National 4-H Week is a celebration of 4-H. “It is not only national but international, which is pretty cool, and not many people think about that,” said Katie Bateman, the Cass County Youth Coordinator.  During the week of Oct. 1-7, 2023, people across the United States celebrate 4-H and all it has to offer. This week-long celebration encourages others to join and support the local 4-H clubs. 

Each day, something different is done in celebration of National 4-H Week. Here in Cass County, a bonus day was added with the Fall Fest on Sunday of that week at the fairgrounds from 2-4 p.m. Multiple different clubs had booths with fun games to play to win prizes and there was free food and lots of activities to do.  Something that individual clubs do in Cass County each year is put up a display of some sort following the theme for the particular year. The theme this year was “I Heart 4-H.” So clubs all over Cass County met and put together a display on loving 4-H. Some clubs did a window display, others put up a display in a school or on a light post. 

Claire Schroder is a high school member of the Grove HOT 4-H club. National 4-H week is “a way to celebrate what everybody in past years has done to grow the community and shows the hard work we put in,” Schroder said. This year Grove HOT put up a window display showing their support for the program. Schroder’s advice to those looking to get involved is to “try it at least for one year.” She said, “It’s super fun and you get to meet some new people.” 

Makyla Atkinson is a senior member of the Pymosa 4-H club. Atkinson said, “National 4-H week is people coming together and celebrating the love for 4-H.” Atkinson has been in 4-H for a long time, starting with Clover Kids (which is the program that those under 4th grade can participate in to get a feel for 4-H) up till now as a senior in high school. “I fell in love with the atmosphere and all of the opportunities that I could do with 4-H,” Atkinson said. She thinks that those on the fence about going out should at least try it for a year to experience what it’s all about and the opportunities that 4-H can provide you with as you continue growing in your 4-H career. 

Cass County 4-H does a lot of events other than celebrate Fall Fest. Bateman talked about some of the events that they put on throughout the year including fall fest, pancake supper, volleyball, county fair, county convention, and many others. Many of these are open to the public but some are just for 4-Hers. Something coming up is the Cass County Convention which is a big banquet that 4-Hers put on to celebrate the end of the 4-H year. At this convention, awards are given out and people and groups are recognized for all of the things that they have accomplished during the 4-H year. “It’s my favorite time of the year because it’s a celebration. It seems like a weird time to celebrate but it’s a cool to wrap up last year and kick off the new 4-H year,” Bateman said. 

There are always lots of exciting things happening in the 4-H world especially here in Cass County. There are so many ways to get involved and show support for local 4-Hers. National 4-H Week is a week where people are able to show how 4-H has affected them and support what the 4-H stands for.