Washington County June 4-June 8

This takes place at the clogging show. This is Ethan and Luke goofing off!! These are the blue boys counselors. -- Briana, Krisinda, and Casey

Gau-Gau Rocks!!!! -- Abby and Kelsey

This is Conrad and Luke, holding a stick in amazement. In outdoor treasures. This picture is our favorite because they are studying moss on the stick. --Paige, Amanda, and Emma

We love 4-H camp. CNN is our favorite class. CNN stands for Camp News Network and it is also called broadcast journalism. We take pictures, make a podcast, and also write this blog. The image above is a group picture of this year's CNN group second class. Freddy and Ian

This week of 4-H camp was the bomb because everybody is like family. We all stick together. --Krisinda

My favorite part about camp is the dances and playing gau-gau. All year I look forward to camp because it is so much fun. All the staff are cool and fun to hang out with. I love to see all my friends again. -- Abby

I think camp was so fun!-Casey

I love camp because we make new friends and see old ones from the years before. -- 4-H camper

At 4-H camp I mostly play tetherball. Paige Counts, Megan Buchannan, Tori, and Michaela Lloyd are all tetherball queens! One time we won a game 10-1. -- Briana

My week at 4-H camp has been the best. I'm going to tell you about those things. My favorite thing is tetherball, the dances, and the classes.--Paige Counts

I've had a great time at camp. I have met new friends and I am coming back to camp next year! Camp is one week filled with fun classes like CNN, archery, and challenge in the woods. It also has fun games like gau-gau.--Emma

Washington County June 4-June 8

Ziplining is probably the best class because you will be in the air ziplining. I think it would be awesome. -- Virgie The 70's costume contest winners really look like we were in the 70's. -- Ashton

My favorite thing that I did at camp was tetherball. It was so much fun to meet people who liked tetherball as much as I do. --Ashton

My favorite part about camp was tetherball. Most of my friends really liked it, but unfortunately I twisted my wrist while playing. However, I am still having a fabulous time!-- Samuel
I love this picture because the two kids are sooo cute! --4-H camper

They're so cute together!--4-H camper
My favorite thing of camp was CNN. We went to the barn and took some pictures of horses. --4-H camper

My favorite part of camp was the dances. It was so cool seeing everybody dressed up in their "funky" clothes. --4-H camper

My favorite part about 4-H camp is the classes because they are fun and exciting. --4-H campers

The dance has been one of the most fun things at camp. All the songs have been great. -- 4-H camper

I LOVED the theme this year. I liked the theme because I love things from the past dacades. You can always find me buying leg warmers or platform shoes and anything that interests me! --Emily

My favorite thing at camp is CNN because it is fun! -- 4-H camper

My favorite thing about being a teen counselor was becoming a role model for all the campers. Sometimes it's difficult, but when the campers are having fun it always makes me smile!-- Annie

Summer Camp Broadcast Journalism

In the very near future, this space will host special blog posts created by 4-H campers here at the 4-H Center. The camping season starts June 4 with Washington County, and for the duration of the summer each week's Broadcast Journalism class will document camp activities in pictures and words. Along with a weekly podcast, they will be posting here as well. Watch closely for posts authored by "4H Campers" to see what they're up to!

Weber City Elementary

Congratulations to Weber City Elementary's 6th grade class on their graduation to middle school. The sixth graders visited the 4-H Center this week for a morning of teambuilding and leadership development.

Over 60 students visited us, and were led through activities like "Electric Fence," "Minefield," "The Human Knot," and "Magic Carpet."

All of the groups did very well, and the rain held off long enough for us to finish all of our activities and head inside for lunch.

2007 State Camp Staff Training

On May 16, this year's 4-H Center camp staff traveled to the W.E. Skelton 4-H Center to join camp staffers from all across Virginia in an annual training event.

Our small, but dedicated and enthusiastic group was joined by over a hundred other camp enthusiasts for a three day event. Over the course of the event, they learned new songs, made new friends, and honed their camp skills.

This special camp training event saw attendees from the Airfield 4-H Center, Holiday Lake 4-H Center, Northern Virginia 4-H Center, Jamestown 4-H Center, and the Skelton 4-H Center.

The Southwest 4-H Center staff took a lead role in several areas, including a "How-To" Workshop on rainy day activities, the New Attendee Workshop, and a flag lowering program.

On Thursday, staff members spent a whole day going through intensive training sessions in their specific curriculum areas. There were sessions on Natural Resource Education for our nature instructor, a low ropes session, outdoor living skills, a special session for Administrative Assistants and Camp Coordinators, and more. There was even a hands-on session exclusively about games and gameplay at camp.

The Southwest 4-H Center was well represented, and once again proved that we have one of the most enthusiastic and dedicated camp staffs in all of Virginia. With their hard work this summer should prove to be one of the best!

Dulcimer Discoveries Eldherhostel

This week the 4-H Center has been ringing with the sounds of the dulcimer. Participants from all over the country, from as far away as New York and Ohio, have come to take part in a special Eldherhostel that takes place every year here in Abingdon. Led by instructors Jeff Sebens and Anne Lough, hostelers learn how to play both the hammered dulcimer and the lap duclimer, or mountain dulcimer.

Both lap and hammered dulcimers work together to play traditional hymns and folk songs.

The Elderhostelers began arriving on Sunday, several having driven for two days to get here. Many have been here before, year after year, for three, four, even seven or eight years in a row. In fact, some of the duclimers were built right here at the 4-H Center.

In addition to making all that music, we took a trip to the Barter Theatre on Wednesday night to see "The Quiltmaker and a field trip to Whites Mill for a tour.

With the beautiful weather calling, several of our guests took advantage of the Virginia Creeper Trail for an afternoon hike near Alvaredo. On Tuesday night, we were excited to have old friends Fire In The Kitchen take time out of their busy performance schedule to come play for us.

The week was filled with music and fun, and we look forward to having everyone back here again next year. Check out more pictures below.

Anne Lough gives tips to the lap dulcimer players.

Jeff Sebens teaches the hammered dulcimer players.

Anne & Jeff lead a combined session for the week's finale.

Proud new parents!

Two former 4-H summer camp staff members are the proud parents of twins! Jason and Dawn Crabtree, who reside in Lee County, welcomed into the world March 12, somwhere around 12:30pm, Riley and Greer Crabtree. (a boy and a girl) Both babies weighed in around 6lbs 10oz. and lengths of 20in. and 20 1/2in. Both mom and the babies are doing great. Dad couldn't be prouder!

This is Dawn's first look at the twins!

Yep, think she will have her hands full! (literally)

Not to worry, the twins will be trained in Hokie-mania.