Clinton County 4-H Project Expo Kicks Off Tonight

The Clinton County 4-H Project Expo will take place tonight, Tuesday, Nov. 14 at the Clinton County Fairgrounds for community members to delve into the 4-H programs as they gear up for the 2024 4-H season.

The 4-H Project Expo will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 14 in the Edward Jones Community 4-H Building at 1701 S. Jackson St. in Frankfort. The expo is intended to teach the community about the projects that they could explore in the 2024 season, introduce the community to club leaders in the Clinton County area, explore project displays from the 2023 4-H season and learn about the process for online enrollement for the 2024 season.

Clinton County 4-H offers 74 project opportunities in six categories for youth in county in third grade to senior year. Some of the projects are labeled as “county projects,” which are projects that participants may complete with county judging that will not be eligible for the state competition, but many of the projects are eligible for state consideration. Projects may fall under animal science, communication and expressive arts, engingeering and technological science, healthy living, leadership and citizenship, plant and environmental science and mini 4-H for kids Kindergarten through second grade. All projects eligible for state consideration may be found online through the Purdue Extension Office.

“Each project has a beginner, intermediate and advanced level,” the site reads. “This allows youth to build on their knowledge each year and continue to challenge their skills. Projects are meant to be worked on over time, providing an educational opportunity for youth outside of the classroom setting.”

The 4-H organizers stated that there has not been a set limit for the number of projects an individual can sign up for every year, but the organizers suggest participants to limit themselves to one or two projects for their first year of participation.

Through participation in 4-H projects, participants increase their likelihood of receiving different scholarship opportunities as they head toward postsecondary education. Scholarships include the Senior Year Scholarship, Club Scholarship, Purdue Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Scholarship, Accomplishment Scholarship, Clinton County 4-H Advisory Council 4-H Scholarship and the Clinton County Livestock Scholarship.

4-H members follow the 4-H pledge, “I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service and my health to better living for my club, my community, my country and my world.”

4-H enrollment began Oct. 1 and will run through Jan. 15. For more information, visit extension.purdue.edu/clinton.