In January, the Wild Wescotts went Dogsledding!  We met on a cold afternoon in January at Silent Run Adventures in Monticello, MN.  We started the afternoon learning about Huskies and Dogsledding.  The Huskies are not race dogs, they are pulling dogs.  So, a team of 5-6 dogs can easily pull hundred of pounds!  After learning about the dogs and dogsledding, we got to meet the dogs.  Many of them were very friendly, and a few were shy.  Then, we took turns in the sleds, enjoying a nice tour on a frozen lake.   There was no formal business meeting.

  In December, the Wild Wescotts club did not have a formal meeting.  Instead, they gathered at Feed My Starving Children for a service project. The club members thought the activity was a lot of fun.  Our group had 32 members participating and during our packing time, the entire group packed about 150 boxes

On Saturday, November 23rd, we toured the MN capitol. Our tour guide showed us the various meetings rooms and walked us through how decisions are made at the capitol. Our meeting at the MN state capitol was called to order at 10:58 by Braxton. We had a total of 26 people attending the meeting. Two decisions were made during the meeting. There was a motion to move the dogsledding date from Monday, January 20th to Sunday, January 5th. This motion passed and the date was officially moved. There was a discussion about what to use Dakota County Opportunity Fund on if we received it. After much deliberation, a motion passed which proposed 70% of the funds going to our dogsledding activity, 20% of the funds to our curling activity, and 10% to youth leadership programing.

On Sunday, Oct 27th, the Wild Wescotts 4-H club met at Metro Transit Blue Line Facilities to learn about the light rail system. At 3pm (before the business meeting) the club toured the maintenance department and the control center. Braxton called the business meeting was order at 4:07 pm and led pledges. After pledges, roll call was taken; abou 50 people participated in roll call. Old business included additional review of this year’s activities. The planned activity for November is proving difficult to arrange. So, the club discussed options. There was a motion to change the November meeting from an RC Cars activity to another educational choice, selecting between a History Museum tour or a Capital Tour. After discussion, the club voted to pursue alternate activities, and Abby will quickly arrange and share with the club. We will also have sign-ups for December and January activities, which will be shared via Band. The meeting was adjourned at 5:03pm by a motion, second, and un...

On Sunday Sept 22nd, the Wild Wescotts 4-H club kicked of the 2024-2025 program year! June led our first session of the year. The meeting of the Wild Wescotts 4-H Club was called to order by June at 4:07pm. Following pledges, roll call was taken.  Because this was the first meeting of the program year, there were no prior meeting minutes reviewed. The large group discussed some of their favorite 4-H and Wild Wescotts activities. New families and guests were able to ask questions and get a sense of how the Wild Wescotts Club Operated.   Then, the Youth Leadership team split the club into smaller groups for some brainstorming for the program year. Following brainstorming, there was a series of votes on activities for the year with the following outcomes: 7 activities were discussed and approved through voting. Metro Transit Tours RC Cars FMSC Dog Sledding Curling Project Day Media Tour 2 activities were discussed and tabled MN History Museum Dog Training 5 Propos...

On July 21st, the Wild Wescotts gathered for an end-of-year party.  They had a potluck pool party & Brainstorming for the coming 4-H Year!  During this informal gathering, they socialized, swam, and did some brainstorm for programming & activity ideas for the coming 4-H year. 

  Meeting Minutes - 06/23/2024 - Bison at Spring Lake Park Reserve On Sunday, June 23rd, the Wild Wescotts 4-H club met at Spring Lake Park Reserve to learn about and view bison. Harrison called the business meeting was order at 1:13 pm and led pledges. After pledges, roll call was taken; 22 people participated in roll call. Old business included feedback from Whispering Oaks Alpacas last month. Overall feedback was positive, and it sounds like club members had an awesome time! As the club moved on to new business, there was a motion to change the July meeting from a bicycle event to a brainstorming potluck. The motion was seconded and passed with a unanimous vote. Then, the club talked about readiness for the Dakota County Fair, including a reminder that members must register in FairEntry by July 8th in order to participate. Members were also encouraged to sign up on the signup geniuses for volunteer shifts in the malt stand, dining hall, and more. The meeting was adjourned at 1:2...

May 2024 - Whispering Oaks Alpacas The club went to Whispering Oaks Alpacas for an educational learning experience this month. The club learned all about alpacas and were able to walk them around the farm. We also fed baby goats, pet farm kittens, saw chickens and turkeys while we were there. At the end we learned about the different products that can be make from alpaca fiber. It was a lot of fun!

On Sunday April 14, the Wild Wescotts met with Delta TechOps for a Hanger tour at MSP International Airport. This tour is made possible through Delta Airlines, and Jim Kohlmann has been a great partner for us, so if you see him, thank him!   This event required a sign-up (due on March 28), and thank you all who signed up! We had a BIG crew representing Wild Wescotts.  Because of the size of our group, we were dividing into 3 smaller groups for a tour, and did not have a business meeting during this session.

This year, the Wild Wescott's project day was hosted on March 17th at Wentworth Library.  Project Day is a mini-workshop style afternoon, designed to help members prepare for the county and state fairs. Our leadership team provide an overview of exhibits. Then, members are guided through 4, project-focused stations which provide the beginnings of exhibits. These "exhibit starters" frame a possible exhibit, show how to start this exhibit, and provide inspiration for members to continue to work on these exhibits (or these project areas) following the session. This year, our project areas include Fine Arts/Crafts - (Felt Keychains) Crop Art Poetry Exploration (Haiku) Safety & Survival

February Meeting Minutes The meeting was called to order at 3:07 PM on February 18, 2024 at the Grommesch house. We had 19 people attend the meeting. The old business was reminding everyone to register for 4H.  The new business was that our next meeting will be Project Day on March 17 from 1:00 to 4:30 at the Wentworth Library in West St. Paul. At that meeting we will vote on our April meeting: alpacas or bison. The meeting was adjourned at 3:11 PM. The club did a Nailed It challenge by making and decorating a cake in four teams.

