This is Behind the Clover, Real 4-H Talk with Real 4-H Pros, a look at 4-H from the perspectives of 4-H professionals from Illinois and beyond with your host, Henry Craft, Amy Henschen and me, Ryan Littlejohn.
Henry Craft: 00:38Welcome to another episode of Behind the Clover, real 4-H h talk with real 4-H pros. I'm Henry, and I'm here with my cohosts Ryan and Amy. We're back for more enlightening and fun conversations with Illinois 4-H staff. Today, we're shifting gears a bit and talking about transitions with our good friend, Andrea Farrier, an educator and former EPC in unit five. You're in for a treat today, folks, because Andrea brings all the energy and fun wherever she goes.
Henry Craft: 01:03This girl has got woo, and I mean that quite literally. Her top Clifton strength is woo. We'll introduce you to her more in an in-depth in a bit, but you'll get a taste of that woo in our spitball round, we'll kick off right now. Alright, folks. As usual, what's going on in your lives right now?
Henry Craft: 01:20And I think first on the list is Ryan. What's up, man?
Ryan Littlejohn: 01:25It is a hundred degrees here in Southern Illinois, and I am miserable. K? I like it to be cold, and it's just not fun. I don't care for it at all. And I'm two weeks before my fair, So I hope the weather changes or I'm gonna be miserable during fair.
Ryan Littlejohn: 01:45But other than that, it's nothing but a bunch of programming, getting fair things ready. I've been doing a cooking workshop with kids, kind of like a middle school Food Challenge, and that was a lot of fun. We had some interesting food combinations. One girl really wanted to use tofu, which I didn't buy any of, so I went and bought some. And she couldn't cook it like her dad.
Ryan Littlejohn: 02:10So she threw it away. She didn't like it. But I was like, well, we could have tried it. But other than that, just ready for fair, ready for it to be over. I've loved fair.
Ryan Littlejohn: 02:20Don't get me wrong, but I'm ready for fair to be over.
Amy Henschen: 02:23Okay. So I have a question being a Northern Illinois person. Do you just in Southern Illinois, just assume it's gonna be a million degrees during your fair and like schedule your livestock shows really early in the day or really late in the day? Or do you kinda adjust on the fly?
Ryan Littlejohn: 02:39I mean, I've been very lucky. I've had two really great fairs. They've been 80 degrees, both fairs the last two years. So, like, I just kinda keep my same schedule, but you have to know that it can change where it's gonna be a hundred degrees. So you're gonna have to water down animals, make sure you take more time.
Ryan Littlejohn: 03:00We'll we'll definitely draw our shows out to give kids time to cool off and the animals, especially hog shows. But, like, we try to schedule the animals that are the most sensitive in the morning just to keep it that way. Another big thing we always have to deal with is rain. It'll rain and it'll rain and it'll rain rain And then you're like standing in mud up to your knees it feels like.
Andrea Farrier: 03:23I'm not gonna wait to be introduced yet. I'm gonna cut in here. We had tornadoes last year. I don't know about you, but we always have terrible weather when it's it's fair week. It's raining, raining all the time.
Andrea Farrier: 03:40It's either hot and awful or raining and tornadoes. I don't understand.
Ryan Littlejohn: 03:48Knock on wood, I've never had a tornado and I don't want to deal with that during fair, but like I'll take the six inches of rain you seem to get fair week and stand in the mud over that. So I won't complain too bad, But I know I'm due for a horrible fair week with weather because I've been very lucky to have two nice ones.
Amy Henschen: 04:10Well, I am completely ignoring things that I really should be working on and instead working on three resource guides for three new projects we're starting for the 2024, '25 for each year. I'm really excited to work on them. It's like been just positive vibes and energy, and I've been getting, like, that flow state working on them, which means I don't wanna work on anything else because I'm like, I'm in the zone. This is I'm like rocking and rolling and feeling good about what I'm doing. I have a great committee that helped me come up with resources for our costume design and clothing embellishment projects.
