During the week of June 15-19, one-hundred and forty-one 4-Hers were transported to the faraway lands of some of their favorite fairy tales when they attended Pocahontas County 4-H Camp.
An additional 20 Cloverbuds joined them on Friday. To start the event, 4-H Teen Leaders arrived Sunday to participate in leadership and team building activities including Clifton Strengths led by West Virginia University. On Monday they kayaked at Buffalo Lake with kayaks supplied by Appalachian Sport.
“Once Upon a Camp” was the week’s theme. In honor of “Snow White” on Monday, campers worked together to construct a Coat of Arms representing their tribes. For Tuesday’s “Rapunzel” theme, campers enjoyed a thrilling fire presentation from a performer with Accidental Acrobats and a game of Bring Me that evening. Special guest Mariam Kyule joined the fun.
Mariam traveled to camp from Egerton University located in Njoro, Kenya, to learn about 4-H camping. On Wednesday the West Virginia Division of Corrections provided a demonstration on drones and their importance to law enforcement. An archery tournament captivated campers that evening with an appearance from Brave’s red-haired Merida (aka Hannah Burks). On Thursday afternoon, campers listened to the storytelling of Bil Lepp, American storyteller and five-time Champion of the WV Liar’s Contest. That night they danced at Cinderella’s Ball to music provided by a DJ and enjoyed sampling charcuterie treats. As part of Friday’s “Shrek” theme, campers participated in “Swamp Games,” an obstacle course of crawling tubes, a climbing wall, and water obstacles. They also enjoyed the annual slideshow and received tribal-colored T-shirts for camp photos. Each evening concluded with Council Circle.
The campers participated in a variety of classes during the mornings. These included Air Rifles, Archery, Basketball, Black Powder, Bottle Rockets, Camp Engineer, Camp Perk Café, Car Care Basics, Creative Cooking, Cross-Stitch Nametags, Dream Catchers, Fairytale Crafts, Fishing, Flag Football, 4-H is Awesome, 4-H Jewelry, Folk Dancing, Gymnastics, Leather Crafts, Just Dance with Wii, Mountain Biking, Low Ropes Course, Outdoor Cooking, Outdoor First Aid, Painted Quilt Squares and Wood Plaques, Photography, Pickleball, Pre-Charting, RC Crawlers, Rock Painting, Save the Bananas, Shotgun, T-Shirt Pillows, Tie-Dye Party, Woodburning, Woodworking and Yoga.
Chiefs and Sagamores of the tribes were as follows: Cherokee Tribe – Ramona Hardy, Silas Dean (1st), Levi Hill (2nd); Delaware Tribe – RT Hill, Ahna Valach (1st), Adalee Hayes (2nd); Mingo Tribe – Eden Smith, Kirsten Friel (1st), Riley Pollack (2nd); Seneca Tribe – Lillie Cassell, Richard White (1st), Hailey Price (2nd); Big Feet – Garrett Vaughan, Katie Workman (1st).
Camp awards were presented to the 4-Hers during the final council circle on Friday night. Ramona Hardy was selected as this year’s “Spirit of Camp” and was presented the spirit stick, which was carved by each of the tribes during camp. The following campers were chosen as those best representing the four Hs of 4-H at camp: Head H – Riley Pollack; Heart H – Silas Dean; Hands H – Hannah Burks; Health H – Hunter Cheek.
Tribes were judged throughout the week based on camp spirit, sportsmanship, attitude, and how they exhibited the Four Hs. The Mingo Tribe was selected as the winning tribe overall.
Ramona Hardy stated, “4-H camp is always my favorite week of the year. Besides all the fun activities, it has shaped me into the person I am and helped me develop so many skills and abilities that help me every day. The 4-H family is truly so special, and I would encourage anyone to give camp a try. It really is so much fun and will change your life for the better!”
