Attention all Market Chicken and Market Duck Project members. We are anticipating the market chickens and market ducks to arrive next week. Tentative dates for arrival are July 9 (Wednesday) for chicks and July 10 (Thursday) for ducks. Please understand these are tentative arrivals. The birds could arrive a day early or a day later than expected. It is best practice to have your brooder boxes or pens ready before the birds arrive. Please be sure to follow biosecurity practices and clean the pens, feeders, and waterers this weekend. When the poultry arrives we will set a pick up time for members to pick up birds. The pick up location is Heritage Country Store 219 third Street Marietta. Also please call Heritage (740-374-7741) if you will be picking up supplies or feed so they may have your order ahead of time. When the birds arrive members need to be prepared to transport them home. Please bring a box or pen with you when picking up. It a good idea to have this ready in your vehicle on Monday in case we call with an early arrival. Our office will place phone calls to members upon arrival to notify you of the pick up time. All poultry must be picked up during the scheduled time as our staff is not equipped to keep the poultry.
Author: hartline.24
Annual Community Outreach Event
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is partnering with the Southeastern Ohio Domestic Shelters and Food pantries for their Annual Community Outreach Event at Salt Fork State Park. They are collecting items for shelters and food pantries in Southeastern Ohio. Washington County will have an area to collect donations at the event for members of our community in need. The event will take place Saturday August 9, 2025 from 10AM to 3PM at Salt Fork State Park in Guernsey County. Washington County 4-H Carteens have partnered with the Troopers at the Marietta Post and will be collecting items for this event. If your club is looking for a community service project, please let us know and drop off your items to the Extension Office by August 6th at 4pm. Items requested are hygiene products, shampoo, toothbrushes, body soap, hairbrushes, deodorant, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, laundry baskets, towels, wash cloths, small trash bags, socks, band aids, bottled water, lip balm, tissues, wet wipes, zip lock bags and more. Please see the attached flyer for details and a complete list. These donated items will help successfully operate our food pantries and shelters in our community. Donations will be accepted this summer from 8am to 4pm at the Extension office located at 1115 Gilman Ave Marietta. 
For more details please contact Kathryn Hartline at 740-376-7431 or hartline.24@osu.edu
Free Advanced Training for Teen Drivers this Summer
The Ohio Traffic Safety Office is hosting free Advanced Driver Training for teens in the state of Ohio. These events are apart of the “100 Deadliest Days” Campaign. There are 3 classes to choose from across the state including DriveTeam, Professional Driving Systems, and Ford Driving Skills for Life. These events are free for new teen drivers and registration is required. Please see the flyer below for more information on times and dates for the events.
Smitty’s Night benefits 4-H Horse Program
The Washington County Saddle Horse committee announces a Smitty’s Pizza night on Tuesday May 20, 2025. Smitty’s Night begins at 4pm until close. 10% of sales is donated to the horse committee to help with Educational Sessions, Clinics, and improvements to the Washington County 4-H Horse program. Save the date and let Smitty’s Pizza cook for you on Tuesday May 20th! Please call the Marietta store at 740-374-2280 or the Reno location at 740-374-2599. Order Smitty Flyer 2025
Washington County Endowment Dinner is a Success
The Washington County 4-H Endowment Committee would like to thank all of our community members, volunteers, 4-H members and parents for a successful event. We are excited with the success of 405 meals sold that night and our live and silent auctions were profitable as well. The committee is excited to report on our event that raised over $32,000 for the program in Washington County. The committee is planning for the year and these funds will be used to support Washington County 4-H and its members. The committee is helping to reduce the cost of all project books by covering part of the cost of project books
and resource books. They are also providing scholarships for higher education, camp, and trips. The committee also uses the funds to help support camp activities at Hervida 4-H camp each summer. The committee is also looking at other opportunities to help support and grow 4-H in Washington County. We are blessed each year with a successful event and are looking forward to our next fundraiser- The Pancake Breakfast at the Washington County Fair on Monday September 1 from 8am to 10am.