Amy Henschen: 04:45And it's just been really fun to put the resources together. And I'm really excited about the format and some of the stuff we're putting together. We got some workbooks for the clothing projects that I think are gonna be really helpful to the kids. But it's a lot. Like, we're trying to pull together resource lists, stuff for parents or guardians who are helping, the score sheets, the exhibit requirements.
Amy Henschen: 05:05So it's a lot to get done, but it's been really fun. And I really need to wrap it up and get back to some other stuff. But instead, I'm just gonna go on vacation, and it's gonna be great, going up north to hopefully escape some of this heat. So I'm excited about that later in the week. So that's it for me.
Amy Henschen: 05:22Henry, what do you got going on?
Henry Craft: 05:24I am just coming back from a week of vacation and I loved it. Yeah. It's I'm trying to check my brain back into functioning. I was blissfully checked out for the past week, so that was awesome. But like Ryan, it is a thousand degrees here, but it is one of my favorite seasons.
Henry Craft: 05:47So it is black raspberry season. Okay? Yes. Alright. Thumbs down that.
Henry Craft: 05:54No. You can't because black raspberries are amazeballs. Alright. So we have our own plants that we started from small little cuttings and my wife, she is she does a lot of the picking of the black raspberries. I do assist when I can, but I'm a terrible picker.
Henry Craft: 06:15I'm very noncommittal. But she also tries to give them away, which I suppose is the picker is her prerogative. Your face, Amy, was absolutely correct. No. You don't give away my my gems, purple gems.
Henry Craft: 06:29They're amazing. Andrea, I hope you're not saying that you don't like them because we might not be able to be friends anymore. Her face just says no. But, yeah, it's my favorite. We we have our own berry selection.
Henry Craft: 06:43We've got black raspberries. We've got red raspberries. We've got black berries. We've got it all around here and it is my favorite season. I love to have a a nice black raspberry pie.
Henry Craft: 06:57Ah, it's my fave. And, so that's that's a lot of the big stuff been going on with me, vacation and enjoying the harvest from my property. So Andrea, what you got? Oh, wait.
Amy Henschen: 07:14Hold up I just gotta chime in. Like black raspberries, I am so excited to find another connoisseur of the black raspberry. It is my favorite berry followed by boysenberry. And it's magic, and its bounty is native to here or at least native to us now. And it's magical, and you find it in unexpected places.
Amy Henschen: 07:33And it makes this, like, three week stretch just exceptionally wonderful. And my family is obsessed with black raspberries. We scout out where they are in public locations so we can pick all the bounty. And I am anti: the only people you share with is other people who have helped you pick them. That is the only people who get to benefit.
Amy Henschen: 07:51And this was like, I would can them. I would make jam. I would make pies. This was like my jam in 4-H literally and figuratively.
Amy Henschen: 08:01And I'm so excited that you said that. My sister has been picking and sending me pictures of her haul every morning. I love it. But Andrea, what's up with you? Are you not a fan?
Andrea Farrier: 08:11Okay. Well, here's the thing. I'm just not necessarily like, berries in general really aren't my jam. It's not my favorite. I know.
Andrea Farrier: 08:24I feel like I would be up for a berry tasting, if you will. Like, I would be up to sit and and have a spread and go for some tastings and and decide, if my palate has changed now that I'm older, but they're just not and if they're still furry like regular raspberries or, you know, like the things on them. I just it is not my thing.
Ryan Littlejohn: 09:00I I have to jump in on this one because we just moved into a new house, and I discovered black raspberries for the first time cause I had never heard of them until I came here to Illinois and we moved into this house. I don't care for them. I just don't like the taste of them. But I've got blueberries right now in my blueberry bush. So I've been picking blueberries and letting the birds eat the black raspberries and I'll get to the blackberries.
Ryan Littlejohn: 09:24I agree. I don't care for them.
