4 H Club

SOME OF HOWARD County's finest youngsters were honored Friday at the County 4-H Achievement Night. Welcomed by emcees Jason Murray and Molly Regennitter, the largely 4-H audience heard about the work and accomplishments of 4-H'ers from ages 6 to 19.Warren Strader represented the Glenwood Lions Club, which sponsors the Community Service and Leadership Awards and the Leadership, Achievement and Citizenship project awards.Dr. Wendy Feaga, a local veterinarian who takes care of many western Howard County animals, participated as a leader of the Hareraisers 4-H Club and a sponsor of the Rabbit Clover Award (( and the Top Clover Award.

CHADDS FORD, Pa. -- More than 40 years ago, M. Gordon "Reds" Wolman trudged along the banks of the Brandywine here pretty much by himself, earning his doctorate in geology from Harvard.Yesterday, the 70-year-old Baltimorean, who has taught at the Johns Hopkins University for more than four decades, hiked onto the river's flood plain trailed by a mob of perhaps 100 admiring colleagues.They showed up here, at Hopkins and at the American Geophysical Union's spring meeting at the Baltimore Convention Center to pay homage to Dr. Wolman, an internationally-recognized authority on the forces that shape rivers, and to his work on environmental issues.

AT THE edge of the fairgrounds' show ring, 4-H Club members waited for officials to bring out the first group of animals - four heifers, each weighing 900 to 1,300 pounds. Once the animals were in the ring, the young judges would have about 12 minutes to evaluate and rank each animal, all the while taking notes to use in defending their decisions. It was the June 19 session of the Howard County 4-H Livestock Judging Program, one of the oldest and most valued 4-H programs in the county.

WITH SCHOOL out, Dayton 4-H Club members are devoting free time to preparing for the Howard County Fair next month. Club members are putting finishing touches on projects they plan to exhibit. Look in the 4-H building for their work Aug. 7 when Dayton Club members will talk with fair visitors in the 4-H building. The group also has been busy working on a community service project: a skit explaining what 4-H is all about. The skit will be performed at area nursing homes and for other groups by request.

Pig No. 4693 was a little bit edgy.Giggly owner Emily Rippeon had given the pig a touch-up, spritzing its portly pink body with cool water from a spray bottle and soothing it with a scrub brush, getting the animal ready for the Swine Shed show ring at the Maryland State Fair.Instead, the pig bolted for freedom -- dashing out of his pen and heading toward the midway."Get him! Get the pig!" shouted Emily's brother, Adam, as his shy, dimpled 9-year-old sister chased the animal and then herded it into a large pen to meet the livestock judge.

William Paul Corun, 84, a native of Ellicott City and former owner of Paul's Market on Main Street, was interviewed by folklorist Alison Kahn in 1997 as part of an oral history project coordinated by Friends of Patapsco Valley & Heritage Greenway Inc. This is the second of two excerpts from that interview. So anyhow, [Ray Dorn] got his store [Villa Market], and I got mine, and of course Bladen [Yates] inherited his, and we worked together. And I told them - we knew each other well, we talked together - I told them, I said, "Look, the only way we're going to succeed is help each other, even though we're competitors, but we'll help each other."

IT WOULDN'T be summer without a trip to the Howard County Fair.The fair, in its 53rd year, marks the unofficial end of summer for Howard County students and their parents.The fair is open for business from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday through Aug. 22, ending two days before school begins.F. Grant Hill, president of Howard County Fair Association Inc., calls the event "one of the finest and most unique fairs in the state.""Our fair features agricultural and commercial exhibits, musical entertainment, old-fashioned contests, midway rides and grand parades," he said.

On Dec. 9, the Blue Ribbon 4-H Club wrapped gifts they purchased and collected food for the family they adopted this Christmas. The Hilyard family hosted the annual party, which included a potluck dinner and member gift exchange.

Members of the Homeschool Heart in Hand 4-H Club met May 8 for their annual work day at Black Horse Fire Station and McKendree Cemetery in Black Horse, MD. Members created a new flower bed at Black Horse Station and pruned bushes and trees, planted flowers, weeded and mulched the finished beds at McKendree Cemetery. The club wishes to thank Smith Hardware, Jarrettsville for its donation of flowers and A.D. Heston Tree Service and Mulch of Street for its donation of mulch.

The North Harford 4-H Club recently initiated and executed a substantial improvement project at 4-H Camp at the Rocks. Members and their families created a large beautification garden from the ground up. The newly landscaped area, that includes large rocks and perennials, has improved the area surrounding the popular swimming pool, and it is also adjacent to Deer Creek Overlook, the camp's newest facility available for rent to the public....