Kay County 4-H members joined fellow members from Grant and Noble counties recently for the annual Tri-County Camp, a chance to learn and grow while fellowshipping with one another.

The event was held at Lew Wentz Campground, Ponca City, June 20 - 22, with guidance from the Kay, Grant and Noble County Extension offices.

Kay County members included Newkirk Go-Getters, Ponca City K-Pals, Blackwell OK-Okies and Tonkawa.

Brenda Medlock is the Kay County Extension Director and is happy with the outcome of the event.

“It went really well. We had 13 counselors and 52 kids,” she said.

The theme for 2023 was “Set Sail with 4-H,” and there were plenty of aquatic activities for the kids, from swimming in the Lew Wentz Pool to water-based workshops, including cardboard boats made to set sail across the pool.

“We did our yearly cardboard contest, where we used cardboard and duct tape to see if it floats across the pool,” she said.

Another water-based workshop activity looked to test the weight of other boats also floating across the pool.

“We had to make a tin foil boat, and see how much weight they could hold,” said MaCaila Schneeberger, Newkirk Go-Getters. “It was a lot of fun.”

Many more workshops were land-based, all led by the camp counselors, themselves members of their local clubs. Topics included lava lamps, bird feeders, Dutch oven cooking, changing tires, sun safety, especially with UV bracelets, wall hangings, edible slime and stress balls.

The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry presented their own workshop to the kids.

“They talked about tree management and forestry management, and did fun, educational activities,” said Shannon Mallory, Kay County Agriculture Educator.

It was the counselors who led the workshops and educating their peers. Schneeberger was one of those counselors, including the boat weight lesson, as well as an egg drop. Although it was her fifth year at the Tri-County 4-H Camp, it was her first experience as a counselor, which was educational for her in her own right.

“There was a lot more responsibility, but it was a lot of fun,” she said.

She didn’t just have her own workshops to lead, but she helped others as well.

“I had to make sure I had all my campers with me,” she said. “I had to help with other workshops because there were so many campers, other counselors couldn’t keep up.”

Outside of workshops, there was plenty of fun along the way, especially fun with food.

“We had them make their own pancake breakfast, and it was a lot of fun,” Mallory said. “We decided to make breakfast an educational activity, and they really enjoyed that.”

They made their own smoothies as well, but with a unique physical twist.

“We had the 4-H blender bike, and they made their own smoothies out of frozen fruit and fresh fruit with yogurt, and they had to pedal to make it blend,” Medlock said.

The event was fun because they made new connections, and there was also a dance to cap off the adventure.

“We met a lot of people, and the dance was pretty fun,” Schneeberger said.

An awards program honored those who went above to make it an amazing experience. Two overall counselors were recognized as outstanding counselors, and each county chose its own outstanding campers. Kay County 4-H members honored were Cambree Hadley and Mychel Miller.

There is so much to learn at the Tri-County 4-H camp, whether it be the workshops for the participants, or leadership skills for the counselors. Even the leaders have something to glean, making it another successful event for area 4-H clubs.

“It gets the kids more involved in 4-H, and know more about the different programs you can do, and it helps the counselors learn about more leadership and how they can advance in 4-H,” Medlock said. “It helps us educators and volunteers get to know the kids more.”