The University of Illinois Extension’s 4-H Program hosted its highly anticipated annual Super Saturday event on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at the Stephenson Farm Bureau Office. This hands-on, three-hour event brought together over 60 youth, ages 5 to 18, for a day of exploration and creativity. Open to all area youth, regardless of 4-H membership, Super Saturday provided an exciting opportunity for kids to experience a wide range of 4-H project areas.
To kick off the morning, the event welcomed a special guest, Shelby Stone, the reigning National Petite Miss Agriculture USA. Shelby, a Stephenson County 4-H member, shared her inspiring story with attendees. Not only is Shelby royalty, but her roots in 4-H made her presentation even more meaningful. The youth were captivated as she spoke about her journey and her passion for agriculture.
Youth ages 8 to 18 participated in three interactive workshops, where they could select from various activities. This year’s workshops included Cooking, Scrapbooking, Leathercraft, Shooting Sports, Floral Arrangements, Building Peep Houses, Playing with Clay, and Painting Mini Barn Board Quilts.
Meanwhile, younger participants, ages 5 to 7, enjoyed a special 4-H Cloverbud Super Saturday event. These budding gardeners had the chance to learn about gardening while creating "People Flowerpots" by painting flowerpots and adding straw hats, making Window Gardens with bean seeds, and starting their own plants in peat pots. In a few weeks, these young gardeners can watch their seeds grow and take pride in their garden!
"Our Super Saturday event is a wonderful opportunity for youth to discover the fun and educational activities 4-H has to offer," said Jen Schultz, Stephenson County 4-H Program Coordinator. "It’s a morning filled with creativity, hands-on learning, and the chance to explore new interests that could inspire future projects.”
In addition to the support of 4-H volunteers and the 4-H Ambassadors (Stephenson County’s youth leadership team), several local organizations and businesses played a key role in making the event a success. Volunteers from the Stephenson County Association for Home & Community Education guided youth in building houses from cookies and candy to house Peep marshmallow treats. Stephenson County Master Gardeners led floral arrangement sessions, with flowers generously donated by Deininger Floral Shop in Freeport. Sunny Hill Craft Company provided materials and instruction for painting mini wooden barn board quilts.
The 4-H Super Saturday event was a morning full of excitement and hands-on learning that participants will remember for years to come. The strong community support and a wide variety of activities made it a fantastic way to introduce youth to the 4-H program and inspire their creativity and passion for learning.
For more information about 4-H and upcoming events, visit our website at: go.illinois.edu/jsw or call the Stephenson County Extension office at (815) 235-4125.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.