Event Reports

4-H Awards Ceremony

Published November 18, 2024


On Saturday, November 16, we celebrated our 4-H members' and leaders' successes and recognized them for their accomplishments, achievements and hard work during the 2023-2024 year.

Congratulations to all award recipients!

See our 2024 Awards Ceremony page for details.

4-H S.H.A.R.K. Program Workshop

Published November 18, 2024


The S.H.A.R.K event was a hit!  Thank you Shane for this wonderful teach back program.

The Newsletter Committee is Ready

Published October 13, 2024


The 4-H member-led Newsletter Committee had their first meeting and can't wait to receive the stories and photos from all clubs to put together their newsletter.

Please email them your submissions to mc4hnews@gmail.com

Trunk-or-Treat

Published October 28, 2024


We had such a great turnout on Saturday, October 26 - a long line of decorated cars in front of the corn maze and so many visitors. What a fabulous day!

To everyone who donated their time, their creativity, candy, money, and in one case even the use of their property for the afternoon, we thank you so much for making this event a success! 

4-H Window Display Contest

Published October 15, 2024

During National 4-H week and for the rest of the month of October many clubs and families participate in the 4-H Window Display Contest with wonderful displays in libraries and businesses throughout the county.

Winners of the contest will be announced at the Awards Ceremony in November.

4-H Spirit at Tractor Supply

Published in October, 2024

Morris County 4-H clubs, Curious Critters, Feathered friends and Furry Friends raise 4-H awareness at the local Flanders Tractor Supply

To learn more about our clubs check out our website here https://www.morris4h.org/4-h-clubs

4-H Promotion Events

Published in October, 2024

The Morris County 4-H Promotion team was busy at the beginning of the 4-H Year. They attended the Denville Green Fair, Mine Hill Day, The Festival on the Green in Morristown, and more.

Morris County 4-H Fair 2024

Published in August, 2024

Our 2024 Fair at High View Farms in Mt Olive, July 28-30 showcased our members' accomplishments and their work over the last year. We had over 500 entries from 4-H members and volunteers, animals on display, lots of hands-on activities, entertainment, great food, and many helpers to put it all together and ensure everything ran smoothly! 

Thank you to everyone who participated and entered in the Fair! What beautiful shows, exhibits, and presentations! You all did an amazing job! 

Visit our Fair Page where we highlight the Best in Show (BIS), Honorable Mention (HM), Best of Breed, Best Reserve, as well as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place recipients. Congratulations! 

Eva G. Receives Lubrano Scholarship

Published on August 1, 2024

This year the Lance Corporal Andrew W. Lubrano 4-H Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Eva G., member of Dogs R Us and the Teen Council 4-H clubs.  Eva exemplifies the path of a 4-H'er. As a 4-H member she made sure others felt welcomed in the clubs. She tirelessly worked through the summer heat at The Morris County 4-H Fair in the dog tent and the Country Store year after year. Her self reflection is apparent when in her own own words she learned "when her help was needed and when it was a distraction" once becoming the veteran member of Dogs R Us learning to guide younger members.  Eva will go on to study culinary arts but her success as a giving and kind individual has already been reached. 

We are proud to know this young woman and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.  

Eva was presented her award at her graduation by her Dogs R Us leader, Kathy Murarik. Congratulations!

Citizenship Washington Focus

Published on June 26, 2024

On June 20th, twelve (12) NJ 4-H Delegates are headed to Citizenship Washington Focus for a week of learning, exploring, skill-building, friendship, and laughter. Among them was Mehul M., Teen Council member from Morris County as well as representatives from Burlington, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Monmouth, Salem, and Somerset. On Friday the group joined forces with Kansas Delegates to do a planting community service project.

Fishing Day

Published on June 19, 2024

The local Muskies Fishing Club provided an amazing day of fun for 4-H'ers and their families at the State Hatchery in Hackettstown on June 8. It started early in the morning with an informative introduction in a classroom setting, followed by a tour of the hatchery, and two hours of catch-and-release fishing on their private ponds, guided by the many friendly and helpful volunteers. The event ended with a pizza lunch for all and each child took home a tackle box, fishing pole and reel, which were donated by the Muskies club.

Thank you Muskies Fishing Club, State Hatchery, and volunteers!

State 4-H Public Presentations

Published on June 19, 2024

The State 4-H Public Presentations were held on Saturday, June 8th between 10am and 1pm at the Rutgers Academic Building at Rutgers University in New Brunswick (or virtual/video on or by June 7th). Five eligible Morris County 4-H members participated and all did a great job. Congratulations to Benjamin J., Viraj K., Christian K., Katrina N., and Eesha V.!

State 4-H Dog Show

Published on June 12, 2024

On Saturday, June 8th, the State 4-H Dog Show was held at the Somerset 4-H Center. Dogs 'R' Us members Leah with dog Crystal and Corlyn with Marty earned lots of ribbons! More excellent ribbons were won at the K9 art show by Karina, Katrina, Corlyn, and others. Congratulations! 

Roxbury Pride Event

Published on June 12, 2024

Along with The Rutgers Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, North Jersey Homeschool Science Center, and The 4 Footed Leaders club, Morris County 4-H had a wonderful afternoon of kindness and inclusion at The Roxbury Pride event last weekend, on June 9th. 

4-H at Juneteenth Celebration

Published on June 12, 2024

It was a good afternoon with Common Grounds at the Juneteenth Celebration last Saturday in Succasunna. Mittens, the 4-H promotional guinea pig, enjoyed the attention. Other activities offered at the 4-H table were seed bomb making and bee hotel building.

Fair Theme Contest 2024

Published on March 21, 2024

Thank you everyone who participated in the Fair Theme Contest this year! We had sooo many entries! The Fair Committee voted at their last meeting, on May 16, and below is the winning design as well as other excellent submissions.

The winner is:

Samantha O., grade 8, member of the Curious Critters, Feathered Friends, Furry Friends, Just Kid 'n Around, and Teen Council 4-H Clubs, with her design: "Jam Out in 4-H".

Congratulations Sammy!

All clubs are encouraged to incorporate the theme into their club display at the Fair, their club banner for the parade of clubs, T-shirts, Fair activities, and more.

See the 4-H Fair Page: morris4h.org/4-h-fair for Fair details.

Most Artistic:

"Aim For The Sky in 4-H"

By Adam D., grade 6, member of the Plants, Pollinators, and Poultry club

Most Buzzing:

"Bee Inspired by 4-H"

By Madison W., grade 4, member of Busy Bees, Dumbledorks, and Furry Friends

Most Forward Looking:

"Making A Better Future With 4-H"

By Zoli P., grade 5, member of Shutterbugs

Most Adorable:

"Do it all with 4-H"

By Emmett D., Kindergarten, member of the Plants, Pollinators, and Poultry club

Most On-Target Bunny:

"Have Fun with 4-H"

By unknown artist, member of Teen Council

Best Cartoon:

"Unbreakable Bonds"

By Joshua M., grade 9, member of Teen Council

4-H Public Presentations

Published on May 15, 2024

Public presentations are a big part of the 4-H experience. There are opportunities for our members to present in their clubs, at 4-H events, on the county level, and even state level. On Saturday, May 11, twenty Morris County 4-H'ers and their families came to the Public Presentations event at the County College of Morris. The topics ranged from Guinea Pigs to foreign investments, and from Polaroids to Shelties. All presenters did an outstanding job and we are so proud of every single one who courageously got up and participated! We have several members in grades 8-12 who are eligible to enter in the State 4-H Public Presentations in June.

A big thank-you to our judges for taking time out of their Saturday to help our youth achieve their goals. 

4-H at Blossom Festival

Published on May 8, 2024

On Saturday, May 4, the Plants, Pollinators, and Poultry Club was at Riamede Farm's Blossom Festival with a plant sale. The 4-H table had materials for visitors to make seed bombs and pollinator hotels. 

1st place in NJ 4-H Shooting Sports Junior Matches

Published on May 1, 2024

Three Marksmen club members, Shannon, Tanner, and John, represented Morris County in the State 4-H Shooting Sports Junior Matches in archery (April 13) and air rifle (April 20). Shannon got 1st place in air rifle and Tanner got 4th place also in air rifle. Everyone had fun! Congratulations!

Mehul gets 1st place in State Foods Day contest

Published on April 24, 2024

On April 6, Mehul M. represented Morris County at the NJ State 4-H Foods Day, held at the Somerset 4-H center. He won 1st place in the cook off, plus earned a ribbon participating in the Food & Nutrition Jeopardy game, and enjoyed the workshops.

Congratulations Mehul!

Benjamin's photo wins 1st place

Published on April 24, 2024

Benjamin J., member of the Shutterbugs club, is the winner of the Rutgers Urban Forestry Arbor Day Photo contest in the Elementary category. 

His photo is featured on the Rutgers Forestry social media, website, NJ DEP’s social media, as well as the NJ Shade Tree Federation pages.

