Shelby County 4-H Youth Development
What We Do
4-H began over 100 years ago, and has since grown into the largest youth development program in the nation. 4-H prepares young people to be leaders in their community and around the world through hands-on experiences alongside their peers and caring adults. Backed by a network of more than 6 million youth, 540,000 adult volunteers, 3,500 professionals, and more than 60 million alumni; 4-H delivers research-based programming around positive youth development. 4-H is delivered through America's 109 land-grant universities and the Cooperative Extension Service reaching every corner of our nation.
In Indiana, 4-H can be found in all 92 counties as delivered through Purdue Extension. Community clubs, aftershock programs, school enrichment, camps/workshops, and special interest programs are all ways youth across Indiana can be involved with the 4-H program.
Upcoming Events
Purdue Day of Giving April 24, 2024
Indiana State Fair
August 2-18, 2024.
Contact Us
Office Location
20 W Polk Street, Suite 201Shelbyville, IN 46176
(317) 392-6460
Office Hours
Monday - Friday8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Closed on County Holidays
4-H Staff
Cindy Kuhn, 4-H Program Assistant
cmkuhn@purdue.edu
Natalie Russell, 4-H Secretary
russe238@purdue.edu
Enroll Now in 4-H!
4-H enrollment for the 2024-2025 program year opens October 1, 2024 and closes May 15, 2025. We encourage families to register for 4-H by January 15th, enrollments made after January may limit participation options. 4-H Members, Mini 4-H Members, and Adult Volunteers must enroll each year to participate in the program.
4-H OnlineMini 4-H
Mini 4-H is a program designed to encourage positive development of children, Kindergarten through second grade. The goal of Mini 4-H is to help young children explore friendships outside the family; explore the way in which things work; practice both small and large muscle control; and think about the ways people work together on projects.
Learn More About Mini 4-HEnroll your Projects
All projects must be entered in 4-H Online and membership fee paid before registering projects in Fair Entry. Log into your v2.4honline.com account to verify projects. Add or delete projects to be exhibited. You can find the Fair Entry site below. Feel free to call the Shelby County Purdue Extension Office at 317-392-6460.
Fair EntryHandbook
The Shelby County 4-H and Mini 4-H handbooks are typically updated at the beginning of the calendar year and will be posted here as well as available for pick-up in our office.Download the 4-H Handbook here.
Download Shelby County's Mini 4-H Handbook here.
4-H Camp 2025
Stay tuned for 2025 Camp info!
4-H Clubs & Leaders
What is a 4-H Club? A 4-H club is an organized group of at least five youth from three different families who meet regularly with adult volunteers or staff for a long-term, progressive series of educational experiences.
What is the purpose of a 4-H Club? The purpose of a 4-H club is to provide positive youth development opportunities to meet the needs of young people to experience belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity—the Essential Elements—and to foster educational opportunities tied to the Land Grant University knowledge base.
Blue Ribbon Club meets at Morristown Elementary in Room 3. Mini 4-Hers are welcome to attend. We meet after school, have an activity and learn more about 4-H. We begin meeting in January. If school is closed, there is no club meeting. Meetings are scheduled for Jan 11, Jan 25, Feb 8, Feb 29, March 28, April 11 & May 9. Meetings will be from 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm.
Club Leader
- Angie Schmidt
We have active, strong growing roots that has ran through Shelby County for over 56 years. Our club has always been active I leadership, project skills, demonstrations, judging contest, parties, activities, parliamentary procedure meetings, officer training, community services and charity deeds. Our main goals are to build leadership skills, confidence, trust, respect, hon-esty, self esteem, and to establish life long friendship. We all spur each other on to “Make the Best Better”.
