A “Corn-Growing” Club? Interesting, right? Well, I haven’t seen crowds of teens lining up to join the “Corn-Growing” club. Have you?

BUT – there are still a lot of students who are part of the long-standing, ever-growing 4-H clubs.

From Corn to Clover

What’s the connection? It’s this…

In 1902, a man by the name of A. B. Graham, from Clark County, Ohio, started a youth program which he called the “Corn-Growing” Club. (Obviously it involved farm kids.) That club later became known as the 4-H Club, with a four-leaf clover as the emblem.

The 4 H’s stand for:

• Head
• Hands
• Heart
• Health

4-H Plays a Vital Role in the Plot

In my novel, Tiger Beetle at Kendallwood, main character Marcy, is an active member of her local 4-H club. Her 4-H project is entomology; and her involvement in 4-H plays a major role in the plot.

I’m an Alumni

I’m a proud alumni of the 4-H community. My older sister and I were active in 4-H for most of our school years – with projects in cooking and sewing. Showing our products at the county fairs was a big part of our summers.

Even though the clubs began as agricultural and homemaking endeavors, the project choices have greatly expanded through the years. Clubs today can be found in 50 countries, and in the US there are over 6.5 million members.

Hey, that’s a lot of 4-Hers.

No corn-growing clubs here, but there still might be a few corn-growers in the bunch.

Do you have county (or state) fairs where you live? If so, do you ever check out the exhibits? What’s your favorite?

More About Sewing in a Later Blog…

Another endeavor in which Macy and her sister are involved is sewing. That comes into play when Macy and Cissy are cheerleaders and the team members opt to sew their own cheer outfits. (Which creates more vexing problems for Marcy.) You can catch that in another upcoming blog.

Meanwhile, keep on reading.

Norma Jean

4-H Pledge:

I pledge my head to clearer thinking,

My heart to greater loyalty,

My hands to larger service,

and my health to better living,

for my club, my community, my country, and my world

The 4-H motto: “To make the best better”

The 4-H slogan: “Learn by doing”

PS: Tiger Beetle at Kendallwood is title #2 in the Norma Jean Lutz Classic Collection. Read all of Chapter 1 for FREE. Click HERE!