Congratulations Ben!

4-H at JOANN Fabric and Craft store

Published on April 24, 2024

During this national spring 4-H clover campaign at JOANN's, a fundraiser benefitting our local 4-H community, the promotion team went to the Succasunna location to show shoppers what 4-H does. Customers and passers-by of all ages where in for a treat, being able to meet 4-H animals such as a guinea pig, dog, rabbit, and even a goat; plus talk to representatives from many clubs, including the Knit Wits leaders. The campaign is going on until May 4th so there is still time to head to your nearest JOANN store and support 4-H (and the store). Thank you JOANN - especially the friendly staff in Succasunna!

4-H Art Workshops

Published on April 17, 2024

Yesterday was the second of the three-part 4-H Art workshop series. A 3D / texture element was added using glue guns. This session also introduced intentional painting. Look for many of these great paintings at the Morris County 4-H Fair.

Thank you Barbi G for another successful workshop!

NJ 4-H Legislative Leadership

Published on April 17, 2024

On Monday, April 15, the participants of the NJ 4-H Legislative Leadership Experience visited Trenton to learn about our state government. Morris County was represented by Mehul M. of the Teen Council 4-H club.

Report by Mehul M., published on April 21, 2024:

My legislative experience was really fun and interesting. We learned the path of legislation and how the legislative branch works. We talked to a person that worked at the farm bureau and she talked about what she does at her work. Then we walked over to the state building and got a tour of the building and we got to watch legislators vote in a full assembly, and participated in a mock committee meeting. We even got a shout out from Assembly speaker Craig Coughlin at the beginning of the voting session. It was an action packed day.

4-H Science-sational Day

Published on April 3, 2024

On Saturday, March 30th we had so many young scientists in grades K-6 attend the 4-H Science-sational Day at the County College of Morris. Participants designed rollercoasters and bridges, learned about bunnies and chicks, tested their rockets modeled after the Rutgers' team's, studied the science of color and the forces at play in a basketball game. They experienced how a search and rescue dog works with scents in different temperatures, dyed eggs with natural colors, met the 4-H NASA Student Launch group, got to interact with The Seeing Eye puppies, and more.

With much thanks to our volunteer presenters and event helpers: North Jersey Homeschool Science Center, High View Farms, SR3NJ, Bill Kerwood magician, Mehul of Teen Council 4-H club, Rutgers Rocket Propulsion Lab (RPL) team, the Ingersoll family, Josh of Teen Council 4-H club, ResistoJets Rocketry Club, The Seeing Eye puppy raisers of the 4-Footed Leaders club, the Miractech team, and CCM.

We already look forward to next year! 

Rocket Workshop and Launch

Published on March 26, 2024
By Robert G., member of the ResistoJets 4-H Club

On Saturday, March 16, The 4-H Resistojets Rocketry Club hosted a rocket launch event at High View Farms. This was a follow-up to a build event that took place in February, where each participant built a rocket that was about 20 inches long. Of the 21 participants that showed up to the build day, 18 returned for launch day. All of the rockets flew well!

Graphic Novel Workshop

Published on March 22, 2024
By Avery O., member of the Plants, Pollinators, and Poultry 4-H Club

On March 19th, 2024, the author and illustrator named Rashad Malik Davis came to see the 4-H writing club. He told us about how to make characters out of shapes and how some shapes represent certain feelings or emotions. Like how triangles are evil, circles are usually nice, soft, and calm, and squares are brave and strong. Then he told us to pick a number between 1-15 and a letter between A-O. The number was an emotion and the letter was a character. We had to draw that character, it was super fun. Some kids were really good at drawing, and we all did two or more drawings. Now when I watch tv shows or movies I’m going to see what shapes some characters are made out of. I can’t wait to read some of Rashad Malik Davis’s books!

Ignite by 4-H, Washington D.C.

Published on March 22, 2024
By Sean M., member of the ResistoJets and Morris Marksmen 4-H clubs,
Event dates: March 13-18th, 2024

Last week, I joined 9 other delegates representing New Jersey at Ignite by 4-H, a national conference hosted in the capitol. Ignite brings together three main pillars of 4-H, STEM, Agriscience, and Healthy Living into a 5-day congregation filled with workshops, guest speakers, and special opportunities.

One of my highlights was on the first night when we went out to tour the capitol monuments at night, and with this being my first time visiting, I was sobered by many memorials illustrating the great losses in our time. 

A large part of this event involved states planning and presenting a community service project designed to address a need in their areas. Grants ranging between 2 and 5 thousand dollars are available for states to apply to after the conference, which is the main goal of these projects. We presented a New Jersey program to refurbish reusable bags to donate to food banks, facing struggles in food distribution since the plastic bag ban. 

Overall, Ignite by 4-H offered me a huge range of different experiences and opportunities, all of which I enjoyed thoroughly while contributing to my personal and professional development. I would like to thank our county and state 4-H staff, along with the USDA, for providing this opportunity to me. 

World Food Prize

Published on March 13, 2024

Myra G. and Rohan G. participated in this year's World Food Prize event on March 8 as part of the NJ Youth Institute of the World Food Prize Foundation.

The New Jersey Youth Institute is a life-changing experience at the Rutgers University where high school students engage with local leaders and experts on critical global challenges, participate in hands-on activities, and explore exciting ways to make a difference in New Jersey and around the world. The New Jersey Youth Institute is hosted by Rutgers, the State University with the generous support of the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, the New Jersey FFA, New Jersey 4-H, and Rutgers Cooperative Extension. You can find out more about the World Food Prize Foundation here: https://www.worldfoodprize.org/

Congratulations Myra and Rohan!

St. Patrick's Day Parade 

Published on March 13, 2024

Thank you to all our members and leaders who showed up to march in the Morristown St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday - despite the the chilly wet weather.  We truly appreciate you!  

And to those who cheered us on, thank you, too!!!

Published on March 6, 2024

Our 4-H members Benjamin J. and Josh G., along with five other 4-H members from the state, participated in a Smithsonian Institution "Museum on Main Street" project for NJ. This is a partnership between the Smithsonian and national 4-H. The topic they chose was Food Insecurity in NJ. They looked closer into the issues the pandemic brought to residents and the impact it had on local food pantries. Please read the full report on the Smithsonian Institution's Museum on Main Street page: https://museumonmainstreet.org/blog-node/new-jersey-4-hers-explore-food-insecurity-their-communities

Ribbons at Woofminster Dog Show

Published on February 28, 2024 (+ results added on 3/1/2024)

Dogs R Us club members Brook, Leah, and Corlyn, along with their leaders Kathy and Beverly, attended the Woofminster Dog Show on Sunday, February 25, 2024, which was hosted by Somerset 4-H. See the photos and details below for the ribbons they received. Congratulations!

Results from the WOOFminster dog show:

 Obedience

Junior Showmanship

Grooming class

Danish Ribbons were awarded and all three members received – Very Good

Congratulations to all!

Clover Dance

Published on February 21, 2024

With thanks to the Sue Dupre band, our Clover Dance last Saturday was a huge success. Everyone was on the dance floor, from toddlers to grandparents, from novise to experienced square dancers. We had so much fun! 

Let us know if you are interested in a 4-H Dance Club.

And visit our Facebook posts for more pictures and videos from the event (https://www.facebook.com/MorrisCounty4H/)

Thank you Chester Township NJ rec department for letting us use the barn, Chester Shop Rite for the donation, everyone who helped set up and run the event, and those who brought food for the Chester Mendham food pantry!

Bunny Hopping

Published on February 21, 2024

On February 3rd some of our 4-H'ers from the Furry Friends and Buckanears clubs enjoyed an afternoon of learning about the sport of Rabbit Hopping. 

It was well attended and we will continue practicing monthly.

4-H Teen Winter Camp

Published on February 14, 2024

Morris County 4-H teens plus chaperones joined Somerset, Sussex, and Warren county 4-H'ers at Winter Camp last weekend for an opportunity to make new friends, hang out, and have fun. Activities included archery, stomp rockets, bread making, and much more.

In Memory of Mary Carberry

Published on February 7, 2024

With sadness, we inform you that long-time 4-H Volunteer, Mary Carberry, passed away on January 31st.  Mary started her volunteer work with Morris County 4-H when her daughter Jen joined Buckanears in the 1980's.  She had wanted Jen to learn about her guinea pig, Cupcake. Very soon after, Mary helped where needed at club meetings and drove Jen around the state to compete in 4-H cavy shows.  Mary branched out to help at the Morris County 4-H Fairs:  She was a chairperson for Fine Art for many years and a key creator in the Literary Works Division, now Creative Writing.  Mary was also the mastermind behind the Children's Country Store at the Fair.  For years, she entered her prized quilts in the Adult area of the Needlework Division.  The best in shows and ribbons she received can still be found attached to the back of her quilt entries.  Mary was so excited to briefly visit last year's 4-H Fair, hosted at High View Farms. 
Mary always tried 'to make the best better'.