Andrea Farrier: 09:26I like strawberries and blueberries, but it's like, I'm gonna pick other fruits over berries in general. But, like, what do what what does a black raspberry taste like? Define, like, define the taste for me. Tell me what I'm tell me what I'm tasting. Describe the flavor.
Andrea Farrier: 09:47Heaven. Okay.
Henry Craft: 09:50Alright. So, I mean, if I have to be a salesperson for the black raspberry, should not be a Okay. So it's, I mean, it's full of antioxidants, anything that has a deep purple hue like that, very good for you. And honestly, Ryan, I think you're not picking them correctly or you don't have the right kind. If you have wild black raspberries, they might not be as refined as one that you might plant from a grafting or something like that.
Henry Craft: 10:20Also, they are prolific, which could be a positive. It could be a con. I'm just saying. I let my they they spread, but they're they're technically a bramble, so they will spread intensely. And so I actually planted them in my windrow and let them kind of go in my yard and that was a mistake because now we've got I mean, it's a mistake that it's filled my yard.
Henry Craft: 10:51It's not a mistake that it's filled my freezer and my tummy. So we've got, like, three gallons of black raspberries. Now one drawback because I believe in representing both sides is the seeds are copious. There's a copious amount of seeds and they do get in your teeth sometimes, but that's kinda like a favorite pastime of mine in the summer is just trying to get the seeds out of my teeth after I've eaten black raspberries. But what do they taste like?
Henry Craft: 11:20They taste like I don't I mean the best jam ever. You get them that deep red color, not any sort of of red or pink on them, that deep black, deep purple, and they are like heaven. I don't know that I could explain them in any other way. Amy, what I mean, you're a...
Amy Henschen: 11:41I I think they have they have a more sweetness than a raspberry. Just a tiny hint of tart. Like, a raspberry has more tart. These just have a hint of tart and then just lead with sweetness, and they just kinda melt in your mouth.
Amy Henschen: 11:53They're less durable than, like, the berries you buy at the store. So, like, you have to be gentle with them when you pick them. And, like, if you don't if you stack too many in your bucket, they'll kind of mush down. But they're just so light and delicious, and they just melt on your tongue, and they do make the best jam. I'm with you, Henry.
Andrea Farrier: 12:11So I'm hearing they make a great wine.
Henry Craft: 12:15Actually that's one of our favorite wines by St. James not a sponsor. They're awesome. It's a black blackberry technically wine but it's same flavoring. They aren't thornless, though.
Henry Craft: 12:28I will give that side of it too. They they you gotta wear the long sleeves and the jeans to pick them. You gotta commit. You gotta commit for the black raspberry, but I think you're missing out if you don't if you haven't tried them in the last decade, do so.
Amy Henschen: 12:46So, Andrea, if you're not picking black raspberries, what are you doing? What's going on in your life right now?
Andrea Farrier: 12:52Well, lots of things. So we have lots of programming going on in Unit 5. We are, partnering with the YMCA and with tons of libraries. So we are really excited for those things going on. We are gearing up for fair three fairs back to back, so I can't wait for those, which again, as I mentioned to Ryan and all of you, I'm sure will be clouded with some heavy rain and many storms, but beautiful smiles and exciting, exciting children as they, you know, encounter some wonderful progress and achievements.
Andrea Farrier: 13:35And then, you know, on my personal side, we've got a lot of progress going on with my kiddo. We are doing some evaluative services for my kiddo, so we're just making our way through there before school starts.
Ryan Littlejohn: 13:52Can you believe that school starts in, like, two months?
Andrea Farrier: 13:56In less than two months.
Ryan Littlejohn: 13:58Less than two months for you? Okay.
Andrea Farrier: 13:59Less than two months for us. Wow. Of today, less than two months.
Henry Craft: 14:05Why would you say that? I want I just I want Summer to stay. I will say, Andrea, I did take a page out of your book and hooked up with some YMCA folks. So we're gonna do some outdoorsy program with a state park that are hosting kiddos every week. So I was like, I have to credit Andrea for that idea.
