while we are meeting. You can sign up for one, three, all – it’s your choice! Please register AT LEAST one week prior to allow for planning and for you to make a google doc and share it with Marie at marie.witzel@wisc.edu

Sign up ASAP

Scholarship recipients

Congratulations to our outstanding Dodge County Dairy Youth Recognition Auction Committee Scholarship recipients:

General questions? Contact DYAC via e-mail: dodgecountydyac@gmail.com.

Wisconsin State Fair results

Dodge County dairy youth had a fabulous five days at the Wisconsin Junior State Fair Dairy Show. An impressive 27 kids exhibited 43 head, representing all seven major dairy breeds, so it was a massive undertaking for all involved. Thank you to Mandy Sell-Stanford, Travis Smith, and Brenda Damrow Gudex for all their hard work as leaders and chaperones. We are very proud of this group. Here are major wins:

SEPTEMBER

7 - Labor Day - Office Closed

PYD Media Collection Project Resources Follow the link to learn more about the collection and request materials.

4HOnline  Log in to your account at the Wisconsin 4-H Online Sign in page

Visit the Wisconsin 4-H Website

WI 4-H Policy Updates

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

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Extension
Dodge County 4-H
Extension Dodge County  127 E. Oak Street  Juneau, WI 53039-1329
tel: 920.386.3790    fax: 920.386.3928