In Memory of Jim Newquist

Published on February 7, 2024

James Hans "Jim" Newquist passed away on Friday, December 22, 2023. 

An active volunteer for 4-H, Jim played many roles in the organization, including serving on the Board of Directors as vice president, judging public presentations and projects at the annual 4-H summer fair, and serving as the 4-H coordinator for the spring and call “Clover Campaigns” fundraisers at Tractor Supply. 

His passion for space and astronomy shined through his involvement with the National Association of Rocketry and 4-H Rocketry Club, where he could often be seen wearing his NASA jacket covered in space mission patches. Jim was recognized for his efforts as a teacher and environmentalist many times, including being awarded State Teacher of the Year. He was also honored in Washington, D.C., for Exemplary Leadership in the 4-H Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation Program.  

4-H'ers attend Rutgers' Teen Café event

Published on January 29, 2023

Joshua & Evan both enjoyed Teen Café at the Rutgers Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine on Saturday, January 27. Evan said it was great meeting new people and discussing the various topics concerning foods that support a healthy digestive system as well as other fun topics and activities like a raffle and a scientist luncheon. Josh enjoyed learning more about food science and the effects food has on our bodies. They got to taste different foods and discover which have important nutrients our bodies need. 

Finding a Place in Space

Published on December 20, 2023

On Saturday, December 16, everyone who came out to CCM for the 4-H Rocket Science Event "Find your Place in Space" had a great time. Participants got to ask astronaut Charlie Walker their questions, hear him describe the wonder of experiencing space and what it feels like to look at our planet from a distance (and wake up with your hands floating in front of your face). Mr. Walker explained to us the various fields that are needed for space exploration and many paths that can lead to being involved. He encouraged everyone to stay curious and follow their interest and passion. 

In the second part of the event, all enjoyed hands-on workshops that were led by 4-H members of the ResistoJets Club. The topics ranged from planes to rockets, from stars to living on the moon, and more. A Rutgers Rocket Propulsion Lab team member also showed their latest projects.
Thanks to everyone who presented and helped in other ways - and a special Thank-you to Mr. Walker!

Thank you, cookie decorators!

Published on December 5, 2023

Thank you 4-H'ers for decorating cookies on Sunday, December 3rd to benefit Nana's Gift NJ!

Clubs represented were: 

Teen Council, Dogs 'R' Us, Mad STEM Scientists, Furry Friends, Buckanears, STEAM Punks, Horsin' around, and Knit Wits

A Thanks also to those who donated cookies and supplies!

Home for the Holidays

Published on December 5, 2023

The promotion committee looks forward to this every year - Roxbury's Home for the Holidays. On Saturday, December 2nd they offered the waiting families a craft of candy cane reindeer.

Thanks to all helpers!

The 4-H tree looks amazing!

Published on December 5, 2023

The Janis familiy organized 4-H's participation at the Festival of Trees for the second year - and collected even more ornaments from our clubs this time. On the morning of December 2nd, their three generations helped fit them all on the tree. The beautiful result represents the colorful variety of our clubs and the many interests and talents of the Morris County 4-H Family. Thank you Becky  and everyone else who contributed! Don't forget to visit the 4-H Tree at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum's "Festival of Trees" this month!

Morris at Cupcake Wars

Published on December 5, 2023

On Saturday, December 2nd, Mary D of Furry Friends and Emma M of Busy Bees attended the annual Cupcake Wars competition at Somerset County 4-H.  

Thank you for representing Morris County 4-H! Those cupcakes look amazing!

A Fun Way With Words

Published on November 29, 2023

4-H writers gathered on Tuesday, November 28 and created beautiful colaborative poems (see one below) and individual work. Everyone was open for some new challenges and let the words flow freely, including made-up ones. Join us on December 18, 2023 for the next round of creative fun with words.

Fire cow and flower

A fire cow eats flowers

The cow ate a firey flower

The firey flowers gripped the land as the cow grazed upon them

The fire cow was jumping off flowers

Clouds colored like cows, in a sky of fire, above a sea of flowers

Flowers covered the plains where a family of fire cows lived

I have a fire cow and he likes flowers

I like watching fires, cows, and flowers

Marching in the Boonton Christmas Parade

Published on November 29, 2023

4-H clubs and families marched in the Boonton Fire Department Christmas Parade. Thank you Becky for organizing and preparing for this.

4-H Awards Ceremony 2023

Published on November 8/2023

Every November our 4-H members' accomplishments and achievements during the previous 4-H year are celebrated at the Awards Ceremony. This year's County Level awards and higher were recognized on Saturday, November 4th at the Morris County Public Safety Training Academy.

Congratulations to all award recipients!

See our 2023 Awards Ceremony page for details.

Holiday Card Design Contest

Published November 8, 2023

We had so many entries for our 4-H Holiday Card Design Contest! Thanks everyone for participating. The winning pictures will be on the cards and e-cards sent out to 4-H families, volunteers, sponsors, and other 4-H friends and supporters. They are also featured on our social media.

Contest Winners:

Honorable Mention:

Mackenzie W.

Samantha O.

Rohan G.

Sweet 4-H Trunk-or-Treat

Published November 1, 2023

On October 21, we had our frist 4-H Trunk-or-Treat in the 4-H building parking lot. The weather was perfect, the decorated cars ranged from picture perfect to bone-ratteling scary. Lots of fun activities were offered and the kids enjoyed exploring, making friends, showing off their costumes and running around.

Pokémon Walk a success!

Published October 28, 2023

By Joshua and Evan G.

Joshua: "I am glad we were able to play with a lot of people. We created parties and battled together."

Evan: "We were able to catch Pokémon with a variety of people and joined a gym together."

Creative Writing Workshop

Published October 18, 2023


Thanks to Ellen Williams, 4-H creative arts agent, for kicking off our writing workshop.

More workshops to come.

Workshop haiku colaboration:


breeze quickly blowing

blue water in the night sky

shark jumps out of sea

4-H Window Displays

Published October 18, 2023


Duing National 4-H week and for the rest of the mont of October we had many clubs and families participate this year and put together wonderful displays in libraries and businesses throughout the county.



4-H Clubs at Tractor Supply - Clover Campaign

Published October 18, 2023


Many clubs meet at the Highview Farms location and they came together to celebrate 4-H week and Tractor Supply's clover Campaign on October 3rd in Flanders. This was a big group of kids who kicked off the year.


On October 8th another group supported the Campaign at the Rockaway Tractor Supply store.

Mahi G. - Finalist in the National 4-H Youth in Action Award

Published October 2, 2023

Our Morris County 4-H member Mahi Gupta was just announced Finalist in the National 4-H Youth in Action Award. She is one of twelve 4-H'ers who have made it to the list of this prestigues national award. Her bio, along with the other finalists and winners, can be viewed here: https://4-h.org/programs/4-h-youth-in-action-program/winners-and-finalists/

Congratulations Mahi!

Many Events to Promote 4-H

Published October 1, 2023

Our 4-H Promotion Team has been busy during the last weeks. There was  the Wharton Canal Day, Suckasunny Day, the rescheduled Mine Hill Day, and the Festival on the Green in Morristown. Bottle Hill Day in Madison is coming up this weekend plus others soon. Email the committee at mc4hpromotions@gmail.com to learn more.

Morris County 4-H Fair on the Farm

Published August, 2023

Our 2023 Fair was held at High View Farms in Mt Olive from July 28-30. It showcased our members' accomplishments and their work over the last year. We had over 350 entries from 4-H members and volunteers, many animals to visit, lots of hands-on activities, great entertainment, and MANY helpers to put it all together and ensure everything ran smoothly! 

Thank you to everyone who participated and entered in the Fair! What beautiful shows, exhibits, and presentations! You all did an amazing job! 

Visit our Fair Page where we highlight the Best in Show (BIS), Honorable Mention (HM), Best of Breed, Best Reserve, as well as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place recipients. Congratulations! 

State Public Presentation Winners!

Published on June 23, 2023

The 4-H State Public Presentations were held June 10-11, 2023 and there were three ways to participate: in-person, virtual, or with a recording. In order to be eligible, members had to be in 8th grade or up and have received an Excellent score at their county public presentation event.

Representing Morris County 4-H were:

All received an Excellent, and Rohan and Myra also won Best of Room in their categories. Congratulations to Rashi, Myra, and Rohan!

More Rain than Shine

Published on May 21, 2023
By Corlyn C., Dogs R Us member

Saturday May 20th 2023 - Today I attended the Lake Hopatcong Block Party. Once we arrived there it was raining.

I held Marty’s leash as people went to pet Marty.  On my free time I practiced some training and tricks with Marty.  Then it started to rain heavily and we huddled under a neighboring tent. We explored different tents which sold different things like bracelets, clothes made of wool and paintings. Despite the rain, we enjoyed telling stories and spending time with Marty. 

