Final State 4-H Conference of the Century to be Held

Date: July 6, 1999
Editor: D'Lyn Ford, (505) 646-6528, dlford@nmsu.edu

LAS CRUCES - "Conference '99, the Final Chapter" will be the theme for this year's State 4-H Conference in Las Cruces, July 12-16 on the New Mexico State University campus.

"Four-H members compete at the county level to qualify for the state event," said Jesse Holloway, department head of 4-H and youth development with NMSU's Cooperative Extension Service. "The top two senior teams compete at state, and some counties send 4-H members to participate in workshops."

Some of this year's workshops will include volleyball, basketball, leadership, Western dance, livestock skill-a-thon, sports fishing, outdoor water recreation and a tour of the Fabian Garcia Research Center.

More than 700 4-H members and adults are expected to attend and participate in a nonstop schedule of recreation, contests, educational workshops and elections of officers for the upcoming year.

On July 16, 4-H members will elect seven state officers. Campaigning for the offices goes on throughout the conference. Officers, along with ambassadors and diplomats, serve as 4-H's leadership team and help run statewide activities.

"More than 50,000 New Mexico children are enrolled in 4-H programs," Holloway said. "Some belong to traditional community 4-H clubs, some are involved with special interest programs that exist for a short period of time and others participate in school enrichment programs."

For more information about 4-H or the state conference, contact your county Extension office or call the New Mexico 4-H Office toll free at 1-888-646-5204.