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Highlights From The 4-H Leaders Banquet:

4-H Leaders of the Year

(l to r) Nominator Amber Streicher, 4-H Leader Pennie Smith, 4-H Leader JoAnn Flynt, Nominator Olivia Sherman

4-H Leader of the Year Award Nomination - Pennie Smith

Pennie Smith has done so many good things for the 4-H Dog Program, both this year and years past, that she definitely deserves the Leader of the Year Award. It is hard to know where to begin.

I was 9 years old when I first met Pennie. This was the first year that I started participating in 4-H Dog Obedience. She and Linda Shiltz met with 4-Hers from the Strykersville area at the Sheldon Town Hall every Tuesday for 9 weeks. She was always patient, kind, and helpful with us 4-Hers and our sometimes crazy, excited dogs. She always tried to help each and every 4-Her as much as she could, working with us individually as well as in a group, no matter the circumstance, to help us do well at graduation. She made classes fun for everyone, with ice cream for the humans and bones for the dogs at the end of the nine weeks. She always invited us 4-Hers to practice at her house for a change of scenery.

Pennie also started helping Joann Flynt with the 4-H Dog Agility Club about 5 years ago. She loves the sport as much as, if not more, than us 4-Hers. She and her husband Jake have built a set of agility equipment for her two Bearded Collies, Koree and Libbea, to play on, and loads it in a pickup truck for our dogs to play on every week. Both Pennie and Jake fix the equipment when it needs to be fixed and are always trying to improve the equipment we have. To help us prepare for fair, Pennie drives to Warsaw every week with a load of agility equipment in the back of her pickup truck.

About 3 years ago, Pennie started helping Joann with her newly formed Rally Obedience club. Rally Obedience is a relatively new sport in the United States, so we were all excited to try it. Pennie and Joann each printed out a set of signs and eagerly taught us all about this exciting new sport. Pennie drives to Warsaw for Rally-O on a different day of the week to help us prepare for fair.

In addition to driving back and forth to Warsaw twice each week (and trying to avoid the deer in the process), Pennie does so much more for the 4-H Dog Obedience Program. She has always been at every dog show, including graduation, the two summer trials, and county fair. She is always eager to see how every 4-Her and dog has progressed throughout the year and looks forward to watching as many teams as she can, in between setting up the show rings, figuring out scores, and even judging some classes herself, although she never liked to give any 4-Her and dog a less than perfect score. She always thinks every team deserves 1st place.

Although she has to leave Koree and Libbea at a kennel for the two days, which is very hard for her, Pennie always looks forward to and takes great pride in watching 4-Hers from Wyoming County show their dogs at State Fair. She is the one that yells the loudest after one of us leaves the ring, forgetting that she is videotaping us so we can always remember our trips to State Fair. She always asks us if we need anything before we head down to the ring, giving us lots of support and calming our nerves a little. She is like a mom on the sidelines in that way. It is always hard for her to be patient until awards are given out, as she is always excited to see how many Grand Champion and Reserve Champion ribbons our county will win that year.

Mostly because of Pennie, I feel quite lucky that I have been able to participate in the 4-H dog project for 10 years, as I am now 19. I can’t imagine that I would love caring for and showing dogs as much as I do now if I hadn’t met Pennie. I can’t wait to see her in the show ring with her beloved Beardies, Koree and Libbea, with all of us 4-Hers on the sidelines rooting her on.

Because of her positive impact on all of the 4-Hers that she has met and her constant drive to go above and beyond to make the Wyoming County 4-H Dog Program even better than it is, Pennie Smith should receive the 4-H Leader of the Year Award.

4-H Leader of the Year Award Nomination – JoAnn Flynt

The dog program in Wyoming County is truly exceptional by any standards and the youth that have participated in the program have excelled far beyond their years in the program and have come away with truly great experiences. Yet, that experience would not have existed without the dedication and talents of the leaders. JoAnn Flint started the Dog Agility Program as a way for the Wyoming County Youth to experience a new way of bonding with their dog and as a new way to succeed. The original club that JoAnn started, began with only four members, but has since then grown and produced many talented dog/handler teams. The dedication that JoAnn showed in beginning the program and teaching the necessary skills needed for success was truly admirable. Not many of the members can remember a time when JoAnn wasn't coming up with a new idea to improve the program and make the "agility experience" better. There were many times when kids would often become frustrated with their progress and their dog, but their perseverance would win once JoAnn came up with a solution that would usually have been previously tested on her two Westies, Taylor and Riley.