4-H at Career Carnival

Published on May 17, 2023
By Corlyn C., Dogs R Us member

Saturday, April 15, 2023.
Today was the 4-H Career carnival at the Rockaway Mall. The purpose of the Career Carnival for 4-H was to provide awareness of 4-H clubs so people could join. Marty, the husky, and I were representing the animal clubs in 4-H. At the Career Carnival, there were booths that talked about careers and some booths gave instructions on making crafts. The Career Carnival was a entertaining, informative way to learn about careers and have a fun time.

Knitting and Animals at Joann's in April

Published on May 17, 2023
By Corlyn C., Dogs R Us member

Saturday, April 15, 2023.
Today I had a fun time learning how to chrochet, knit, meet new animals, and support 4-H. For the event, I arrived at Joann's Fabric and saw one of the clubs I was interested, Knit Wits was at Joann's too. We met the leaders of Knit Wits, Mr. and Mrs. Dodge. Mrs. Dodge invited me to teach me how to crochet and knit! I decided to try some knitting and crocheting while giving Marty dog treats. At the end, I decided to try out the Knit Wits club.

Congratulations 4-H Public Presenters!

Published on May 8, 2023

On Saturday, Morris County 4-H'ers came together at the County College of Morris for Public Presentation - in-person again after a long break. It was the first time presenting for most of the 4-H members and they all did a fabulous job! The topics ranged from "Logic Gates" to "Playing Football as a Girl", "Bermuda Triangle", and "Top 10 Best Traveling Products". 4-H members were judged against a standard rather than one another and were eligible to receive an Excellent, Very Good, Good or Fair ratings while Cloverbud members (grades K through 3) were eligible for Participation ribbons.  

During the break, when points were tallied and the judges' comments collected, there were snacks to be shared and 4-H alum Mahi Gupta talked about her experience in 4-H and the many events and opportunities she enjoyed in the program.  

At the end, the well-earned ribbons were handed out to the twelve participants. Five presenters in grades 8-11 qualified to represent Morris County 4-H at the 4-H State Public Presentations in June. Good luck!

Thank you to our judges, room hosts, and helpers! And congratulations to everyone who participated!

4-H at Earth Day Celebration

Published on May 3, 2023
By Alexis M. - Buckanears member

Saturday, April 29, the promotion committee promoted 4-H at Earth Day in Whippany. I taught kids (and grownups) how to make seed bombs. We took clay and flattened it out, then put wildflower seeds and dirt on it and rolled it up into a ball. It was fun! 

Our Rocket Team Rocks - Launch Week in Alabama

Watch the recording

Interview at: 6:33:07
Launch at: 7:06:35

Published on April 19, 2023

The Morris County 4-H Rocket Team had a blast in Huntsville, Alabama last week! All 5 members of the only NJ team were able to travel to the launch week events that were put together by the Student Launch group of NASA. They experienced the thrill of being among the university/college teams and some middle/high school teams preparing for the final launch in this high-power rocket competition. It started on Wednesday with check-in and the rocket hardware checks. The checks were done by seasoned volunteers of the National Association of Rocketry (NAR), who scrutinized every detail of the rocket and payload design, build, and assembly as well as the team members' knowledge on details especially relating to the safety of the rocket and launch. The team only had a few things on their "punch list" and were able to fix them immediately.

The next day was the official kick-off and included various speakers from NASA and Northrop Grumman, a NASA partner and the biggest sponsor of the event. Thursday ended with a fun social gathering for all, where our group was able to get to know other teams and speak with NASA SLI engineers, the NAR official who invented the American Rocketry Challenge (the competition which enabled the team to be there), as well as a few Northrop Grumman managers who encouraged the members to look into internships offered by their company and NASA, including some for high school students.

“We’re just five kids from New Jersey, we don’t go to the same school or even live in the same city, but here we are launching rockets with NASA,”  The team captain, Sean McConoughey, said in an interview with NASA, which is featured in NASA's official release about the competition finals.

Friday morning was free for a visit to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville where barrel rolls and flips were tested (and physically experienced) in the simulator. From 3-6 pm, all teams were part of the Rocket Fair at the Van Braun Center, which was open to the public and very well attended. Our 4-H Team had a steady flow of visitors to their table. "Most people asked about the external payload of the rocket which had a rotating camera arm, and some were curious about how a 4-H team got into the competition." said Holt Englander, safety officer of the team. They even had Homer Hickam, former NASA engineer and the author of Rocket Boy, the basis of the movie October Sky, stop by and sign their rocket.

Saturday was finally the long-awaited Launch Day! The team drove to Bragg Farms, the launch site near Huntsville, before sunrise and set up in beautiful fog. When their launch time finally arrived around midday, it was clear, sunny, and HOT. The team was in the last volley (round) of the event, and it was even further delayed by unexpected hiccups like little fires that needed to be put out, cables shorting out, and other things not working as expected. This offered time to give a short interview (watch at 6:33:07 of the recording on NASA's YouTube channel), hang out some more, chat with a few more people, and drink the last bit of water...

Then their launch was up. The rocket took off like a lightning bolt! It was beautiful. After it arced over, the drogue parachute came out as planned and at the correct lower altitude the main parachute was deployed and unfolded perfectly - until it got hit by a part of the rocket, folded up and stayed that way until the rocket landed HARD.

But since the main experience was really the thrill of being there, having gone through all the steps to reach that point, having completed all the hard work of writing documents all night to have them ready on the morning they were due, presenting the designs and changes to the NASA engineers in the review interviews, having built and tested the subscale and full scale rockets, and rebuilding parts and pieces over the last 9 months - it really didn't matter. They were there. Their rocket launched. They were exhausted, and on a rocket high. It was all worth it!

"I loved being a part of the team this year and strongly encourage anyone who likes STEM to join a team or start their own. It's hard, but it's one of the best learning experiences, especially for middle school and highschoolers, there is. I hope to see more 4-H clubs at student launch in the future." the club's photographer and social media manager, Mya McConoughey, said, encouraging students across the country to push themselves to new heights.

The awards ceremony will be held on June 6th. We will keep you posted on the results.

The team would like to thank their generous sponsors: the Morris County 4-H Association, New Jersey Space Grant Consortium, Rutgers Extension Services, the Morris County Board of Agriculture, and High View Farms, as well as their mentor for their support. 

See the recording of the launch day event on the YouTube Channel of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLuCndLABTY and pictures and videos on the NASA Student Launch Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NASAStudentLaunch

Fair Theme Contest

Published on March 29, 2023

Thank you for everyone's submissions to our Fair Theme Contest this year! It was a tough competition. Below is the winning design as well as other excellent entries.

The Winner is: 

Adam D., grade 5, member of the Plants, Pollinators & Poultry Club, with his design: "Change the World with 4-H". Congratulations Adam!

All clubs are encouraged to incorporate the theme into their club display at the Fair, their club banner for the parade of clubs, T-shirts, Fair activities, and more.

See the 4-H Fair Page: morris4h.org/4-h-fair

Most Musical:

"Jam Out in 4-H"

By Sam O., grade 7, member of Furry Friends, Feathered Friends, Just Kid "n" Around, Busy Bees & Seedlings, and Radical Racers

Most Adorable:

"4-H Does Everything"

By Leigh M., 1st grade, member of the STEAM Punks and Knit Wits clubs

Most Colorful:

"4-H is full of activities"

By Alexis M., grade 2, member of Buckanears and Horsin' Around clubs

Most Informative

"Growing and Connecting using our Head, Heart, Hands, & Health"

By Corlyn C., grade 4, member of Dogs "R" Us

Most worldly:

"All Around the World"

By Nate W., grade 5, member of the STEAM Punks club

Mystery Solved

Published on March 29, 2023

Our crime solving sleuths solved the mystery of the stolen laptops - the challenge for the 4-H Crime Scene Investigation workshop at the County College of Morris this past Saturday, March 25.

Participants learned about securing crime scenes, fingerprinting and investigating in this first CSI program through Morris County 4-H and CCM. Thank you to the Criminal Justice Department at CCM!

The 4-H tractor and float even made it into the NJ.com gallery for the event.

4-H in the St Patrick's Day Parade

Published on March 14, 2023

Despite the weather forecast, many spectators came out to see the St Patrick's Day Parade last Saturday, March 11. Thank you to all 4-H participants for marching with the float - and a special Thanks to Mic for bringing the tractor and trailer again! It looked beautiful and caught the attention of many visitors - including the photographer for NJ.com (see picture in the online gallery: https://www.nj.com/galleries/RIVCWGHYE5CTXKNOB6JQ66BEH4/)

Parsippany Green Fair

Published on March15, 2023

Great turn out on March 4th at the Parsippany green fair. We were so happy to chat with so many families and Athena was happy to receive so many pets

Teen council member Rohan helped out the promotion team, and of course our spokesbunny, Athena.