Outstanding first year camper scholarships were presented to Emmett McLaughlin and Maliyah Owens. The Cool Camper Scholarship was presented to Riyan Gladwell. Bentlee Gladwell and Victor Dean received the Harold Carpenter Scholarship. The Bee Gladwell Scholarship was presented to Kooper Brock. The Shenda Smith Scholarship was presented to Ariana Carpenter. Braelynn Bell, Hunter Hefner, Vega Gua-mis-Alikakos; and Layle Highland received the Shooting Sports Scholarships. The Welcome Home Scholarship was awarded to Levi Hill and Kirsten Friel. The Barb Dilley Scholarship was presented to Charley Beverage. Richard White received the Jack Gay Scholarship.
First year campers receiving “lucky penny” awards were Mason Albaugh, Gracie Anderson, Braelynn Bell, Brooklyn Bell, Charley Beverage, Harper Boswell, Paisley Boswell, Kooper Brock, Cole Buzzard, Arie Carpenter, Channing Dean, Kyle Goslyn, Vega Guamis-Alikakos, Zoe Guamis-Alikakos, Michael Hefner, Iris Krack, Grant McClure, Emmett McLaughlin, Milton McNabb, Finley Meadows, Logan Miller, Luna Morgan, Carson Oscar, Maliyah Owens, Ella Pugh, Isaac Sanders, Penelope Sanders, Micah Scotchie, Elizabeth Sharp, Savannah Shoemaker, Paisley Sloan, Bryce Taylor, Kayne Tingler, Arpen Tomlin, Sterling Tomlin, Mason Woody and Chase Wright.
Cloverbud Day, where younger youth were invited to experience what camp was like for a day, included Ethan Alderman, Joshua Bauserman, Harper Beverage, Kinley Beverage, Had-ley Burns, Lettie Cassell, Maggie Dilley, Rayne Ev-ans, Sawyer Evans, Abigail Guyette, Amelia Herold, Callie Himelrick, Brianna Price, James Rose, Wyatt Sattler, Hope Sharp, Rhett Simmons, Colton Wilfong, Kinsley Wilfong, Jenna Workman. Nicole Sattler led the Cloverbud activities.
Camp staff and class instructors for the week were: Luci Mosesso, Garrett Vaughan and Connie Burns (Extension Staff); Josie Tanton (ECI); Moses Talley (ECI), Grier Taylor (STEM); Erica Clark, Sarah Eves, Amy Henry-Morgan, Hallie Herold, Kathy Irvine, Cathy Mitchell, Clair Rose, Nebraska Scotchie, Kristie Smith, Haley Spencer, Tracey Valach, Katie Workman, Herby Barlow, Gray Beverage, Kendall Beverage, Brad Cassell, JW Cheek, Sam Herold, Randy Irvine, Michael Simmons, Gene Tracy, Mikey Valach, Matt Barkley, Cheryl Beverage, Mike Burns, Pam Burns, Greg Hamons, KathyHolzman-Henry, Cathy Mo-sesso, AJ Oliver, CJ Peterson/Erwin Berry/Dave Hiss- om (Poca Trails), Billy Rog-ers, Cody Sharp, Brian Smith, Alyssa Vickers, Arlene Cheek, Samantha Mitchell, Casey Griffith. Camp cooks included Sarah Hedrick, Kim Beverage, Martha Friel and Teresa Cochran.
Pocahontas Co 4-H Extension Agent Luci Mosesso said, “Another year of 4-H Camp is officially behind us, and what a fairytale of a week! Our incredible staff, volunteers, and supporters rallied together to provide a magical camp for our kids. Whether you were skillfully dodging sudden thunderstorms, losing your voice singing camp songs, or serving up meals to a small army, you proved that our team is top-notch. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the amazing community that comes together every single summer. You don’t just keep our 4-H traditions alive; you provide a positive, unforgettable childhood experience for our local youth. We survived, we laughed, and I cannot wait to do it all over again next year.”
