There are 12 different 4-H Clubs in Montezuma County. The newest Club is the Alpaca Club in Dolores.
It started with a demonstration at the 2009 Montezuma County Fair. Some kids joined Kathie Butler and took the alpacas through an obstacle course. They were hoping there would be enough interest to start a new 4-H Club and that fall was the start of the Alpaca Club.
There were also members in the Club who did heritage arts/weaving and ethnic arts/felting. Eight members formed the Alpaca club with two having animals.
At last years fair, they had one animal competition for junior and senior members. The members participate in many different community service projects both as individuals and groups. For the 2011 enrollment there are 14 members and two members doing animals.
This year the group added a new competition level for the members who participated in last years competition. They have also started expanding their presence in community events and the club participated with CSU in the Ag Adventure at the Ag Expo.
They also participated in different club activities like the Dolores River Fest, Jakes Day, Barnyard Day for Dolores FFA and the Dolores Craft Bazaar. The club leaders are Kathie Butler and Nancy Nelligan.
This is just one of the many interesting Clubs that we have in Montezuma County. Each Club is unique in its own way, whether it is because of the members that it draws or the projects they are in.
This months County Council meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 9 at the County Annex. Here are some of the highlights from last months meeting:
It is now required that each Club have a representative for the concession team. Helping with concessions is something that every member benefits from. The earnings from concessions offsets the cost of club officer training, purchases the Achievement Program awards, pays to send youth and adults to educational workshops and conferences, pays for a scholarship, keeps enrollment fees at a minimum and funds the annual operations of the County Council. Each Club is also required to sign up to help with the clean up from the different animal shows.
If you are interested in more information regarding the Add-On Program or Pool Buying, please contact Tonya Yates, Tom Hooten or Cheryl Young in the County Extension Office at 565-3123.
Also, the 4-H council is in need of donations of wood shavings for the fair. Please call the Extension Office at 565-3123.