Save the Date- Market Turkey, Chickens and Duck
All market poultry for Washington County have been ordered and arrival dates have been set. Please note that the following dates are the week we expect the birds to arrive. The birds will be shipped and available for pick up at Heritage Cooperative located at 219 Third Street Marietta. Members will be notified once birds ship with an approximate time for pick up, however this time needs to remain flexible as shipping times and days may vary. Members should be ready to receive birds and bring something to transport them home in. Pens at home should be cleaned and disinfected and ready for new arrivals. It is also good practice to call the feed store to order feed before you receive the birds. This allows the store to be sure they have feed in stock for you when you arrive. The following are the days that birds will ship. Market turkey- May 20, market chicken- July 8, and market duck- July 8. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact our office at 740-376-7431.
Washington County Endowment Dinner April 12!
The Washington County 4-H Endowment Dinner will be held on April 12, 2025 at the Washington County Fair Junior Fair building. The Endowment dinner is the largest fundraiser for Washington County 4-H. The committee is seeking volunteers to help with set up on April 11 and with the dinner and preparations on April 12. If you are available to volunteer please sign up at the link below. The Washington County Endowment Dinner opens at 5pm with dinner beginning at 6pm and is host to a live and silent auction. The Endowment Dinner features a chicken or steak dinner with baked potato, green beans, applesauce or coleslaw, roll, and dessert. The community may purchase tickets from the Extension office or any committee member for $30. For more information contact the OSU Extension office at 740-376-7431. The link to volunteer is: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A094EADA72CA1FD0-54607454-2025#/
Wood County 4-H Horse Camp
The Wood County West Virginia Horse Camp is being offered this year from June 8-June 13th in Mineral Wells, WV at the 4-H Camp. Washington County 4-H members who have completed a horse project in the last year and are currently enrolled in a horse project may apply for a scholarship for the camp. A typical day at camp may include, wake up, feed the horses, get breakfast, tack up and ride, cool down, then lunch and classes with afternoon activities. Lastly finishup the an evening ride. Classes include Beginner, English, Western, Contest and Gaited classes. Washington County 4-H members may apply for the scholarship through the attached application. Applications are due by April 1, 2025 to be considered for the camp scholarship. members will be notified by April 15th.2025 Horse Camp Application
Carteens Winter Weather Driving Tips
The Washington County Carteens 4-H Club is reminding drivers to be safe and cautious during the winter travel months. If you need to travel during snowy or icy conditions or on snow covered roadways this season then leave yourself extra time to arrive at your destination, and remember to take it slow. The Ohio State Highway Patrol reported 8,104 winter weather crashes last year in the state and of these crashes 21% of them were on snow, ice or slush covered roads and were the result of an unsafe speed. Washington County reported 29 winter weather driving crashes between December 2023 and March 2024 according to the OSHP. Our 4-H members are reminding drivers to also leave extra distance between you and the car in front of you and be patient while driving. Drivers should also check the condition of their vehicles frequently making sure they have full windshield washer fluid, car batteries are in good working condition, and plenty of tire tread as well as at least half a tank of gas. If you find yourself stuck in the snow on a roadway turn your hazard lights on, and remain in the vehicle while calling #677 or 911 for emergencies. The Ohio State Highway Patrol also reminds drivers to stock their cars with a winter car kit that includes ice scraper, shovel, jumper cables, flashlight, blankets, cell phone charger, first aid kit, tow rope, water and food when traveling longer distances. If you must travel during winter weather conditions then visit the website to check for real time traffic conditions from the Ohio Department of Transportation. http://www.ohgo.com/ 
4-H Holiday Crafting Event
Join us on December 23rd from 9am till 12noon for a holiday crafting event. All are welcome to attend, come learn more about 4-H and make a few crafts and stocking stuffers for the holidays. The event is for children ages 5 to 19 and staff and volunteers will be present to assist attendees with their crafting items. We will be making pillowcases, ornaments, wreaths, gingerbread houses, coloring pages and more. We will have a snack and sweet treat during the event. Please RSVP at the following link so we can plan for our supplies and treats. This event is always a fun kick off for the holiday season. For more details please contact Kathryn at 740-376-7431. Here is the link to sign up https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A094EADA72CA1FD0-46485833-holiday