Arapahoe County offices, including the Extension Office, are open via appointment only . Please email staff members to set up appointments for meetings.
Ethan Cahill – ecahill@arapahoegov.com
Shaylen Florez – sflorez@arapahoegov.com
Claudia Meeks – cmeeks@arapahoegov.com
Jean Walton – jwalton@arapahoegov.com
2020 Arapahoe County Fair Canceled Due to COVID-19 Impacts

Earlier this week, following weeks of discussion and careful consideration, the Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners made the decision to cancel the 2020 Arapahoe County Fair due to the impact of COVID-19. 
  
This action was made to protect the health and safety of our community – and is in compliance with the State’s public health order and guidance from the Tri-County Health Department. It was also a business decision the County needed to make as all options were weighed for hosting the Fair. In the end the safety, operational and financial constraints were too considerable.  
  
4-H is the heart of the Fair. The County Commissioners and staff are dedicated to supporting the 4-H youth program and honoring your hard work. Staff are working diligently to develop a well-rounded and safe plan to host 4-H completion. The Livestock Sale committee is also working with County staff to produce a virtual event. We’ll send details as soon as they are finalized.  
  
We know you will have many questions and we look forward to working with you. Thank you for your patience as we creatively find a safe approach for you to complete your 4-H year with pride and celebration – because you deserve the best! 
  
We will provide further updates on what to expect.
4-H Member Spotlight
Elin Engstrom is a 4th generation 4-H member. Family ties include her great-great-uncle, Frank Graham, who was the Missouri 4-H Program Director at the state level, he even has an award named after him that they still give out today. Elin's aunt, Jennifer Hancock, is the current 4-H Educator for Christian County in Southwest Missouri. These family roots have created strong bond to the 4-H experience.
 
Elin will be a 5th grader next fall at Highland Elementary, and is the Treasurer of her 4-H Club, the Littleton Clovers. Her projects this year include Outdoor Adventures and Clothing STEAM 2. In school, her favorite subjects are History and anything else that involves creativity. In her free time, Elin loves to play outside in the creek near her house and pretend to be a pioneer-girl. After reading her favorite book, Little House on the Prairie, Elin became fascinated with all things pioneer. She loves learning, growing and spending time with her family.
2020 Arapahoe County 4-H Foundation Scholarship/Grant Winners

The Arapahoe County 4-H Foundation has awarded the following scholarships and a grant for 2020 to five outstanding senior 4-H members.

$2,500.00 Arabelle Burnett Memorial Scholarship:  Lauren Stuck
$1,500.00 Melody Kollath Memorial Scholarship:  Kaylee Sefcovic
$1,500.00 Sally Eliasen Honorary Scholarship:  Marston Garber
$1,500.00 Barbara Holthaus Memorial Scholarship:  Evin Vincent

The 4-H Foundation is also awarding a one-time special “Willow Grant” to Molly Ramlet. Please click the button below to read more about each of these senior 4-H members!
Dear Arapahoe County 4-H Community,

We understand that there has been some confusion and concern regarding the email sent out on Wednesday, May 20 th , regarding the decision to cancel the 2020 Arapahoe County Fair. In an attempt to clear this up, the Arapahoe County 4-H Team wanted to reinforce that we will be hosting a completion event for our 4-H members. There is no doubt that the 2020 Arapahoe County Fair season will look different this year. And although all public attractions related to the fair have been cancelled, the support that the 4-H program is receiving from all levels of the county is incredible.

We are in the process of developing this completion event and how it is going to look. Through close work with entities such as the Livestock Advisory Committee, Horse Advisory Committee, Livestock Sale Committee, FCS and General Committee, Companion Animal Committee, Open Spaces, and more, we are committed to supporting our 4-H youth. As of now, the FCS and General projects will be completed via a virtual format, and all Open Class events have been cancelled. The 2020 Fashion Revue has been cancelled also. A schedule and platform for the Horse, Livestock, and Companion Animal projects is currently being developed to give our 4-H members an opportunity to show their animals. The Arapahoe County Livestock Sale Committee is also working to develop an online sale for members enrolled in the Livestock projects.

We appreciate your patience throughout this time and will continue to update our
4-H community as more information becomes available and decisions are made. Please keep an eye out for more emails using Constant Contact as this will likely be how we intend to send out this information. If you have any questions, please email us and we will do our best to answer them. Again, we are committed to the Arapahoe County 4-H Program and will update everyone as best we can.