Andrea Farrier: 14:30They a great group of boisterous children that you will have a great time with. You will not be bored for sure.
Henry Craft: 14:43Actually, that reminds me. That was another part of my my update was we went to New Salem. Has anybody heard of New Salem before? It's a reenactment village. Abe Lincoln's pretty famous there.
Henry Craft: 14:54It's that the YMCA kids reminded me because we were there on my vacation going through the New Salem deal, and there was a bunch of YMCA kids there. And I was like, yes. This is gonna be my life here really quick. So they were fun, but, yeah, New Salem, in case you haven't ever been there. Super fun place.
Amy Henschen: 15:13I love me all that historic, you know, living history kind of places with the blacksmiths and the weavers and the bakers. It's super fun. I think we might check out one of those in Minneapolis this week. I'm excited about it. So I wanna talk about boisterous children, and I wanna know if y'all were boisterous children.
Amy Henschen: 15:33So our roundtable topic today, it's a have you like, a never have I ever. I wanna know never have I ever. Have you guys been in detention? And if yes, what's the story behind that detention? Were you a kid who was in detention?
Amy Henschen: 15:49So I don't know who wants to start. I'm curious.
Henry Craft: 15:55Go ahead, Andrea. You start.
Andrea Farrier: 15:57I was not in detention. I was certainly not. I was a rule follower and definitely terrified of getting in trouble. I never wanted to get in trouble. Mm-mm.
Amy Henschen: 16:12So not once. I'm impressed.
Andrea Farrier: 16:16No. Not once.
Henry Craft: 16:18You never got in trouble, Andrea?
Andrea Farrier: 16:20No. What? I mean, no. I can't remember a single time that I ever had detention.
Henry Craft: 16:30Are you just being smarter than Ryan ever is in on this podcast where he incriminates himself always? You're like, plausible deniability.
Andrea Farrier: 16:40Nope and I've never had I've never had a speeding ticket either. I've never had a ticket.
Ryan Littlejohn: 16:46Yeah. I haven't either. I got out of those by saying my dad was a cop.
Henry Craft: 16:49Touche. Me too, bro. Me too.
Andrea Farrier: 16:52No. I've only been pulled over one time in my life, and I was going seven and I got a written warning for that. I was going 73 in a 70, and I got a written warning. Yeah. I'm not...
Ryan Littlejohn: 17:07That's a cheap shot.
Andrea Farrier: 17:09One hundred percent. I was I was furious.
Ryan Littlejohn: 17:14I'm gonna go. And because I'm the complete opposite of you. You probably wouldn't have got I'm such a sweet person that you would have never guessed that I was a little hellion as a kid. But the two stories I would like to share are not appropriate for me to share why I have detention. So I'm going to go with my very first detention, which was in kindergarten and I kicked a rock and nailed an eighth grade girl right in the forehead and cut her head open.
Amy Henschen: 17:42I mean, you weren't aiming for her head.
Ryan Littlejohn: 17:45Oh, I'd most definitely was.
Amy Henschen: 17:47Oh my gosh.
Henry Craft: 17:50They grow them different in Kansas, bro.
Amy Henschen: 17:52This is the story he chose to share.
Henry Craft: 17:56I don't want to know the other two. That's a campfire story I think is what that means.
Andrea Farrier: 18:02100%. What are the other ones?
Amy Henschen: 18:03You were young and your prefrontal cortex was not yet developed. You had room to grow.
Ryan Littlejohn: 18:08It still isn't.
Henry Craft: 18:10Remember it's turning back on Ryan. That's what that means.
Amy Henschen: 18:16See, I was, I like, like Andrea, like I was a goody two shoes and I didn't want to get in trouble, but I also was like an incessant know it all and, like, very much when I was right, I was right, if that makes sense. So I know I was in detention at least once for maybe giving the teacher some attitude. Also, if there's church detention for, like, church class, I definitely was in detention at that because I definitely gave those people some attitude as well, and did the whole just because other people are doing something, does that mean that I should do it too? And they were mad. So, yeah, I was that kid who was like, I'm gonna be a smart aleck.
