Local Faces, Countless Connections

Alexandra Lawson part of nationally recognized team
12/10/12
Story USEF Network, Photo - Michelle Lawson
2012 Hendricks County 10 Year 4-H member, Alexandra (Alex) Lawson is a graduate of Danville Community High school and a current Freshman at Purdue University. She received a gold medal as part of the U.S. Three-Gaited Section at the Saddle Seat World Cup. Read full story here...

Steve Patterson Receives IAFE Heritage award
12/3/2012
Story and Photo - The Republican Newspaper



Hendricks County Choral Club
9/27/12
Submitted by Barb Abshier
The Hendricks County Choral Club participated in the Plainfield Quaker Day Parade on Saturday, September 22nd. The women’s chorus rode on a wagon and sang some of their new songs including: "New York, New York," "Friendship," and "Dream A Little Dream." Their craft booth was located near the Quaker Meeting House.

Hendricks County Master Gardeners help plainfield correctional facility inmates with gardening project
8/29/12
Story and photo by Brenda L. Holmes, Hendricks County Flyer

 Read Story Here...

Hendricks County 4-H'er Wins Best in State
8/15/12
Submitted by Luann Heald
Hendricks County 4-H'er Natalie Heald of Plainfield was awarded Best in Show at the Indiana State Fair for her separates outfit in the sewing project. On Saturday August, 11 Natalie was congratulated and presented with a Janome New Home Sewing Machine as recognition of her prize outfit.

For her Sewing project she worked very hard cutting, sewing, fitting and refitting each piece. The top is a cream knit, cowl-neck pullover with three-quarter sleeves. And the lined straight skirt is a brown, black and cream wool plaid. The jacket is made of Shearling fabric in brown faux suede, backed in a wooly cream fleece and is double breasted with a large collar that folds open across the shoulders. She included top-stitched seams so that some of the fleece peeks through along the edges. She had to use tear away paper under and above the spongy layers as she stitched with a smooth Teflon sewing machine foot and a super sharp needle. Also, she learned to make "faced buttonholes". After finishing the jacket, she said working with knit fabric and matching the plaid wool seemed so easy! But, no, she is not taking orders to make more!

Natalie’s other 4-H projects for 2012 included Fine Arts, Sheep and Foods. She was excited to win Reserve Grand Champion at the Hendricks County 4-H Fair for her Sweet Cherry-Nut Braid Bread. She’s a member of the Lucky Clovers 4-H Club lead by Karen Hayden and Luann Heald. Outside of 4-H, Natalie can be found playing Clarinet in the Plainfield High School Marching Band and running track in the spring.

Natalie is the youngest daughter of James and Luann Ryan Heald and sister of Andrew and Morgan Heald. The family operates their grain farm in southwest Guilford Township and celebrated 100 years at Heald farms in 2011.

New Agriculture faculty go on the road in Indiana
Content from Purdue Agriculture In Focus
8/10/12
Sixteen new Agriculture faculty and staff joined Dean Jay Akridge and Associate Deans Marcos Fernandez, Chuck Hibberd and Karen Plaut for the 2012 New Faculty Tour on August 8 and 9. Each year we take our newer faculty members on a tour of a region of Indiana to become more familiar with its food, agriculture and natural resource systems. It is a great opportunity for our new faculty to connect with some of our alumni and stakeholders around the state and learn about the breadth of Indiana agriculture and agribusiness.

This year's tour covered Central Indiana, including a stop at the farm of Purdue Trustee and Agriculture alum John Hardin, of Danville Indiana, where the group posed beside one of his tractors.

Hendricks County 4-H'er Selected as Youth Staff Advistor for IN State Fair Youth Leadership Conference
Submitted by Alan Ader
8/6/12
Hendricks County 4-H’er Logan Carlton, graduate of Avon High School, was selected as a youth staff group advisor at the recently completed Indiana State Fair Youth Leadership Conference held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Each year, representatives from the current conference are selected by their  peers and adult staff to serve in positions as delegate coordinators and group advisors. These youth staff members will have the responsibility over the next year to plan and implement the next Indiana State Fair Youth Leadership Conference.

According to Conference Coordinator, Steve McKinley, “These young people will meet during the course of the coming year to identify a theme for the 2013 conference, select educational sessions, plan small group activities, and attend to other details that will enable the conference to be another outstanding event. We are going to place much responsibility on the shoulders of these individuals.”
Carlton is the son of Michael Carlton and Jennifer Ader. He is a 2012 graduate of Avon High School where he was a member of the varsity football team. As a ten year 4-H member his projects included aerospace/rocketry, photography and Junior Leaders. He is a member of the Explorers 4-H Club which is under the leadership of Roger Ader and Stephanie Cary. He plans to attend Ivy Tech Community College this fall.

This year 55 delegates attended the Indiana State Fair Youth Leadership Conference representing counties across the State of Indiana. During the conference delegates took part in activities on the State Fairgrounds, debated mock legislation in the Indiana State House Senate Chambers, participated in service opportunities at the State Fair, and prepared a meal for dignitaries from the Indiana State Fair. Delegates are now equipped to share the information they learned in their home communities. Additional information regarding the conference may be found at: http://www.four-h.purdue.edu/isfyl/. The Indiana State Fair Board and Purdue University Extension Service are the primary sponsors of this event.