Thurston County 4-H News
Enrollment for the 2026-27 4-H Year Begins October 1!
4-H members and volunteers must re-enroll annually in 4-H Online in order to maintain membership. Reference the 4-H Online Family Enrollment Guide for step-by-step instructions on how to enroll.
Please email the 4-H Office if you would like to request a member fee scholarship or if your child is a Wellpoint member. Wellpoint is partnering with Washington State 4-H and will pay the $25 state 4-H membership fee for all Wellpoint members.
Each club needs at least two certified 4-H adult volunteers who are officially enrolled/re-enrolled in 4-H Online for the 2026-27 4-H year before conducting club gatherings.
4-H volunteers who need to have their background check renewed will be contacted by the 4-H Office and will receive an email invitation from Sterling Volunteers to complete a background check. WSU requires all volunteers to submit a background check every three years. Enrollments will not be accepted until background checks are current.
New 4-H Project Opportunity Beginning in October
Do you have a Pokémon-obsessed kid? Are they trying to “catch ‘em all” while you want them to learn it all? Join Thurston County 4-H for our STEM Pokémon Project!
Each month we will follow the journey of Ash and Pikachu by learning the science around each gym’s Pokémon type through a hands-on project. Afterwards, we will learn how to become a better player and sportsman, focusing on the trading card game.
This project is open to all ages; no experience or cards are necessary to join in. Please note: Youth must be enrolled in a Thurston County 4-H club to participate.
Beginning October 21, we will meet the third Wednesday of the month at 6:30pm in the WSU Thurston County Extension Office (Thurston County Fairgrounds).
For more information and to RSVP please email 4-H volunteer and Pokémon Professor Justin Spruiell at justinspruiell@gmail.com.
Washington State 4-H Fair Recap
Congratulations to all the 4-H members who qualified to represent Thurston County at the 2026 Washington State 4-H Fair. Below is a partial list of our local youth members who placed in top awards at the State 4-H Fair. We will continue to add to the list as we receive results.
Cat Show:
- Senior Fitting & Showing Champion, Emberly M.
- Senior Fitting & Showing Reserve Champion, Clara P.
- Junior Fitting & Showing Champion, Maybelle P.
- Junior Fitting & Showing Reserve Champion, Aurora P.
- Senior Cat Type Champion, Clara P.
- Senior Cat Type Reserve Champion, Amelia A.
- Intermediate Cat Type Champion, Sarah S.
Equine Senior Performance/Dressage Section:
- Fitting & Showing Champion, Leah A.
- Fitting & Showing, Fourth Place, Juniper W.
- Saddle Seat Reserve Champion, Leah A.
- Hunter Seat Reserve Champion, Leah A.
- Stock Seat Champion, Leah A.
- Stock Seat, Sixth Place, Juniper W.
- Bareback Champion, Juniper W.
- Bareback, Eighth Place, Leah A.
- Trail Champion, Juniper W.
- Western Disciplined Rail Reserve Champion, Juniper W.
- English Disciplined Rail Reserve Champion, Leah A.
- English Disciplined Rail, Seventh Place, Danielle W.
- Reining, Fourth Place, Juniper W.
- Reining, Seventh Place, Leah A.
- Dressage Champion, Leah A.
- Dressage Seat, Fifth Place, Leah A.
Equine Judging Contest:
- Junior, 7th Place, Mira K.
- Intermediate Reserve Champion, Lydia (Wren) S.
- Senior, Ninth Place, Danielle W.
- Intermediate Team, Champion
- Senior Team, Reserve Champion
Apply to become a Youth Thurston County Fair Board Member
The Thurston County Fair Board is seeking two new members for our open youth positions. Eligible applicants must be in high school, with 16+ preferred, and be a resident of Thurston County. Job duties include attending the monthly board meeting, participating in committees or special projects for the fair, and being a positive representative of the fair in the community.
To learn more and apply, click on the “Fair Board” tab on the Thurston County Website.
Leaf It Up: Spokane and Thurston County 4-H Youth Growing More Than Microgreens
From article posted in the August WSU Extension Newsletter
What started as an idea to address food insecurity has grown into a youth-led movement that is making an impact across Washington State and beyond.
Leaf It Up was created by Spokane and Thurston County 4-H Youth Advocates for Health (YA4-H!) teens after learning that many college students experience food insecurity. Working alongside Washington State University Extension, the teens designed easy-to-use microgreen growing kits that include seeds, grow pads, a reusable growing container, spray bottle, scissors, a fun “garden pet,” and QR codes linking to growing instructions, recipes, and evaluation resources. Each kit costs less than $2 to produce, making the project both economical and sustainable.
During the 2025 Washington State 4-H Teen Conference, more than 100 youth from across the state assembled over 600 Leaf It Up kits which were distributed to 11 college campus food pantries throughout Washington.
The project was selected as one of only three national finalists in National 4-H Council’s Lead to Change initiative. Spokane and Thurston County teens presented their project to nearly 2,000 youth and adult leaders from across the country at Ignite by 4-H in Washington, D.C., earning second place nationally. They created a replication Leaf It Up Toolkit for other states. Washington State teens also joined forces with University of Idaho 4-H at their teen conference. Teens from both states worked together to assemble 150 microgreen kits that were distributed to college campuses across Idaho.
While the national recognition was exciting, the greatest success has been watching young people realize the power they have to create meaningful change. The teens developed leadership, public speaking, problem-solving, collaboration, and project management skills while addressing a real need in their communities.
Thurston County 4-H Council
The Thurston County 4-H Council meets the fourth Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise announced. The Thurston County 4-H Council is our county-wide advisory board. Enrolled 4-H volunteers and 4-H teen leaders are encouraged to attend.
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, or Android: Council Zoom Link Meeting ID: 933 0900 5414 Passcode: 345746
Annual Financial Reporting Due December 1
Each 4-H club or project committee, whether they have a bank account and hold funds or not, is required to submit the Annual Financial Form no later than December 1. Please contact the 4-H Office if you have questions or need assistance filling out the forms.
Important Dates to Remember:
- September 1, 4-H Online will be offline through September 30 for new year set up
- September 4 – 27, Washington State 4-H Fair
- September 28, 7:00 pm, 4-H Council Meeting
- October 1, Enrollment for the 2026-27 4-H year opens; go to 4-H Online to enroll
- December 1, Club/committee annual financial reporting due
- January 31, Deadline for returning members to re-enroll to avoid late fee
Go to Tuesday News to find out what’s happening in 4-H statewide.
Follow the Washington State 4-H WSU Facebook page for statewide 4-H opportunities and announcements.
