4-H record books display impressive quality
A few years ago, the Sandpoint Elks Lodge initiated a program to encourage, evaluate and reward the required scholastic elements of all Bonner County 4-H projects, and there are an impressive breadth of projects included in the local 4-H program. This program was very warmly received by the 4-H community and has continued to grow each year since. The quality of record books has gotten noticeably better, young people are striving to win these cash awards, and the number of awards given has nearly doubled in a few short years.
The Sandpoint Elks record book awards for the Bonner County 4-H program set its own record for the total number of books worthy of an award. The review board was a bit overwhelmed by the noticeable increase in the effort put into the scholastic part of their projects and was forced to scramble to find the necessary time for an equitable examination of so many record books. The quality expectations have risen over the lifespan of this program and to see so many books turned in worthy of recognition was a genuine pleasure for the Elks review group.
The Elks program was created to award cash bonuses to the top 100 record books reviewed. This year the award base was increased to 130 record books and in the initial review session it became apparent the quality of books was likely to exceed our projections once again. So, the decision was made to increase the number of awards given and recognize all the efforts made equally. The customary 100 awards grew to 144 in 2007 and rose again in 2008 to a total of 177 awards. The Sandpoint Elks would like to congratulate the 4-H members on their very good efforts.
In years past, the majority of project books have been reviewed on Wednesday and Saturday the market animal books are reviewed after the sale on Friday night. This year the judges needed to come back on Thursday for more hours of evaluating books than have ever spent the night before. The efforts put into these books and the quality produced put some pressure on the review committee to complete their work on time and to scramble for the necessary money and certificates to award — pressure they were very pleased to have to make.
The Jerry DeHart Best of Show engraved clocks are awarded to a junior, intermediate, and senior 4-H member whose efforts stood out above the rest in their age group. These awards went to Sammy Russell, Tessa Vogel, and Merisa Turnbaugh.
Many thanks to those Elks members who “volunteered” for the first time to help judge the books — we could not have done a very good job without you.
STEVE KLATT
Sagle