Port O’Connor’s Intercoastal 4H Club
From row: Andria Munsch, Rylie Ragusin, Elanah Sanchez, McKenna Guevara Middle row: Orion Ragusin, Nicholas Ragusin, Brooklyn Redmond, Braeden Ragusin, Christopher Richter, John Rosenboom Back Row: Justin Munsch, Chloe Ragusin, Maddie Hawes, Carly Rosenboom, Hannah Hernandez, Elizabeth Carey, Tarah Munsch, Shelby Rodgers, Thomas Hawes Not pictured: Dalton Alford, Kyle Doggett, Sarah Doggett, Antonio Gloria, Andrew Ragusin, Trevon Ragusin, Robyn Stringo
photo by L. Ragusin

4H was founded between 1890-1900 to help teachers meet the need for curriculum to teach farming and homesteading skills to students. Through the years 4H has developed beyond just the basic skills. Some of the activities we do in 4H today are raising animals for the livestock show and auction, photography, skeet shooting, cooking/food challenges, sewing / fashion show, archery, livestock judging, serving as an officer and volunteer work.
The Intercoastal 4H club has 26 members. Not everyone raises an animal to take to ‘The Show’. Sewing and the Fashion Show are favorites among the girls in the club. Justin Munsch is a member of our club and also the local FFA (Future Farmers of America) club, which is something you can choose to do when you reach high school. Justin is one of our oldest members, and he is very busy participating in these prestigious activities. We enjoy getting together with our 4H members to do these activities and community service work.

We often give back to the community through volunteer work such as baking cookies for the elderly in the community, helping with FBC Easter egg hunt (set out & clean up), arranging flowers at the cemetery, cleaning up at the beach, assisting elderly with yard work, serving at the annual Sweetheart Banquet and helping put flags out at the cemetery for our veterans on Veteran’s Day.

This year several 4H students competed in the Calhoun County Fair held in October at the fairgrounds. Riley Ragusin had Grand Champion Roaster. Andrew Ragusin had Grand Champion Turkey. Turkeys take around 160 days to raise, where a roaster only takes around 75 days. We had members who raised a goat as well, and that takes 180 days or so. Raising an animal to show is a big commitment, but our members do a great job. Why do I raise fair animals you may ask? First, I hope to earn college money, and second, I gain the knowledge and experience of raising a bird. It is a project I can do each year if I want to. It is a great way to measure my success with the project. I learn the responsibility of caring for and respecting animals.

I am doing a year-long project to try and get more community support for our local 4H club. I will also be doing a few woodworking projects, and will most likely get into shooting sports this year. I will be doing some reporting on 4H activities for the paper, so look for more news and information from the Intercoastal 4H Club here in The Dolphin Talk. You may also visit our Facebook page (Intercoastal POC 4H Club).

Rylie Ragusin
Grand Champion Roaster & Best of Show at Calhoun County Fair

Louis Ragusin
Grand Champion Turkey
at Calhoun County Fair