Club Leaders
- Pam Robinson
- Laura & Andy Bridges
- Chastity & Trey Davidson
- Brenda Nortrup
The Noble Happy Harvesters Club is almost 100 years old. We are a club with roots in Noble Township, but invite members from any part of Shelby County to join us. The meetings will be held at the home of Olivia Cassidy, 2539 E 700 S, Waldron, IN 46182. It is only 10 minutes from Waldron. At each meeting we will follow Parliamentary procedure and have demonstrations to highlight different projects. Our club promotes membership, club activities, and encourages county and state fair participation. Our goal is to facilitate future leaders of our community through 4-H activities. Our scheduled meetings for 2024 are at 6:30 p.m. on the following dates: Jan 10, Feb. 14, March 13, April 10, May 8, and DEC 7th.
Club Leader
- Olivia Cassidy
Please contact the club leader for more information on this club.
Club Leader
- Frances Jackson
Southwestern Shamrocks 4-H Club is located in the southwestern portion of Shelby County. We welcome and encourage attendance at our monthly meetings for all 4-H’ers, Mini 4-H’ers and parents. The leaders work to help elected 4-H’ers to follow parliamentary procedure at each meeting. We strive to make the best better. Scheduled meetings for 2024 are DEC 12, 2023, Jan 9, Feb 13, Mar 12, April 8, May 14, and May 28. Meetings will start at 6:30 p.m. The meetings will be held at the Kissell Barn.
Club Leaders
- Cindy Baute
- Stacy Baute
- Becca Miller
- Amber Fiesbeck
The Survivors do Community Service projects, work at the 4-H Café during the fair and works on projects. The 2024 meetings will be on Feb 10, March 18, March 22 and May 26. Please call the leader for times and locations for each of these meetings.
Club Leader
- Deana Thurston
Triton Lucky Leaf 4-H Club is a small club with big goals! The kids and leaders work together to make sure all members are informed and get the most from their 4-H experience. The meeting dates for 2024 are Jan 2, Feb 6, Mar 5, Apr 2, May 7 & May 21 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting location is to be determined so please call.
Club Leader
- Christa Weaver
No meetings are scheduled at this time for our club. We are all rural 4-H’ers who mostly take Livestock projects. Please call the leaders for meeting dates and times.
Club Leader
- Darrin Linville
The Hoosier Horsemen meet in Brinson Hall at the fairgrounds at 7 pm. Meeting Dates for 2024 are Feb 7 @ Brinson Hall, Mar 6 @ FAB, Apr 3 at Brinson Hall. Apr 17, May 1, May 15, & May 29 will be held by the arena at 6:00 p.m. If riding is canceled we will meet at Brinson Hall at the same time.
Club Leaders
- Linda Martin
- Sandy Segneri
- Jennifer Wright
We will be learning to show llamas or alpacas with owned or leased animals. This is a good opportunity for a 4-Her to learn to train and bond with an animal.
Meetings will be on Jan 19, Feb 16,& Mar 15 from 6-8 pm in the Brinson Building. These will be meetings to learn basics and get to know each other. The meeting on Apr 20 will be a felting workshop from 1-3 pm in the Brinson Building. Working with the animals will be on April 5, 12, 19, 26 & May 3, 10, 17, 24, & 31. This will be on the Shelby County Fairgrounds in the show arena and will be from 6-8 pm.
Club Leaders
- Vanessa Benagh
- Tatem Hodge
- Ellie Bruce
- January 13 & 27, 2024
- February 10 & 24, 2024
- March 9 & 23, 2024
- April 6 & 20, 2024
- May 4 & 18, 2024
Pistol & Shotgun - 9 am-11 am
Rifle, Muzzleloading & Archery - 11 am - 1 pm
Shooting Sports Orientation Meeting - December 3, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. in Brinson Hall at the fairgrounds.
Club Leader
- Bill Claytor
The Sheep and Goat Club was formed in 2023 to provide education, support, and fellowship among sheep and goat showmen. Our meetings are fund and educational and often include experts in the industry along with hands-on learning experiences.
January 25, 2024, 6:00-7:00 pm, Family Arts Building
February 29, 2024, 6:00-7:00 pm, Family Arts Building
March 21, 2024, 6:00-7:00 pm, Family Arts Building
April 25, 2024, 6:00-7:00 pm, Livestock Arena
May 19, 2024, 1:00-3:00 pm, Livestock Arena
Club Leaders
- Andy & Laura Bridges
- Trey & Chastity Davidson
Livestock & Animals
For more detailed information on the Livestock Auction, please see page 183 of the 2024 Shelby County Handbook.
