4-H Camp, 4-H Camp, and more 4-H Camp!!!!

Hello Everyone! I hope your internships are going as well as mine has been! My first two weeks have been very busy and exciting. I spent my first day getting familiarized with the office located in Adair County and learning about all of the wonderful things they offer to the community. I also visited a few schools and got to meet the people who spend a lot of time working with the 4-H agent. On my second day I got to visit a farm with the ANR agent. During the visit we observed some fescue that was growing patchy. We concluded that the problem was simply planting depth. I spent the rest of the week organizing 4-H camp forms and packing for camp. The 4-H agent and I packed goody bags for all three of our cabins loaded down with camp necessities such as: CANDY, drawing supplies, bug spray, sunscreen, nightlights, fans, etc. After we finished packing, I met with a reporter from the local newspaper and did an interview about my internship to be used for an article. We also had a staff meeting during my first week where I learned what some of my summer schedule would consist of. The week before camp was very hectic, but fun so on Friday afternoon the entire office was eager to get some rest.

Bright and early on Monday morning of my second week, we loaded the buses and headed to 4-H camp located in Jabez, KY on beautiful Lake Cumberland. I am familiar with the camp because I have spent the previous seven summers there as a camper, teen leader, and adult leader. My cabin consisted of a group of younger girls (ages 9-11) and many of them were first time campers so they were excited about everything...even Kitchen Duty! We spent the week climbing rock walls, zip lining, making silly putty and lip balm at the Mobile Ag Unit, swimming, shooting archery, and of course the 4-H famous sallying. None of the campers got home sick which was a first and my 4-H agent said it was the smoothest camp had gone in years. On Friday afternoon, there were many tears as the campers were sad about leaving all of their new friends. Once we arrived back in Adair County and sent all of the campers safely home, the 4-H agent and I unloaded supplies at the office and then said "Peace Out" as we headed home for something we had not experienced all week...SLEEP!!

I will be spending my next two weeks unpacking camp supplies, planning my summer project, and preparing for Teen Conference. So far this has been an amazing experience and I am looking forward to all of the opportunities to come!!

Notice 4-H Agent, Tony Rose, Dancing in the background