The event was well attended and we had a great spot right near the circulation desk so even families not there specifically for the event could see us.

Tractor Supply Grand Opening

Published on March 15, 2023

Tractor supply was a great event. We got to use our new table cloth and runner.  

Shane and Sammy brought a rabbit and RC cars. Shane chatted easily about the club and fair to people who had to stop bc the size of some of his cars were really impressive and they wanted to know more.  

Sammy brought snowball the rabbit and allowed passersby to pet while also finding out who were alumni and making sure they got their ribbons.

We met lots of families with kids. The Management and staff were super friendly. The store looks beautiful and we look forward to doing more events there, and definitely some shopping too.

4-H Rocket Launch

Published on February 15, 2023
By the ResistoJets Rocketry 4-H Club

Photos by Karen Mancinelli


On Saturday, February 11, our NASA SLI team hosted a hands-on rocketry event as part of their STEM Engagement program. Dozens of guests got to enjoy building and launching rockets that they kept, as well as a few other launches by our club.

At the end of the event, the TARC team gave a final send-off to last year's competition rocket for the crowd to enjoy.

On February 20th, our club is hosting a webinar to talk more in depth about rocketry and competitions. Info can be found here: https://www.morris4h.org/upcoming-events

This is all part of our wider efforts to engage hundreds of youth statewide about STEM topics - supported by Rutgers, Morris County 4-H, and the New Jersey Space Grant Consortium.

See also the Morris County Facebook Post: https://www.facebook.com/MorrisCountyNJ/ and RegistoJets club page: https://www.facebook.com/ResistoJetsRocketry4HClub.

Annual New Jersey Agriculture Ambassador Reception

Published on February 15, 2023
By Sean M.

As the Morris County 4-H'er of the year, I was honored to be our representative to the New Jersey agriculture ambassador reception this year on February 8th. Approximately 20 kids from 4-H counties and other agriculture-oriented programs had a chance to exhibit and talk about what they've done as a part of their respective groups. It was great to meet with 4-H and Rutgers partners, industry professionals, and fellow youth from across the state. The dinner was great and the speaker gave a very interesting life perspective on how important attitudes are.

I had a great time talking to and meeting people I had previously only known from virtual meetings. The event was a unique experience, being my first convention dinner, and changed my perspective on events going forward.

Thank you Morris County 4-H for this opportunity.

4-H Public Presentation Workshop

Published on February 8, 2023

The first in-person public presentation workshop since 2019 had a great turnout! 4-H alum Johanna Pipoli, together with 4-H Agent Kelly Dziak, led the participants through the process of how to select a topic, pick the best format for your presentation, fill out the structure, and perfect the form. They went over what Public Presentations on May 6th will be like and what the judges are looking for (spoiler alert: mainly to see all participants succeed and become even better public speakers in the future!). We had many great presenters give their fabulous mini talks on fun topics and got creative juices flowing on presentation ideas.

If you missed the workshop you can go to our club resources page and scroll down for details on 4-H Public Presentations:

https://www.morris4h.org/4-h-clubs/club-resources

4-H Scrapbook workshop

Published on January 24 2023
By Sophia K. - 4-H member and workshop leader

We met on Saturday to make a scrapbook page for our record books. We covered what are different types of record books, including scrapbooking. We learned a few design guidelines like using the rule of 3rds, creating a visual triangle, and using color and embellishments for interest. We had a great time! 

MLK Day Project

Published on January 18, 2023

On Monday, January 16th, 4-H'ers and their family members gathered at the 4-H office to make sandwiches for Project Kind. Eleven youth and ten adults representing Buckanears, Dogs R Us, Curious Critters, Horsin’ Around, Furry Friends, and Teen Council, assembled 175 decorated bags with PB&J sandwiches and snacks. The whole event lasted 1.5 hours and there are plenty of peanut butter and jelly jars ready for next time.

Sandwiches for Project Kind

Published on December 21, 2022
By Aniket P.

For a couple of years now, my brother and I have been donating PB&Js to Project Kind to support their numerous service projects. It all started in 2020, where we got all the bread for the sandwiches donated by a bakery and delivered to our house by 4-H volunteer Valerie. 

As this years holidays came around, I figured now since I am a part of the 4-H Teen Council, we could organize something that would end up making lots more sandwiches for people in need than my brother and I could ever. Once finished we ended with so many sandwiches it was hard to fit them in the car we had brought. Overall it was a lot of fun. 

Thank you 4-H Leaders!

Published on December 12, 2022

The 4-H Leaders' Social was held on December 8 at Polo's Restaurant in Netcong as a Thank-you to all 4-H club leaders, board members, active alum, as well as higher youth award winners. It was a lovely event with delicious food, new and renewed connections, and lots of fun.

Morris Team gets 2nd Place

Published on December 7, 2022
By Benjamin Janis

Cupcake Wars - 12/3/2022
Location: Somerset County 4H, NJ

Gabriel L., Jessenia L. and Benjamin J. participated in the annual Cupcake Wars by the Masters Chefs club in Somerset County 4-H. We were the only team from Morris County 4-H that participated. 

The rules of the competition were that cupcakes had to be made from scratch, two or three people on a team and each bakes six cupcakes. We participated as Juniors and there were six teams.

We decided to make a Chocolate Explosion cupcake made with chocolate cake, chocolate icing, chocolate sprinkles, Hershey Kisses and cocoa powder on the display plate. We used a homemade buttercream recipe from Gabriel’s Mom for the icing and it was delicious!

We won second place with a score of 85/90 and we were super happy.

4-H tree for the Festival of Trees

Published on December 7, 2022

Nearly all our 4-H clubs made and contributed beautiful and unique ornaments to decorate our "4-H Tree" at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum for their first annual Festival of Trees! The outcome is a masterpiece of Creativity, Collaboration, and Fun! 

We thank 4-H parent Rebecca J. to find and coordinate the event. Her family also created ornaments for every club with the club names on them, and they did all the setup and decorating on December 2nd. And thank you Rosanne for the tree. 

The Festival of Trees is open in the newly renovated mansion at the arboretum on Fridays and Saturdays, December 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24 and Tuesday to Saturday December 27 - December 31 from 10 am to 4 pm.

Admission is $10 per person. Space is limited. You can get your tickets for the 30 minutes times slots here: tinyurl.com/MCPCFestival.

4-H at Home for the Holidays

Published on December 7, 2022

The 4-H station at the Roxbury library was a hit again this year at their Home for the Holidays event on December 3rd. Thank you to all who came and participated!


Awards Ceremony 2022 Slide Show (11-12-2022).pptx

2022 Awards Ceremony

Published on November 14/2022

Every November our 4-H members' accomplishments and achievements during the previous 4-H year are celebrated at an awards event. This year's County Level awards and higher were recognized at our 4-H Awards Ceremony this past Saturday, November 12 at the Morris County Public Safety Training Academy.

Congratulations to all award recipients!

See our 2022 Awards Ceremony page for details and photos.

4-H Meet & Greet at Fosterfields

Published on October 26, 2022

Last Saturday, on October 22, 2022 4-H clubs set up at the beautiful Fosterfields Living Historic Farm in Morristown to share with the visitors what 4-H and their clubs are all about. We had a perfect (very) warm and sunny fall day. The bunnies, guinea pig, and chicken were the favorites with the young crowd but the fun STEM acorn game by the STEAM Punks as well as the robots (and cups) provided by the Tech-No Bots as well as the Mad STEM Scientists were not far behind. Thank you to everyone who participated with a table, display, and activity! And Thanks to Fosterfields for inviting us.

4-H promotion Committee at Career Carnival

Published on October 19 2022

We had a great time at The Chester library on Sunday, October 16!  If you are 4-H parent and are interested in helping promote 4-H at various community events send me a message and I'll get you in touch with the committee.


Promotion Committee

What is it?

A group of people intent on never hearing: "Oh... I didn't know we had 4-H here!"

What we do:

We attend various town events all over Morris County and have fun talking up 4-H. Overall, we promote the 4-H program, individual clubs, and the fair. (We also enjoy good parking and easy access to these events!)

Not sure what to say?

We will show you the basic talking points and then you can just be your friendly self.

What we ask of committee members:

Who can join?

Any 4-H member or parent/guardian of a club member.

Why do we need so many volunteers?

We'd like to expand our outreach and often town events happen on the same day so we'd like to attend as many as possible. We can't do that without more members.

Leaders please bring this information to your club parents and if they'd like to join our email list please email me at mc4hpromotions@gmail.com

4-H at Morristown's Fall Festival on the Green 

Published on October 12 2022

Morris County 4-H had their table at Morristown's Fall Festival on the Green on October 2nd. Despite the weather many visitors came out and enjoyed the displays, entertainment, and food at the event. Thanks to Marty, the 4-pawed 4-H promotion committee member in the picture, who was very talkative, the table had lot's of attention and conversations. Thank you to the group for attending these events and (re-)introducing 4-H to many families!

