The Rock Creek Fairgrounds was crawling with young 4-H Club members, their parents and siblings (it is a family program, after all) last Saturday and Sunday as four clubs came together for Boundary 4-H District Rally Days.
Usually it is Rally Day—singular—but this year is the 100th anniversary of 4-H in B.C. and the clubs wanted to do some extra celebrating by hosting a dinner and dance for 4-H alumni on Saturday night.
So the program carried over until midday Sunday. Rally Day is an annual event that offers the 4-H kids the chance to prepare displays, give presentations and demonstrations and, through the judging competitions, to learn how to look at the world with a critical eye.
“Learn to Do by Doing is the motto of 4-H,” explained Boundary C 4-H Club Leader Greg MacDonald. “We’ve had practices, we’ve studied, we’ve read our manuals and we’ve had classes where they can practice judging. This is kind of their big competition.
“This is the third biggest day of the year,” he said, behind the provincial winter fair (PWF) in Barriere and the Rock Creek Fall Fair.
And the alumni came out in huge numbers too. 4-H has been going in the Boundary for 68 years now. In the 1960s there were 300 calves coming out of the Boundary area to the PWF each year.
Tim Dumont is a more recent alumni. He was a member for nine years and then continued for two more as a 4-H Ambassador, a job he defined as, “wearing a fancy shirt and go around and putting a face on 4-H.”
He went to two fairs on the coast as an Ambassador. His advise to younger members was to learn how to dance while they are young—it is critical so when you get to the ambassador program you have that knowledge.
“It is good to have all these little kids here because if they stick to it—when I started I was pretty shy and by the end of it I was pretty outgoing and went across the country and across BC and met a lot of people I am still friends with today,” said Dumont.
Norma Howes is District Key Leader for the four clubs in the district. She is the resource person who acts as a mentor for the project leaders.
She also organizes Rally Day each year. She is in fact only the second Key leader the Boundary clubs have ever had. Joanne Eek held the position for 15 years before Norma took it on.
The hall at the Rock Creek Pavilion was draped with banners and signs from 4-H clubs over the years.
The Nelson 4-H Club is the newest of the four, it was started in 2011. They have Cloverbud, clothing, mini horse and Parelli horsemanship projects. Nelson has 13 members and five leaders.
The Boundary Multi 4-H Club from Grand Forks was originally known as the Boundary Bit and Bridle Club. It was revived n 2012 under the leadership of 4-H alumni Christie Wheaton and they now have dog and Cloverbud projects.
The Borderline Lamb Club is a local club that has been going since 1991. It was started by Liz Everson and Trish Hallstrom. Katherine Delisle has been involved with the club since 1992. They have eight members— coming from as far away as Kelowna.
The Boundary C 4-H Club was started 68 years ago. It has always been a beef club, but four years ago they expanded to include ranch horse, clothing and photography projects. There numbers have since expanded from ten to 25.
Other groups that have come and gone over the years were: Boundary D in Grand Forks; Kootenay Cinch and Saddle in Rossland, Trail and Castlegar (now joined with Nelson); Boundary Sewing Basket, the Positive Beats – horse and dog Club in Grand Forks, the Beaverdell Horse Club and the Kettle Valley Bush Busters Horse Club once in Rock Creek.
Rally Day means the kids have to judge in areas other than their own project areas, so it broadens their horizons.
Rock Creek resident Lorne Schmalz is a past leader of Boundary C and district president as well as president of the Provincial Council from 2003 to 2010.
Other local leaders he could name were Dean Corbett, Duane and Dale Eek, Jim Anderson, Danny Dumont and Jason Elliot.
Schmalz called 4-H, “One of the best youth organizations for leadership, public speaking and family.” He said community support over the years has been wonderful.
MacDonald said the Eek family —Johnny, Margaret, Duane, Dale, Sara, Nolan and Kendra—have been integral in 4-H for many years in this area. Other family names mentioned were the Harfmans and Harpurs. MacDonald also thanked the Rock Creek and Boundary Fair Association boards, past and present, for a great long-lasting relationship with 4-H.
Carol Lajoie (MacDonald’s sister) was present. She won the provincial speakoff in 1986. Her topic? Thank God I’m a Country Girl.
Current Borderlines Club member Sarah Kobylka will be going to the regional speakoffs this weekend. Her topic will be the Knights Templar. This is the second year at the regional speakoffs for the 19 year old Kelowna Okanagan College student.