Sincerely,
Your CSU Extension 4-H Team of Arapahoe County
The 2020 Arapahoe County 4-H Fairbook has been posted on our website along with the Arapahoe County Fair website. Please click on either button below to access it.
FairEntry Opening Soon!
FairEntry will be opening on Tuesday, May 26, 2020 for 4-H Members to pre-register for the 2020 4-H Completion Events.

Even though we are not doing a traditional Fair this year, pre-registration is STILL REQUIRED to participate in the completion events.

The pre-entry deadline (without a late fee) is Friday, June 19, 2020 . A late fee of $25 per 4-H Member will be assessed for entries received between June 20 and June 26, 2020. After June 26, 2020, absolutely NO ENTRIES will be accepted for any reason.

If you have any questions, email one of us. Our emails are at the top of this newsletter. DON"T wait until the last minute. The pre-entry deadline WILL NOT be extended.

Emails are still the best way to contact us as they are checked regularly. Please do not call and leave voicemails, they are not checked as often.

Click on the blue FairEntry Arrow above on the right beginning on Tuesday, May 26 to go to FairEntry.

Once there, click on the green "Sign in with 4HOnline" button to log in. Do NOT click on the blue log in button. See the image on the right.
Contests ONLY
Ages 14 and up as of December 31, 2019. The deadline is Friday, June 5. The cost is $50, please make check to Arapahoe County 4-H Foundation and mail to the Arapahoe County CSU Extension Office, 5934 S. Lima St., Suite B, Centennial, CO 80112. Attn: Shaylen Florez

Please make sure that all your team members register for the contest you plan to participate in. Very important that you don’t miss the deadline as this is a state deadline, not a county deadline.
Attention Teens! Have the travel bug? Tired of being bored at home? Want to see the sights of sunny Florida and hear the country music of Tennessee? 
Join us on Thursdays, starting May 21 at 5:00 PM for our virtual exchange program. You’ll get the opportunity to meet other 4-H teens, learn about their 4-H experience, see what it is like in their state, and have the chance to participate in fun activities. We are excited to add Polk County, Florida members for a few weeks along with the 4-H members from Maury County, Tennessee. Please email Claudia ( cmeeks@arapahoegov.com ) if you are interested in joining!
Dear 4-H Leaders,

We appreciate your patience as we work to continue to offer high quality 4-H programming in Arapahoe County. As of May 16, 2020, CSU Extension has directed that we will continue virtual delivery for a vast majority of our programming. For those activities that are not able to be completed virtually, such as shooting sports practices (with certified shooting sports leaders), horse levels testing, horse practices, and livestock tag ins, CSU Extension will permit in-person activities that comply with all federal, state, and local regulations and public health guidance. This does NOT include 4-H club meetings, those will still need to be held virtually at this time.  Please email our 4-H staff if you have questions about specific activities.

All activities must be submitted to CSU Extension administration prior to the event, 4-H staff will work with leaders on the required documentation for these programs. These activities will also adhere to CSU policies in support of public health and safety. Our ultimate goal is to remain relevant, strong partners within our Colorado communities, while also supporting their health and safety.

A few things to consider regarding these events/program:
  1. All activities must follow all local public health guidelines. It is optimal that the plan is developed in communication with your local public health officials as well as the appropriate CSU Extension office.
  2. Based on Colorado Department of Higher Education policy, no more than 10 individuals can be involved directly in the activity. If this number changes, we will provide an update.
  3.  Activities must comply with social distancing requirements.
  4. Keep a list of all participants by date (employees, volunteers, youth, and adults) in the case contact tracing is required.
  5. Program volunteers that have elected to participate must complete a Volunteer Assumption of Risk Release Form. Even if they have completed a similar form in the past, they must complete this updated form.
  6. Limit the sharing of equipment and supplies and ensure cleaning that follows industry standards before and during the event/program. Also provide hand sanitizers and PPE (as required local public health guidance) to employees and participants.

As part of Arapahoe County Government’s gradual facilities reopening plan, the Arapahoe County CSU Extension Office is now open by APPOINTMENT ONLY. We will not be able to accept walk-in clients at this time. Please email individual 4-H staff members to set up an appointment.

Thank you!
4-H Completion Event Pre-Entry Deadline (with no $25 late fee)
6/19/2020
(303) 730-1920
CSU-Extension@ArapahoeGov.com
6934 S. Lima St., Suite B
Centennial, CO 80112

Copyright © *2018* *Arapahoe County CSU Extension*, All rights reserved. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status.