Here is the report with the photo from MorristownGreen.com.

4-H Youth in Action Winners' Videos 

Published on August 14, 2022

National 4-H just published 4 videos of the 4 winners of the 4-H Youth in Action Award in 2021. We are so proud of our Morris County 4-H member, Kristin Osika, who is the award winner for Healthy Living of this National 4-H Award! Watch hers and the three other stories on the National 4-H YouTube Channel.

2022 Morris County 4-H Fair in review

Published on August 2, 2022

After two years of a pause the Fair was on from July 21-24 at Chubb Park in Chester again this year. A big thank-you to all who helped make this happen! Take a look at our 2022 Fair page with memories and more reports to come in the next days.

The 4-H Fair Evaluation Survey will be open until August 15.

4-H at Dover Night Out

Published on August 2, 2022

On Saturday July 30, our 4-H promotion committee attended Dover's Night Out - and it was a success! They were met with lots of interest and are invited to visit school in the Dover area in the Fall. Thank you to our most active committee members! 

Mark your calendar for the next dates: 

Contact the office to join or find out more about this group.

State Level 4-H Public Presentations

Published on July 6, 2022

In June Mahi G. represented Morris County 4-H in the State Level 4-H Public Presentations. She earned an Excellent Score with her video submission "Nanomedicine - small particles with huge possibilities". Mahi's illustrated talk received the Best of Room!

Congratulations Mahi!

4-H Public Presentations

Published on June 1, 2022

Three Morris County 4-H'ers participated in the Northeast 4-H County Level Public Presentations - and all received an Excellent score! 

The score sheets and ribbons are in the mail. Congratulations!

Rocket Team Headed to NASA competition

Published on May 25, 2022

The Morris County Rocket team is flying high. Their successful launches at TARC nationals on May 14 in VA landed them on 17th place - out of the 100 best teams in the country! This qualifies them to participate in the next level: the NASA rocket competition!

They are also planning on registering for The American Rocketry Challenge (TARC) next year again. New design plans to meet the 2023 parameters are already underway.

Watch their video with photos and clips from the national fly-off event by Washington DC. And look at the TARC results page: https://rocketcontest.org/result/2022/

Congratulations Sean M. and Holt E.! Best of luck for the next step!

Seeing Eye State Dog Show

Published on May 18, 2022

62 Seeing Eye puppy raisers and their pups came together from all over New Jersey to compete in their annual Seeing Eye state dog show on Saturday, April 30 at Rutgers Day in New Brunswick. Among the 18 youth participants were 7 members from 4-H Seeing Eye clubs, 5 of them from our two Morris County clubs 4-Footed Leaders and Puppy Tails: Emma Acomb, Owen Armstrong, Zachary Byank, Willow Macagnano, and Chelli Senthil. They competed in 3 classes based on the age of their puppies: Class A: 4-5 months, Class B: 6- 9 months, Class C: 10 months and up.

Here are the winners from Morris County 4-H:

Emma Acomb and Zaylee got BEST IN SHOW of all participants!

Congratulations!

See also the club report from 4-Footed Leaders here.

Rutgers Day -

Morris County 4-H'er meets the University's president Jonathan Holloway

Published on May 2, 2022
By Sophia K., Shutterbugs member

Saturday, April 30 I had the opportunity to exhibit my photographs at Rutgers Day. It was a great experience discussing 4-H clubs with students, parents, and other visitors….including the University President! Many were surprised that 4-H has fine art opportunities. I recommend everyone attend Rutgers Day next year. I had a lot of fun seeing what the many clubs on campus have to offer students and the community.  

Morris County 4-H represented at Imagination in Action

Published on May 2, 2022

Morris County 4-H members Sophia K. of Shutterbugs and Rohan P. of Teen Council showed their art at 4-H Imagination in Action at Rutgers Day on Saturday, April 30 in New Brunswick, NJ. 

See below Sophia's three photos: Horse, Flowers, and Frog, as well as Rohan's two entries from the NJ 4-H Photo Corps challenge.

Thank you Sophia and Rohan for representing Morris County 4-H at Rutgers Day!

4-H at the Easter Bunny Express

Published on April 9, 2022

The Whippany Railway Museum invited 4-H to have a table at their popular Easter event. Our volunteers offered coloring pages, talked to families about 4-H, handed out Fair flyers - and said Hello to the Easter Bunny. Visit them again on Saturday, April 16, or at one of the next events our 4-H promotion team attends.

Fair Theme 4-H Kids' Choice(s)

Published on March 30, 2022

We asked our 4-H members to vote for their favorite Fair Theme from all entries. Check out the winner(s) below. A big thank you to all who participated in the Fair Theme Contest by submitting their design! (The main Fair Theme this year is "Discover more with 4-H" - see the Fair page for details.)

4-H Kids' Choice Fair Theme Winner:

"Blast off with 4-H"

By Leonard R., grade 5, member of STEAM Punks

2nd Kids' Choice:

"Discover more with 4-H"

By Amelia T., grade 6, member of Kids 4 Kindness

Most artistic:

"Be a Hero with 4-H"

By Sammy O., grade 6, member of many clubs

Cutest:

"4-H is Furtastic"

By Alex D., grade 5, member of Be the Change


Most magical:

"Let's grow with each other - 4-H is magic"

By Gwen W., grade 4, member of many clubs


Most delicious:

"4-H is MeatAstic"

By Leigh M., Kindergarten, member of STEAM Punks

Most prehistoric:

"Sink your teeth into 4-H"

By Quinn L., grade 5, member of Be the Change

Most colorful:

"Let's bounce into Summer with 4-H"

By Gwennevierre M., grade 2, member of Furry Friends


St Patrick's Day Parade

Published: on March 23, 2022

Many 4-H families and volunteers came out to Morristown to march in the St Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday March 19. The weather cooperated this time and it turned out to be a beautiful event with lots of participants and spectators. The tractor pulling the 4-H float with the decorated popup looked fantastic. Many clubs were represented. The group even included a bunny on it's own little float as well as dogs dressed up for the occasion. Thank you to all who helped to make 4-H's participation in the parade a success.

Congratulations Top Chef Participants

Published: on February 17, 2022

Morris County members Karcsi P., Zoli P., and Aidan T. participated in the Top Chef challenge. They will receive their ribbons and judges comments in the mail. Check out their videos.

Congratulations!

New Year Better You - January Service Challenge

Published: on February 1st, 2022

Morris County 4-H member Cassidy C. completed her service project for the New Year - Better You January Challenge. She shared her musical talent virtually at senior centers. 

Cassidy played holiday music on the flute for the residents at Sunrise and Arbor Terrace.  They have had very limited visitors for the last two years because of Covid and have not been able to see many young people. This was a way to let them hear some Christmas music and see someone different.

In Remembrance of Jeannette Rea-Keywood

Published: on December 16, 2021

We are deeply saddened to inform you that Jeannette Rea-Keywood has passed away.  Many Morris County 4-H families and alumi know Jeannette from attending state, national, and international 4-H events and trips. Her dedication to 4-H has made a difference in thousands of 4-H'ers lives in NJ over the 30+ years she has been with 4-H, first as a Cumberland County and then as a statewide agent. Our deepest condolences go out to her family, friends, and colleagues.


In lieu of flowers, Jeannette's family requests that donations be made to the New Jersey 4-H Gift Fund in her memory to support the 4-H programs she provided leadership to.  Donations can be made online - https://give.rutgers.edu/4Hgiftfund. 


Her obituary can be found here. 

Fun Leader Social

Published: on December 14, 2021

As a Thank-you to our 4-H leaders and volunteers the Association invited all to celebrate at the Grove at Randolph last Thursday. Thanks to Kelly's game, everyone started out the evening finding out something new about their old and new 4-H friends. Susan provided some fun entertainment as well. Thanks again to all volunteers for your dedication to 4-H! The clubs and program wouldn't exist without you!

Faye the rabbit at "Home for the Holidays" in Roxbury

Published: on December 6, 2021

There was a great turnout at this event in Roxbury on Saturday, December 4. We had lots of 4-H volunteers at our table in the library and many kids and families visit them. Faye, the rabbit was the biggest star, of course, but the RC cars and 4-H coloring pages were a hit too. Other 4-H families were seen helping at their church next door, also part of the "Home for the Holidays".

This event was a great experience. Lots of interested kids and parents. We look forward to welcoming new 4-H families as a result of this. Thanks to all who helped.

Morris County 4-H Alum
in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 

Published: on November 29, 2021

Mat Pomel, 4-H Alum from our county and also former volunteer and board member, participated in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday. He was part of the Santa Sleigh float. Congratulations! It looked like a lot of fun!

Published: on November 16, 2021

The 2021 Morris County 4-H Awards Night was held on November 12 at High View Farms in Budd Lake. Congratulations to all of our 4-H'ers, club leaders, board members, volunteers and families for your contributions and achievements during the 2020-2021 4-H year!


