4-H CLUBS by Bill's Bits

There were several 4-H clubs back home in Jackson. Usually the Club's name was the same as the name of the township they represented. The Club I belonged to was called the Des Moines Hustlers 4-H Club because the members usually all lived in Des Moines Township. The meetings of the Club were usually every month and the meetings were held in the homes of the Club members. There was the usual business part of the meeting plus a featured speaker or film and informational presentation. Before the meeting was adjourned there was usually a song fest that featured Mrs. Asher Nasby as our pianist, who accompanied the group with our singing. Songs like "The Church in the Wildwood, "Old Black Joe" and "God Bless America" were favorites. After the singing and before lunch was served was time to go outside and play games. These were times when one got to know their neighbors and have fun with them and also working on projects to take to the Jackson County Fair in August. My project was usually gardening and showing hogs. I never placed high enough to take my projects to the Minnesota State Fair, but I learned a lot about keeping records. These events were good for the young people in terms of communicating with others and learning to meet certain deadlines in order to be ready for judging of your particular project.