Amy Henschen: 18:57So I wasn't getting in trouble by kicking rocks or anything, but my mouth got got away from itself sometimes.
Andrea Farrier: 19:03You just have a strong sense of injustice.
Amy Henschen: 19:07Yes. We'll go with that for sure.
Henry Craft: 19:10Well, I guess I'll incriminate myself now because I was like Ryan quite the hellion. I was on a string there in grade school a while. I think for similar reasons as Amy, I don't think anybody could have guessed it, but I would run my mouth and was high on the the verbal scale. I can I could exchange with anyone of any age because I was the oldest child by a few years? I had older cousins.
Henry Craft: 19:44It was I mean, so that we had older conversations, and my teachers didn't like it. Actually, this is funny, when I was in second grade you wanna talk about trauma? Speak out on my trauma here. Second grade, I asked so many questions that my second grade teacher, which she's probably retired by now, but we'll leave her anonymous, and she gave me three bingo chips. I was only allowed to ask those three bingo chips worth of questions in a day.
Henry Craft: 20:16Like, I must have been extreme for a teacher to go to that length. And she wasn't like an old old crotchety teacher either. She was like a middle aged lady, and she just had no time for it. And that was including my request to go to the restroom. So that was that was intense.
Henry Craft: 20:36Anyway, so but my detention story, I was in seventh grade English class and me, I think we might have had a substitute that day, I can't recall but Mrs. Neuschwander's class and we were spitting wads like classic in a movie at each other And by god, if I did not get a detention for that. And I was like, we cleaned it up. What's the problem? They're just spitballs.
Henry Craft: 21:06It's not an issue. She did not agree with that. And, yeah, that was the last time I got detention, though, but not the last time I was misbehaved. Just saying.
Andrea Farrier: 21:20I will say I did get spanked by my kindergarten teacher, though.
Henry Craft: 21:26Andrea, are we not the similar age? Like, I feel like that was out by the time we were in school.
Ryan Littlejohn: 21:33You both are old. You guys got definitely got spanked.
Henry Craft: 21:36Okay. Okay. I never got spanked. I'm just saying. And I think they wish they could have.
Andrea Farrier: 21:44I mean, I definitely got spanked in kindergarten.
Amy Henschen: 21:47I mean, I had to do the eraser clap for the nuns, you know, like go take the dusty racers outside and clap them together as punishment. And I think she might've hit my hand. That ruler in the hand might've been a thing. I did go to Catholic school for three, four years, before I switched to public, but, like, there was definitely no, spanking involved.
Ryan Littlejohn: 22:06I went to a Catholic school my entire schooling career and I was in middle school and I got slapped by a nun with a meter stick. Not very hard, but she definitely, she definitely got my hand a good few times. And then like and Henry, I just have to say, I'm not surprised we're the two hellions out of the group because, you know, we're cop kids. And who are the kids that are always troublemakers? Cop kids and pastor kids.
Henry Craft: 22:32Yep. Exactly. That's true. I don't know. They always told us that growing up.
Andrea Farrier: 22:36Although I'm pretty sure by all of your reaction, you all thought that I was gonna be a hellion.
Henry Craft: 22:42Girl, I was surprised. I'm not gonna lie. I was surprised. I'm not gonna lie. Well, I think it's because cop kids, you can't get by with stuff.
Henry Craft: 22:53Right? I think that's what it is. And then you get out into the world and you're like, let me stretch my hellion legs and see where I can get to. Much like Catholic school kids. So, man, double whammy over there on Ryan and Amy.
Henry Craft: 23:06I didn't know that. That's cool.
Andrea Farrier: 23:08I came from a big family. There's, like, one of seven of us. I'm one of seven. So they're that that right there, there was no getting away with anything. So You had to do a
Henry Craft: 23:21lot of rats, didn't you?