2024 Shelby County Livestock Auction Form
All county 4-H Exhibitors must also complete a Shelby County Pen Reservation Form, and return to the Shelby County Extension Office. Forms are due by May 15. There will be NO entries accepted after May 15th.
DOGS, CATS, FERRETS, AND EQUINE ARE ALL REQUIRED TO HAVE A COMPLETED 2024 VACCINATION FORM PRIOR TO THE ANIMAL ARRIVING ON THE PREMISES FOR ANY 4-H EVENT.
- Animals from youth livestock programs are treated with the utmost care.
- Youth livestock exhibitors are contributing to a safe, wholesome food supply.
- Youth livestock exhibitors are prepared to be ambassadors for animal agriculture.
Policy
To exhibit beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, sheep, meat goats, dairy goats, poultry and rabbits at
the county fair and Indiana State Fair, 4-H members must be certified through the Indiana 4-H
Livestock Quality Care training or the online Youth for the Quality Care of Animals program.
Quality Assurance training must be completed by 4-H members annually. For more information
about in-person training in your county, please contact your County Extension Office
Enrollment Guide to 4-H Online
Please view the following guides to enroll in 4-H. Please contact the Shelby County Purdue Extension Office at 317-392-6460 with any questions you have.
RT2: Read, Taste & Touch
Read: Reading a book with a child encourages creative thinking, vocabulary development, and a bond between child and parent.
Taste: RT2 focuses on the connections between good nutrition and agriculture. Each book will have a food item discussed. RT2 will provide you with recipes, facts, and other fun things you may do with your child that tie into the book.
Touch: Books in the RT2 series will make science fun and touchable by including some sort of agriculture lesson – either plants or animals.
Each month we will feature a new book, activity and nutritious snack. RT2 participants will be notified about special events through the year, including our RT2 CELEBRATION during the Shelby County Fair. Join the fun!
Projects
Members have the opportunity to learn more about a subject matter that they choose to study through completing hands on activities. In 4-H, we refer to these as projects. In order to enroll in a project, members must sign up for them at the time of enrolling in 4-H. Each project has a manual that guides the youth through the learning process as well as a set of guidelines that helps them meet the project requirements. Adult volunteers and staff who are knowledgeable on that particular subject often host workshops to allow the youth to learn about that topic in a social environment. Each project has a beginner, intermediate, and advanced level to allow youth to build on their knowledge each year and continue to challenge their skills. Projects are meant to be worked on over time, providing an educational opportunity for youth outside of the classroom setting. Often, youth will exhibit and display their project at a local county fair in order to show the community what they have learned. There is no limit to the number of projects youth can sign up for, however, we suggest starting out with one or two your first year.
- AEROSPACE
- ARTS & CRAFTS - GENERAL
- BARBECUE
- BEEKEEPING
- BICYCLE POSTER
- CAKE DECORATING
- CAT POSTER
- CERAMICS
- CHILD DEVELOPMENT
- COLLECTIONS
- COMPUTERS
- CONSTRUCTION & ARCHITECTURAL REPLICA
- CONSUMER CLOTHING
- CONSTRUCTION SETS
- CONSUMER LIVESTOCK
- COOKIE DECORATING
- CREATING WITH A MIX
- CROPS
- CUPCAKE DECORATING
- DO YOUR OWN THING
- DOG POSTER
- ELECTRIC
- ENTOMOLOGY
- FAMILY PROJECT
- FINE ARTS
- FLORICULTURE
- FOODS, BAKED - LEVEL A
- FOODS, BAKED - LEVEL B
- FOODS, BAKED - LEVEL C
- FOODS, BAKED - LEVEL D
- FOODS, PRESERVED - ALL LEVELS
- FORESTRY
- GARDEN
- GENEALOGY
- GEOLOGY
- GIFT WRAPPING
- H.E.L.P.
