In an evening in which the honored walked a green carpet instead of a red one, Hall County 4-H Club recognized Monday those who participated in project achievement throughout the 2007-08 school year.
Monday’s awards ceremony, dubbed A Night in Hallywood, honored the county’s 4-H participants and volunteers for their efforts representing the club in local, district and state contests, said Judy Tilford, county extension agent, 4-H youth development.
County 4-H members and their families filled the Chicopee Woods Agricultural Center for the event that honored club members as well as some 50 volunteers.
"We’re so fortunate here," Tilford said of the county club’s volunteer base.
As with any celebrity event, the club’s Senior County Council, made up of high school club members, walked the "green carpet" as pseudo-celebrities like "Polly Darton" told a Ryan Seacrest-esque interviewer about how their experiences in 4-H helped further their careers.
"I remember whenever I was in 4-H, one of my favorite things to do was poultry judging; it helped me a lot to decide what the best contestants were and helped me to decide what I liked or disliked about certain contestants," a Simon Cowell doppelganger said.
The light-hearted nature of the awards ceremony helps club members get excited about their projects in the upcoming year while thanking volunteers, participants and their families for their efforts in the previous year’s project achievement, Tilford said.
"It’s just a fun way for us to get together and have a great night and say thank you to the families, especially."
The event also helps the club recruit younger members, said Jenny Sheppard, vice president of Hall County Senior County Council."It’s great fun to introduce 4-H to younger kids so they can come up and grow up in 4-H," Sheppard said.
The mission of 4-H is to assist youth in learning, developing life skills and forming attitudes that will enable them to become contributing members of society through "hands on" learning experiences, according to the Hall County 4-H Web site.
Participating in the club’s annual District Project Achievement helps students hone public speaking and portfolio writing skills as well as build confidence for future endeavors, Tilford said.
The service club is not just about agriculture, said Corey O’Quinn, president of the Hall County Senior County Council.
"People ... still don’t realize what 4-H is now," O’Quinn said. "It’s not as much agriculture as it used to be."