Andrea Farrier: 23:23Yeah. There was like, you're you either toe the line or you're in trouble. Like, I remember specifically one time me and my younger sister were arguing and fighting all the time. And we kept calling my mom at work because what do you do? You call mom.
Andrea Farrier: 23:41You don't you certainly never call dad. You never call dad. And so we kept calling mom and tattling on the other. Well, then mom told dad, and she had had it. And dad comes home that night, and he, like, pushes the kitchen table out of the way, and he, like, throws his two pairs of welding gloves at on, like, the kitchen table and says, each one of you get a pair pair of welding gloves, and this is your time.
Andrea Farrier: 24:17You wanna you wanna keep fighting? You wanna keep arguing? This is your time. We're gonna settle this once and for all. The the winner the winner is gonna get declared, and, the loser's gonna get..and the winner..
Henry Craft: 24:36That's hard horror bro. You didn't plan on that when you called mom, did you?
Andrea Farrier: 24:39Oh, we certainly did not. And me and my sister just were, like, standing in the kitchen: Waaaaaah!
Henry Craft: 24:46Did you actually fight club that thing or not? Because...
Andrea Farrier: 24:50No. Absolutely not. We just cried and said, we'll never do it again. Again, we we are not bad children. We certainly did not wanna get in trouble.
Andrea Farrier: 25:00So we were just like, aahhhh we're never doing this again. We promise. We'll never call her. So then we just did it amongst ourselves.
Henry Craft: 25:11Well I appreciate that throwback, though. That was awesome. I love that we got to remind ourselves of the good news.
Andrea Farrier: 25:18Youth development. Positive youth development.
Henry Craft: 25:20Yeah. Things we can't get by with today.
Ryan Littlejohn: 25:27So as you know, we have our friend Andrea Farrier here with us today, and she's from Mendota, Illinois, home of the Mendota Sweet Corn Festival, or affectionately called WGLC, World's Greatest Little City. She is the 4-H youth development educator for DuPage, Kendall, and Kane Counties up in Western Suburbs of Chicago. She previously served as the 4-H coordinator in both DuPage and Kane Counties, and in Extension as the ag horticulture and natural resources EPC at a small county extension office in Iowa. She's been working for Illinois for almost five years, but her Illinois 4-H involvement goes way back to when she started watching her older brothers and sisters engage in 4-H when she was a little one. Growing up,
Ryan Littlejohn: 26:13she was a member of the Mendota Agri Kids 4-H Club in LaSalle County. She is now a 4-H mom in the same county where she was a member. Welcome, Andrea.
Andrea Farrier: 26:22Hey, y'all. I'm so excited to be here.
Henry Craft: 26:28And we are excited to have you. So we appreciate the enthusiasm for sure. Alright. So Andrea, tell us tell us a little bit you know, we got your intro about AgriKids 4-H club, but tell us a little bit more about yourself and how you got your start in 4-H ?
Andrea Farrier: 26:50Well, yeah. So that started as Ryan mentioned, I grew up on a small little hobby farm. All of my older brothers and sisters, as I mentioned, I'm one of seven. So my older brothers and sisters showed some livestock here and there as we grew up, and I was showing from a young age and that's something that I really enjoyed. It was kind of my thing.
Andrea Farrier: 27:18And soon it turned into me and my dad, every summer. That was what we did. And we had a small club lamb flock, and I would dabble in hogs a couple summers or rabbits a couple summers, but it was really club lambs that I really, really enjoyed. So, you know, started in 4-H and loved my time in 4-H . Once I got to high school, really flourished in FFA, and band and choir kid as well.
Andrea Farrier: 27:53So when it came time to decide on what path I wanted to take, it was really difficult for me. But I had a brand new ag advisor and teacher my senior year, and he really made an impact on me. And so I went to the ag teacher route. And when I went to Iowa State and followed that path in ag education, I kinda decided the classroom necessarily wasn't for me, so I dropped the teacher certification portion. I majored in ag studies, and from there I was involved in careers with Farm Bureau, other types of non formal education, and found extension in Iowa and Illinois.