- HEALTH
- HOME ENVIRONMENT
- HORSELESS HORSEMAN
- INDIANA HERITAGE
- LLAMA/ALPACA FLEECE
- LLAMA/ALPACA FIBER CRAFTS
- LLAMA/ALPACA POSTER
- MICROWAVE
- MODELS
- NEEDLECRAFT'S
- PHOTOGRAPHY - BEGINNER
- PHOTOGRAPHY - INTERMEDIATE
- PHOTOGRAPHY - ADVANCED
- POULTRY POSTER
- RABBIT POSTER
- READING
- RECYCLING
- ROBOTICS
- SCRAPBOOK
- SEWING CONSTRUCTION - GRADES 3-7
- SEWING CONSTRUCTION - GRADES 8-12
- SEWING FOR FUN
- SHOOTING SPORTS
- SMALL ANIMALS
- SMALL ENGINES
- SOIL & WATER SCIENCE
- SPORTFISHING
- SPORTS
- TRACTOR
- VETERINARY SCIENCE
- WEARABLE ART
- WEATHER AND CLIMATE SCIENCE
- WEED IDENTIFICATION
- WELDING
- WILDFLOWERS
- WILDLIFE
- WOODWORKING
Junior Leaders
The Junior Leader project allows 4-H members in grades 7-12 the opportunity to provide their Adult 4-H Volunteers with additional assistance in their 4-H Clubs and related activities. Jr. Leaders also serve as mentors and role models to the younger 4-H members by sharing their experiences with them.
Shelby County 4-H Junior Leaders is a club as well as a project open to all youth is grades 7-12. They participate in various leadership and community service projects throughout the year. There is no additional charge for 4-H Junior Leader membership, but you must re-enroll in it every year.
*Make sure you mark “Junior Leaders” as a project when you re-enroll for 2024-2025 (just being enrolled in the club will not count as completion).
Upcoming Junior Leader Meetings:
- October _ , 2024 4-H Open House
- November 13, 2024 at 6:30.pm.
- December _, 2024 Holiday Party & Meeting
- January 15, 2025 at 6:30.pm.
- February 12, 2025 6:30.pm.
- March 12, 2025 6:30.pm.
- April 16, 2025 6:30.pm.
- May 14, 2025 6:30.pm.
Record Sheet
SPARK Clubs
SPARKS Clubs are open to youth grades 3-12 to “spark” new interest in the Indiana 4-H program. SPARK Clubs are special interest groups designed to capture the attention of youth with single focus, “out of the box” interests that are likely differrent from state-recognized 4-H projects. These clubs are led by volunteers bringing their subject mastery to the club. SPARK Clubs include six hours of instructional time that can occur in one day or over a length of time. Most SPARK Clubs end their program with a culminating event or activity.
Stay tuned for SPARK club opportunities offered in 2025!
Workshops
Workshops are meant to supplement the time the youth spends working on a project and the activities or subject area they complete in the project manual. Typically, these are offered several times a year. We encourage family members to attend these workshops with the 4-H member for the best educational outcome.
Stay tuned for workshops offered in 2025!
4-H Volunteers
4-H Volunteers include Club Leaders, Project Resources as well as 4-H Council and Fair Board Members. New volunteers must complete an application prior to completing the online enrollment. Contact our office to receive an application.
Club Leaders
4-H Community Club Leader – provides organization to a 4-H Cub based in a local community, typically representing a certain geographic area.4-H Project Club Leader – offers educational opportunities to 4-H members based on a certain project or subject area in a club setting.
Club leaders, please complete this form and submit it to the Extension Office by October 1, 2024. This information will be shared with families in our 2025 Shelby County handbook.
This resource guide provides club leaders with a plethora of information such as: club leader login access, assistance from the extension office, meeting outlines, training youth officers, and much more.
This handout guide is the second part to the Resource Guide. Handouts included in this guide include: mock meeting agenda, secretary report, treasurer report, and much more.