In 1956 Westbridge resident Ed Lautard won the provincial judging competition. The adventure took him first to Victoria, then to Ottawa for National 4-H Week. There was a display of the records and photos of his trip on display.
Ed’s wife Mary is a former school trustee. She said, “When I was on the school board I knew who the 4-H kids were by their self-confidence and public speaking abilities. 4-H really makes a difference in life skills.
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2014 Boundary 4-H District Rally Day Results
Judging Beef:
Juniors:
1st Rylonn Elliot - Boundary C 4-H Club
2nd Daniel MacFarlane - Boundary C 4-H Club
3rd Ronan Goodrich - Boundary C 4-H Club
Seniors
1st Sarah MacDonald - Boundary C 4-H Club
2nd Alec Elliot - Boundary C 4-H Club
3rd Dawson Harpur - Boundary C 4-H Club
Judging Dog :
Juniors:
1ST Raya Burch - Boundary Multi Club
2nd Amy Siemens - Boundary Multi Club
3rd Hannah McGregor - Boundary Multi Club
Seniors
1st Josie Wheaton - Boundary Multi Club
2nd Anthony Lesley - Boundary Multi Club
Judging Horse
Juniors:
1st Hannah Corfe - Boundary C 4-H Club
2nd Caitlin Johnson - Nelson 4-H Club
3rd Cloe Comstock - Nelson 4-H Club
Seniors
1st Olivia Baia - Boundary C 4-H Club
2nd Annabel Vrba - Nelson 4-H Club
3rd Megan Ewing - Boundary C 4-H Club
Judging Sheep:
Juniors
1st Jordan Kobylka - Borderline 4-H Club
2nd Wyatt Lasai - Borderline 4-H Club
Seniors
1st Tylanna Brown-John - Borderline 4-H Club
2nd Lauren Teal - Borderline 4-H Club
3rd Dakota Turnbull - Borderline 4-H Club
Judging Sewing:
Juniors
1st Antonia Bergendahl - Boundary C 4-H Club
2nd Elisse Southam - Nelson 4-H Club
3rd Analia VanKuik - Boundary C 4-H Club
Seniors
1st Marijka VanKuik - Boundary C 4-H Club
2nd Adele Fossen - Boundary C 4-H Club
3rd Zoe Grouette - Boundary C 4-H Club
Judging the Common Class of Chickens:
Juniors:
1st Antonia Bergendahl - Boundary C 4-H Club
2nd Colin Grob & Jade Fossen - Boundary C 4-H Club
3rd Analia VanKuik - Boundary C 4-H Club
Seniors
1st Dawson Harpur & Ashley Vegh - Boundary C 4-H Club
2nd Adele Fossen - Boundary C 4-H Club
3rd Megan Ewing - Boundary C 4-H Club
Judging Aggregate winners
Juniors
1st Antonia Bergendahl - Boundary C 4-H Club
2nd Jade Fossen - Boundary C 4-H Club
3rd Hanna Harpur - Boundary C 4-H Club
Seniors
1st Adele Fossen & Sarah MacDonald - Boundary C 4-H Club
2nd Jossie Wheaton - Boundary Multi Club
3rd Marijka VanKuik - Boundary C 4-H Club
Educational Displays :
Juniors:
1st Hanna Harpur- Adele Fossen “Eww to Silk” - Boundary C 4-H Club
2nd Zoe Grouette “Medicine Wheel” - Boundary C 4-H Club
3rd Olivia Schneider “Survival in the woods” - Boundary C 4-H Club
Seniors
1st Dawson Harpur & Ben MacFarlane “Farm Safety” - Boundary C
2nd Olivia Baia “To Bee or not to Bee” - Boundary C 4-H Club
3rd Megan Ewing & Ashley Vegh “Branding Day” - Boundary C
Demonstrations :
Juniors
1st Cloe Comstock –Ceili Kooznetsoff, “Horse Cookies” - Nelson Club
2nd Jade Fossen – Savanna Elliot. “Towel Art” - Boundary C
3rd Annabel Vrba – Elisse Southam, “Easter Eggs” - Nelson Club
Speak & Shows
Juniors
1st Marijka VanKuik, “100 Mile Diet” - Boundary C Club
2nd Ronan Goodrich, “Chickens” - Boundary C 4-H Club
3rd Caitlin Johnson, “Apples” - Nelson Club
Seniors
1st Sarah Kobylka , “Coffee” - Borderline Club