Andrea Farrier: 28:46And I'm so grateful that I did because I am back here with Illinois 4-H .
Henry Craft: 28:56Alright, Andrea. We are glad you're here too. I have a couple questions for you, though. Because for us non sheep literate people, okay, that's what I'm gonna call myself right now, can you define for me what exactly is a club lamb?
Andrea Farrier: 29:14Yes. So if you know what a steer is, so a castrated male. Right? So it's a castrated male sheep, and this is just the show version for, a this is just the show version. Yeah.
Henry Craft: 29:35Okay. I'm gonna have to just say that one out loud. Ryan totally wrote in the chat, a lamb that goes clubbing. And this is what we do behind the scenes, folks. I just want you to know because we are full of shenanigans and that's what all the laughing was.
Henry Craft: 29:50Alright. So cool. Alright. So I didn't realize, is that still a category? I mean, that's a standard category in most fairs is club lambs.
Andrea Farrier: 29:58Yeah weathers, club lambs that's what they're yeah market weathers, club lambs, that's - the terms are interchangeable.
Henry Craft: 30:07Alright so to my second question and we're all band nerds here so oh sorry I forgot not to exclude. Some of us are band nerds Ryan and I so we gotta know , we could we could take a round of guessing. That's my favorite when I get to guess what people's instruments were. Yeah. Mhmm.
Henry Craft: 30:33Ryan, do you wanna guess?
Ryan Littlejohn: 30:35She was a flute or clarinet player. And the only reason I say that is because she was one she like, we learned about her. She wanted to follow the rules. And usually the flute and clarinet people are like, I'm gonna follow the rule. I'm gonna do it the right way type people.
Henry Craft: 30:50Yeah. You just influenced me. Definitely a flautist.
Andrea Farrier: 30:54Oh, okay. So I will say that I was a clarinet player first, first. And then in middle school, I became a tuba player. And then in high school, I became an all state bassoon player.
Ryan Littlejohn: 31:16Shut up. Really? You really went around the block there.
Andrea Farrier: 31:22And I also know how to play the saxophone.
Henry Craft: 31:25Oh, bassoon makes so much sense though. Those double reeds have a very offshoot from the flautists. Let's be honest. They've got, they're very... I'm gonna say this and you're gonna, no, you're gonna be really mad. I'm gonna say it anyway.
Henry Craft: 31:44Very much like, you know like the teacher from Magic School Bus?
Amy Henschen: 31:49Yeah. Miss Frizzle, the best teacher of all time.
Henry Craft: 31:53Yes. They've got a Miss Frizzle vibe. I'm not gonna lie. It's like, kind of like I've had, I went to college. Ryan and I both were in music in college. And I'm telling you, the double reed professor was very much Miss Frizzle.
Henry Craft: 32:08And that's what I get out of a lot of double reads, just saying.
Andrea Farrier: 32:12I mean, do I give off a Miss Frizzle vibe?
Amy Henschen: 32:16I mean, she's fun and high energy, so there's that.
Andrea Farrier: 32:21I mean, I'm I would love to give off a Miss Frizzle vibe. I don't know if I technically do, but I love that comparison. So thank you. I take that as a compliment.
Henry Craft: 32:31It was a compliment. I just know people can take it different ways. I'm just saying. Ryan's dying over there. It's it's it's band stereotypes, folks.
Henry Craft: 32:41It's a fun it's a fun land we get to live in. I'm sorry I derailed us, though. I'm sorry.
Andrea Farrier: 32:46That's okay. My daughter plays the violin, and she's gonna start the baritone.
Henry Craft: 32:52I was a trombonist, so that that explains a lot, my sassy and goof offness.
Andrea Farrier: 33:01It's the back row. Back row player.