The program has come a long way from when it first began with only four members and has now encompassed many state champions and accomplished handlers, and a great thanks needs to be extended to JoAnn for the generosity she showed in graciously creating the new program for the county's youth to greatly benefit from. In recent years, JoAnn also took on the task of creating the Rally Obedience Program in 2006 as another new option for the handlers to improve their cooperation with their dog, and as many people involved with dogs can attest to this is not always the easiest of tasks. Although the program is still budding, it is very accomplished with State titles already and many of the members have gone on to compete at AKC events. This is thanks to JoAnn for providing another outlet for Wyoming County's youth. With the strong fundamentals set by JoAnn the Rally Program will be able to grow and succeed just as the Dog agility Program has. Thank you to JoAnn for such an outstanding job in building the dog programs that the county's youth now enjoy.

 

Wyoming County Friends Of 4-H Are Recognized

Upton Awards: Mike Almeter of Strykersville and Bruce Merle of Attica are 2008 Wyoming County Friends of 4-H.

Upstate Niagara: Mike Locke of Upstate Niagara and Wyoming County Directors Jason Kehl and Roger Almeter of Strykersville accept the 2008 Wyoming County Friend of 4-H Award.

The 2006 Harold Upton Memorial Friend of 4-H Awards were announced at the Wyoming County 4-H Leaders’ Banquet on November 18th at the Warsaw Legion Hall. Awards are presented in the Business and Individual categories. Upstate-Niagara Milk Cooperative was recognized as the Business recipient of the award. Past winners include Five Star Bank, Kelly’s Garage of Perry, Lamb and Webster of North Java, and R.S. Maher and Son of Bliss, Java Farm Supply of North Java, and The Bank of Castile. Mike Almeter of Strykersville and Bruce Merle of Attica were chosen as the Individual recipients. Past winners include Dave and Laura Tracy of Pavilion, Becky J. George of Strykersville, Ralph Marvin of Attica, and Bob Day and Bernie Hoffman of Arcade, Jeff True of Perry, Paul Keem of Strykersville, Mike Yoder of Belleville, Pennsylvania, and the Bernard and Henrietta Rommesser Family.

These awards are presented in memory of the late Harold Upton of Warsaw. Although he was never a member of 4-H, he was involved in a variety of ways over many years. He recognized the value of 4-H and its importance building strong, well educated youth for the future of Wyoming County. Through the generosity of his friends and relatives who gave in his memory, Harold Upton Memorial Friend of 4-H Awards are possible. These awards are a real tribute to Harold. The recipients, like Harold, recognize 4-H as a very valuable asset to the youth of Wyoming County, and give their support to 4-H programs.

Upstate Niagara Cooperative has been a supporter of 4-H Programs in Wyoming County for many years. They have been an important partner for Wyoming County Dairy Fest, and have supported our youth by donating products and working with our fair milking crew. Many farmer-members of the cooperative have been a part of our programs and have dedicated their time and talents to educating our youth. Wyoming County 4-H has been a fortunate beneficiary of the support from Upstate Niagara Cooperative for many years.
Mike Almeter has been a longtime supporter of 4-H Programs in Wyoming County. Mike has volunteered his time and talents as an auctioneer to the 4-H program many times, and has been involved with our Meat Animal Sale for many years.

Our 4-H program and many young people have benefited from Mike.

Bruce Merle has been a key part of the 4-H tractor project for 46 years, and is currently our longest-running 4-H leader in Wyoming County. Each year, Bruce tirelessly instructs members and is always willing to set up courses for the youth to have extra practice, and is always there to help run the contest. Although Bruce intends to retire as a tractor leader this year, the program is certainly better for the years he has given.

The Wyoming County 4-H Program appreciates the hard work and dedication of Upstate Niagara, Mike Almeter, and Bruce Merle, and we are proud to recognize their contributions.

For more information about 4-H Youth Development in Wyoming County, please call (585) 786-2251.