See the 2021 Awards Page or slide show of the event for award winners. Congratulations!

4-H Promotion at local events

Published: on October 26, 2021
By: Promotion Committee


As the 2021-2022 4-H year gets underway, the promotion committee is working hard to get information out to our local communities about the value of joining 4-H. The 4-H promotion committee participated in 6 festivals so far. We kicked the year off with Olde Suckasunny Day at the end of September, followed by Puptoberfest, the Harvest Hustle Race and Festival in Mendham, then off to the Morristown Festival on the Green.  We concluded our fall festivals with Bat-apalooza and the Career Carnival last weekend. 

Succasunny Day was the perfect opening act with local residents filling Roxbury library's parking lot looking for fall fun and future activities. The promotion committee enjoyed connecting with neighbors and educating them on what 4-H has to provide while the Radical Racers and Buckanears provided conversation pieces.   

We continued our quest to make sure 4-H is fully immersed in local events at Puptoberfest. While we always promote all clubs we made a special effort to highlight our dog clubs at this special event sponsored by 11th Hour Rescue.  Our 4-H table had a wonderful tent neighbor, Bones and Co Apothecary, who made a generous donation to the Dogs R Us club. 

The festival on the Green had the largest number of families and individuals stop by the 4-H table - which spiked the number of inquiries to the 4-H office. 

We rounded out the festivities chatting it up with local families at the Parsippany library where the featured event was Bats and a Green Fair.  With bat decorations in place we did what we do best, talk to our Morris County neighbors.

Career Carnival in Horseshoe Lake Park brought kids with interests in place and we guided them to seek out clubs that would suit them best.

The promotion committee is always looking for more members so that we may attend multiple events on the same day. If you would like to join the fun, have a special day for your club to join us, or know of local festivals/ events please email Valerie at hipumpkins@gmail.com 

Events Celebrating 4-H Week

Minecraft live event - Haunted Village

The Minecraft club had spent the last couple of months preparing for this live Halloween-inspired event by building a village in their Minecraft world based on a neighborhood in Denville and coming up with a story to show off their work. The area included a lot of realistic as well as very creative pieces presented to the Minecraft guests and audience during the equally creative tour. The event ended with a fun build challenge for all Minecraft participants. Below is Mya's report of the event and plot.

Published: on October 22, 2021
By: Mya - Minecraft club member

On Friday, October 15th, the Minecraft club hosted a live event about a local neighborhood in New Jersey. The tour was started in a nursing home. Sean and everyone in the nursing home was in an accident, and doesn’t remember anything. Holt the nurse, had Sean and the group go back to their houses to try jogging their memories. By the end of the stream, Sean and the group got their memories back, and started going to therapy. Below are some pictures of the world and the link to watch the livestream. 

Haunted Village Video

Guided Photo and Nature Walks

Published: on October 19, 2021
By: Mya - Shutterbugs club member

Dismal Harmony Natural Area in Mendham

On Thursday, September 30th, Shutterbugs hosted a photo walk in Mendham at Dismal Harmony Natural Area. This was a guided walk with Dave Blinder. While walking, we spotted a lot of spider mites; there were so many mites, that they covered an entire tree. On one of Dave’s other hikes in this park, he found ruins on top of a steep cliff. These ruins were possibly a few hundred years old, and appear to be a house. Below are my favorite pictures I took on this photo walk. The first picture is spider mites, the second is the old ruins, and the last one is a pile of rocks.

Lewis Morris Park

On Saturday, October 9th, Shutterbugs went to Lewis Morris Park. This photo walk was a nature walk. Karcsi was able to tell us about many of the plants we saw. The group also spotted many different mushrooms: there were purple, yellow and really big ones. After a bit of walking, we found a lake. While walking, many members found and ate grapes, berries, big crabapples, and even green onions that were still growing. Below are some pictures I took. The first one is a picture of tear thumb berries, second one is viburnum berries, and the last one is a fly. 

Willowwood Arboretum

    On Thursday, October 14th, Shutterbugs meet at a garden: Willowwood Arboretum. This walk was guided by photographer Parvathi Kumar. We were given a list of different ways she wanted us to try taking pictures. For an example; birds eye view, ants view, and a picture with a blurry background. There were many pretty things in the garden; blooming flowers, color changing leaves, and bees grabbing pollen. Below are some of my pictures. The first one is a picture of a bee, the next picture is of the sun in the woods, and the last picture is of a flower. 

Published: on October 7, 2021

Morris County 4-H member is selected for National 4-H Award "Youth in Action"

Kristin Osika receives a scholarship and will serve as 4-H’s national youth spokesperson for Healthy Living

In celebration of National 4-H Week, the National 4-H Council announced on October 4th that Kristin Osika, 17, of Mendham, New Jersey, is the winner of the 2022 4-H Youth in Action Award for Healthy Living. Kristin will be recognized nationally for her personal resilience and advocacy for those with allergies and medically necessary diets. Launched in 2010, the 4-H Youth in Action Awards honor 4-H’ers who have applied the knowledge gained in 4-H to create a lasting impact in their communities. Kristin is the first candidate to win this high level award in NJ. Click here to learn more about her story.

Congratulations Kristin!

4-H Summer Events

Published: on September 1, 2021

Check out the Reports, Highlights, and Winners of our Morris County 4-H Summer events. Thank you to all who organized them and to the members and guests who participated!

State 4-H Public Presentations

Published: on July 21, 2021

Morris County had two 4-H members eligible to compete in the 4-H State Public Presentations. Mahi Gupta entered and received an Excellent for her illustrated talk titled "Port Wine Stains" (a type of birthmark). Thank you for representing Morris County so well!

Congratulations Mahi!

Shutterbugs' Photo Walk

Published: on July 14, 2021
By: Mya - Shutterbugs club member

On July 12th, Shutterbugs hosted a photo walk at the Great Swamp Wildlife Observation Center. Mrs. Wagner also invited a special guest. His name is Dave Blinder. Dave showed us how to make Triptych pictures. A triptych is a group of three pictures mounted in one frame, displayed close together, or three pictures in one image. As soon as we started the photo walk, someone spotted a barred owl. Then, I saw a bunch of frogs, a chipmunk eating something, and a turtle underneath the bridge we were standing on. A little bit later, we saw a bald eagle! The photo walk lasted more than two hours and there was twenty-four people in our group. Below is my Triptych picture it includes a chipmunk, caterpillar, and an ant.  

Celebrating our 4-H Graduates

Video by 4-H member Sean M.

Published: on June  23, 2021

Congratulations to all our 4-H graduates! 

3rd grade Cloverbuds - you are ready to be full members of 4-H now! Welcome!

Our high school graduates are moving on to the next chapters in their lives (but you can still participate in all our 4-H activities for another year)! Congratulations on your achievements!

We wish you all the best of luck!

4-H Scholarship Award Recipients

Published: on June  23, 2021

Lance Corporal Andrew W. Lubrano 4-H Memorial Scholarship

This is given every year to a High School Senior who has been involved in 4-H during their four years of high school. This award recognizes an active, well rounded 4-H member.

This year's Lubrano Scholarship goes to Johanna Pipoli for being one of our most dedicated 4-H members. Thank you for your strong commitment to and many years of involvement in Morris County 4-H!

Congratulations! And all the best for your future endeavors!


Seeing Eye Scholarships for Morris County 4-H members

Each year, The Seeing Eye recognizes exceptional puppy raisers by presenting them with a college scholarship. Recipients have raised at least two dogs, have demonstrated a high level of academic achievement and are active in their communities.

Mia Hwang, member of the Puppy Tails club, and Jack Keller, member of 4-Footed Leaders, are receiving this year's Seeing Eye scholarship for their dedication in raising puppies for the world-famous dog guide school headquartered in Morristown.

Congratulations to Mia and Jack!

NJ 4-H Animal Art Contest Winners

Sophia K. - Best in Division Junior, Photography (Livestock)

Holt E.- Best of Show Junior for Equine, 2D art

Jillian P. - Best of Show Senior, 2D

Karsten E. - Best in Division Senior, Photography (Other, Still)

Published: on June 11, 2021

In April NJ 4-H asked for submissions for the Animal Art Contest. All entries have been judged and the winners selected. Here are the details:

All entries were animal related and were organized into five categories - 1) Dog, 2) Equine, 3) Livestock (beef, dairy, goats, sheep, and swine), 5) Small Animals (rabbits, gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, herpetology, and poultry) and 6) Other (alpacas, llamas, and cats).

Eighty-one (81) 4-H members representing 17 counties (Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren) entered 233 exhibits in the 2-D Art, 3-D Art, Photography, and Video divisions.

Morris County 4-H submitted 29 entries by the following members: Claire B,. Emmett B., Holt E., Karsten E., Sophia K., Alexis M., Mya M., Declan M., Joshua M., and Jillian P.
Congratulations to you all! Ribbons will be mailed out by the state office to all participants. See the Best of Show and Best in Division results for our county below.