January Meeting Minutes The January meeting was called to order by Harrison at 2:20pm. There were 18 youth members attending the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 2:29pm. The club took a vote regarding the activity for the May. The two options were alpacas or bison. The vote was a tie and was tabled for the next meeting. More information will come soon. The manager of Eagan Civic Arena gave us a tour of the Zamboni. They showed us how they dump the ice, explained how the Zamboni works, and allowed us to sit on it. The club members attended open skating after the tour. The February meeting will be a cooking activity. See calendar for details.

November meeting minutes The November meeting was called to order by Braxton at 9:59am. There were 25 youth members attending the meeting. The project spotlight was presented by Jamison who provided insight on performing arts. The meeting was adjourned at 10:11am. The club took a vote regarding the activity for the January meeting. The two options were to go snowshoeing, or to go ice skating. The majority of members voted to go ice skating. One place it could be is the Eagan Civic Arena but more information is to come. The manager of the Fissan Training Center talked about what they do and what kinds of dogs they work with. We got a demonstration of how they train dogs to sit, lay down, and do tricks. They brought out some of their most trained dogs to perform a few tricks for our club. Lastly, there was some Q&A and time to socialize with the dogs.

October meeting minutes The October gathering had no formal business meeting.  Instead, we gathered at the Wabasha Caves and had an exciting tour.

Sept 2023 - Annual Kickoff On September 24, 2023, at 4:00pm, the Wild Wescotts 4-H club gathered at Northview Park (Eagan) for their 2023-2024 Program Kickoff! We started the afternoon with an introduction and ice breaker, lead by the Youth Leadership Team. The club was separated into 2 groups and they completed a balloon scavenger hunt. Following the scavenger hunt, the youth members had a 5 minute play break at the park. At 4:27pm, Harrison Grommesch called the meeting to order. The club said the pledge of allegiance and the 4-H pledge. Roll call was answered by 24 youth and their parents. New and returning members answered roll call by sharing some of the things that they are looking forward to for this year. Many people mentioned that they were looking forward to the aerospace opportunity at the international airport. There was no August meeting, but all prior meeting minutes are available on the club website. Old Business included a word of congratulations for all members who part...

July 2023 - Pool Party & Beekeeping On July 16, 2023, the Wild Wescotts 4-H club gathered for their final activity for the 22-23 school year! We started the afternoon with a presentation by Tom LeMay from the Minnesota Hobby Beekeepers Association (MHBA). Tom shared all kinds of information about honey bees and pollinators. We even got to taste some of the honey that his bees produce. Tom answered lots of questions, and also provided information to youth who are interested in becoming beekeepers. The Minnesota Hobby Beekeepers Association award scholarships to interested youth (ages 12-17). The scholarship awards a 1-year membership in the MHBA, tuition for U of M Beekeeping classes, a complete set of woodenware for a beehive, and more! All of the details for the scholarship are listed here: https://mnbeekeepers.com/youth-scholarship/ Following our beekeeping education, families enjoyed a social evening with a potluck dinner and lots of swimming in the pool. Reminder, that the Wil...

June 2023 Update (no business meeting) On Sunday June 25, the Wild Wescotts enjoyed a tour of an operational Dairy Farm in Cannon Falls. Jeff Schafer's farm was an impressive operation! Thank you to all the folks that made it out to the farm tour! We had 20 people and more than 200 livestock in attendance. Here are a couple notes that I had taken. Jeff and family have been operating Elmegca Dairy Farm for 150 years. They were gracious hosts, sharing the inner-workings of the robotic milking operations, the automated cattle barn, and more! They provided a tour of the entire facility, sharing everything throughout the lifecycle of the cattle, and the entire operation. For those that were unable to attend, you can get a little preview of their operation from this youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRXJ_uCDpPw Milk from the farm is the only product that is never touched by human hands, and by observing their facilities, we can definitely appreciate the efficiencies. Milk f...

Meeting Minutes 5/21/23 - Fishing On Sunday, May 21, the Wild Wescotts 4-H club bet at Cleary Lake Regional Park for a brief meeting and fishing. Youth members gathered at the park and played Sandman before starting the meeting. At 10:45am, Eldora Grommesch called the meeting to order. 15 youth and 10 adults were present at the meeting. We listened to feedback from April's project day and families asked some questions about the Dakota County Fair. The club decided to add some of the important fair information to the club's online calendar. Next month, the club will travel to Jeff Schafer's mechanized dairy farm in Cannon Falls. Details will be emailed out, and added to the online calendar. There were no other business items at the meeting. There was a motion to adjourn at 10:52, which was seconded and passed. Following the business meeting, families enjoyed the park and some fishing.

Meeting Minutes 4/16/23 - Project Day On Sunday April 16th, the Wild Wescotts 4-H club met at the Wentworth Library in Bloomington to do our project day. During the project day, club members learned to create several project starters, including fluid art, fishing lures, photography exhibits, and hot air balloons. First, Abby led the fluid art starter (Fine Arts project area), and then Eldora taught the group how to make fishing lures (Fishing project area). Then, Harrison talked to the group about judging day and what to expect. After that, Harrison and Eldora demonstrated a mock-judging for the group. Then, Braxton led the group in a photography starter, where club members wandered the library and took photos of leading lines. Finally, Abby taught the group how to make hot air balloons (Aerospace project area). Following our Project Day activities, Braxton called the meeting to order at 4:00pm. We said the pledges, and roll call was taken. All in all, there were about 15 people prese...