Congratulations to our Morris County award recipients:

Dog

Equine

Livestock

Other

4-H Public Presentation Results

Published: on June 1, 2021

The results of our Morris County 4-H Public Presentations are in! Congratulations to all who submitted their virtual presentations! All participants did an amazing job and two of our teen members are eligible to compete in the state public presentations. Good luck Sloan and Mahi! *

Liv A. - "How to remove a tick from your pet"
Gwen W. - "Wolves, Corgiis, and Foxes"

Theme Contest Winner

Congratulations to ........

Watch the video to find out who the winner of this year's Theme Contest is!

The design and title will be utilized throughout the summer, on our county's 4-H yearbook cover, and so much more!  

Thank you to those who participated and to show host Sean for revealing the outcome of the contest. Congratulations to the winning artist!

4-H Minecraft Live Event
"Le Grand Tour - de Side Build"

On Saturday, May 1st, the 4-H Minecraft club invited Minecrafters and spectators to explore the many areas of their building efforts with them. Club members had been busy creating such interesting spots in their world as the Wild West City, a Mini Golf course, space, and so much more!

The tour was a lot of fun and very entertaining. Thank you to all builders, actors, and speakers - you did an awesome job! Thanks also to the adult volunteers, especially Celia, who dedicate many many hours overseeing these sessions and rehearsing for the event!

If you missed it, you can watch the recording on YouTube.

Also check out their other videos by visiting visit their YouTube Channel.

Recording of live YouTube event

Signs of Spring

April 26, 2001

Take a look at what "Signs of Spring" our 4-H community discovered during the last weeks. 

Thank you to all members, parents and volunteers who submitted their photos - and to 4-H member Sean for putting this beautiful video together for us! 

Second place for Morris County in NJ 4-H Cooking Challenge

Congratulations to Morris County's 4-H member, Kristin Osika, in securing 2nd place in the NJ 4-H Cooking Challenge with her delicious "Bacon Cheddar Twice Baked Potato with Herbed Cashew Chicken and Broccoli"! This was a first statewide cooking competition - and she went up against 4-H members of a lot of cooking clubs and others from all over NJ. Thank you Kristin for representing our county so well!

In Memory of Robert W. Lubrano

The Lubrano Family were active participants in the Morris County 4-H program starting in the 1980's when they began raising Seeing Eye puppies.  They also volunteered each year at the Morris County 4-H Fair.  The family created the Lubrano 4-H Memorial Scholarship in memory of their son, Lance Corporal Andrew Lubrano, after his untimely death.  

On April 6, 2021, Robert Lubrano, father of Andrew, passed away at the age of 89.  He was a skilled mechanic and self published mystery writer.  He is fondly remembered for his sense of humor, musical ear, and love for his family.  Morris County 4-H is grateful to have had Robert, Andrew, and the entire Lubrano Family as part of our community.  Learn more about Robert Lubrano by reading his obituary.

4-H Mission to Mars

Every Monday in March, 4-Hers in grades 5-7 virtually traveled to Mars in the 4-H Mission to Mars program.  This event was hosted by Morris, Ocean, and Somerset Counties and taught by teen 4-H STEM Ambassadors.  Morris County had 7 participants (Manisha, Sophia, Aniket, Gurusaran, Vir, Twisha, and Stratton).  Each week, youth learned about the latest news from the NASA Mars Exploration Program and Perseverance rover.  They also explored the surface of Mars with a drop zone activity, built a small rover, and practiced coding.  On the final Monday, guest speakers from Rutgers University, NASA, and the RVCC Planetarium met with the participants to present some of their work, talk about career paths, and share what they are excited to learn from the Perseverance rover.  There's still so much to learn about Mars and space exploration.  Morris County 4-H hopes to offer more space/Mars themed events in the future.  For now, be sure to check out this video on how NASA funded researchers at Rutgers University are testing theories on how life began on Earth and the likelihood of finding life elsewhere in the cosmos.

St Patrick's Day Parade

March 10, 2021

Celebrate St Patrick's Day, and everything Green, with us! Check out our latest video of 4-H'ers and their pets "on parade".

Thank you for all the submissions and a special Thanks to Sean for putting the video together!

Winter Happenings

February 24, 2021

Watch the compilation put together by our talented 4-H member Sean!
Thanks also to all members, volunteers, and parents who participated in the contest and submitted their snow photos and videos.

Minecraft 4-H Camp is a Hit

Winter Camp

Singing by the campfire at the Minecraft 4-H Summer Camp

Summer Camp 2-20-2021

The Morris County 4-H Minecraft Club put together a wonderful event at the very accurate and equally creative L.G. Cook 4-H camp in their Minecraft world. We had 85 participants enjoy the Winter and Summer Camps on February 19 and 20; all in Zoom, Discord, and/or Minecraft. Director of the real L.G. Cook 4-H Camp, Ben, plus former campers were invited and able to comment on the attention to detail, answer questions, and enjoy such creative improvements as the fancy staff cabin. "Hands-on" activities at camp included fishing, sledding, snowball fight, archery, Minecraft spleefs, and singing by the campfire. 

A big THANK YOU! to the Minecraft club members and leaders for providing this opportunity to tour the camp and offering build sessions for the Minecraft campers. We had a blast!

And a special thanks to MCProHosting for providing the server space for this project as well as a 4-H member discount to host your own Minecraft server (use “4-H” at checkout for 20% off any server hosting plan!). 

Fantastic Fudge with 4-H is Fabulous

We had as much variety in flavor and extra ingredients as we had participants yesterday (on February 10th). Thank you Claire from the Be the Change club for leading this fun and successful cooking show!

Claire with her caramel truffle fudge during the event

Leigh's rainbow sprinkle fudge

Victoria and her white chocolate fudge

Joshua cutting his fudge creation

Inspiring Photography Talk

On February 23, in a 4-H From Home Webinar, Parvathi Kumar shared her experience in creating her new photo documentary book "Everyday Blackness - Celebrating Exceptional Women" and talked about the different way and challenges of how to create a photo book. 

The book, Everyday Blackness, celebrates Black women who defy stereotypes, forge unique paths, and are exemplars of courage, tenacity, and resilience. One of the women highlited in the book joined the webinar too.

We are all inspired by the amazing stories and the impactful book! - And want to create our own photo books now!

If you missed the talk, take a look at the slides Parvathi kindly provided.

To learn more about Parvathi, the book and the women she interviewed and highlighted in her book - check out her website: www.parvathikumar.com

Join 4-H'ers in Donating Sandwiches

This invitation by 4-H club Be the Change to help make sandwiches for Project Kind is a huge hit! Many families are already participating. Thank you!!!

Since this is a weekly project, you can still join in the fun and help.

Use the Signup Genius to pick your timeslot for getting the bread (donated by Giancarlo's Bakery - Thank you!) at the 4-H building parking lot (550W Hanover Ave in Morristown, access from Morris View Dr).

Don't have time to make sandwiches?  You can also drop off jars of peanut butter and jelly, drink pouches, brown paper lunch bags, or plastic zip lock sandwich bags.  Sandwich makers will be provided with these items as supplies last.   

When picking up your bread, please bring a few shopping bags to carry the bread in as it is donated from a local bakery and does not come individually packaged.  

Please DO NOT enter the 4-H building. The bread pickup will be outside in the parking lot. Please wear a mask and have only one person come out to get the bread.  

Availability of bread varies so if we run out you will be notified.

Sign up here
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4BAFA72EA3FB6-project

To see what other items you can donate to Project Kind go to: https://www.projectkind123.org/needed-items/

Jim Trimble's Tree at Chubb Park

Thanks to the effort of president and VP of the board, CJ Sinko and Mic McWilliams, as well as others, there is now a beautiful new tree by the pond at Chubb Park dedicated to Jim Trimble. 

Later in the year, when we can meet in person again, we will have a proper ceremony for the tree dedication. Stay tuned for updates. In the meantime, we invite all 4-H families to go check it out and send us a picture with you and the tree.

See also the online photo book.

Guess the Candy Corn Winners:

Congratulations to all winners, especially Hayden, our Morris County 4-H member, who got second place!!!

The total number of candy pieces in the jar was 261. The winners have been notified and were sent their prizes. Thank you all who participated!

Awards Night 2020

During the week of November 9-13 Morris County 4-H had Club Awards Meetings with a finale of County Awards Celebrations on Friday night. Congratulations to all of our 4-H members and volunteers for your wonderful work! Check out the links to the slide shows below for award details.

Awards Night 2020 Results

4-H Stories Results

How to join 4-H

Visit the 4-H Clubs page to see what is available - then email or call the 4-H office to get connected with the club leaders and get you started. You can try a club meeting to see if it is the right fit for you before you enroll. Email:  morris4h@njaes.rutgers.edu, Phone:  973-285-8301