Henry Craft: 33:03You played the tuba, though. Holding it down, man. That's fun.
Ryan Littlejohn: 33:07I was brass. I started on trumpet, then went to baritone, then went to tuba, then went to French horn, then went to trombone, and then ended back on tuba in college. So, yeah, I was all brass. Loved it. Every single moment of it.
Ryan Littlejohn: 33:24I was a back back row hellion.
Henry Craft: 33:26We could get by with a lot. Anyway, awesome. Well, that's cool. I'm glad we have some that's some fun solidarity there with our our band. You should jump all over the place, though.
Henry Craft: 33:38You went from woodwinds to brass. So you just vacationed into the brass section, basically.
Andrea Farrier: 33:44I, I'll pat myself on the back a little bit. I'm pretty musically talented.
Henry Craft: 33:50She says humbly.
Amy Henschen: 33:53Hey. It's rubbed off on her daughter. She's also very good. Minus the fact that she cannot get a flute to make noise, which was tragically upsetting for her when trying to pick an instrument.
Andrea Farrier: 34:04The only the only instrument she wanted to play and the only instrument she could not get to make a single sound.
Henry Craft: 34:12Dang it. Well, props to her for being persistent.
Amy Henschen: 34:15It's a learning opportunity. We all got we all have those things that we just aren't gonna be the thing, our dream, and then we'll find something new. So that's exciting. So, Andrea, we wanna ask, what do you do in your free time? This is something we try to ask all our guests, like, either to decompress from your job or just for fun.
Amy Henschen: 34:34What do you look forward to outside of work?
Andrea Farrier: 34:38I love to read, and I love to plan vacations. I love to plan vacations, whether they're my vacations, whether they're your vacations, whether they're vacations that I'm never gonna go on, I love to plan vacations. And it's just a fun time. And then I feel like I probably love to sign my child up for every activity she possibly can be in because I must love being a chauffeur. That's I'm pretty certain of that.
Andrea Farrier: 35:12I'm in some some world that must be some deep dark secret of mine.
Amy Henschen: 35:21Well, do you have any fun vacations on the docket? That's the question. Like, either real or imagined.
Andrea Farrier: 35:28Yes. I am taking my daughter and one of her friends to Disney in December. We're gonna go over over New Year's. And then my family and I are going to on a Caribbean cruise in January of twenty twenty six. So we've got, you know, two planned in the next.
Andrea Farrier: 35:52And then this weekend, I'm going to Saint Louis. So not really a huge vacation, but a little mini getaway.
Ryan Littlejohn: 36:00K. So you mentioned Disney. So we hear in the rumor mills that you're a Disney adult. So what's your favorite Disney ride or attraction since you're gonna go to Disney?
Andrea Farrier: 36:12Favorite Disney ride, hands down, is Peter Pan. Peter Pan's Flight. Like, hands down. Amy, don't give me that look. Like, don't.
Andrea Farrier: 36:24Hands down, Peter Pan's flight. I don't why are you giving me this look?
Amy Henschen: 36:28I'm giving her a look because guys, I'm also a Disney adult, and we talk about Disney on a regular basis. And this has never come up before. I thought maybe you were gonna say Avatar based on you, like, telling me that was gonna be amazing when I went to ride that. Or I don't know, some other classic at Magic Kingdom, but I wouldn't have picked Peter Pan.
Amy Henschen: 36:48I I mean, great ride. Classic. But I don't I'm surprised it's anyone's favorite. I'm I'm intrigued.
Andrea Farrier: 36:54It's important. I think it's something that everyone must ride before leaving the park. I think it's a classic. I think it's... a Space Mountain is a good one in Magic Kingdom. I also think Slinky Dog Dash is a great one.
Andrea Farrier: 37:12I mean, that that's a pretty good one. Living with the Land, for those of you that don't know, I also, I turned down an opportunity to work at Disney once upon a time and I was going to work at Living with the Land. So that was one of, that was the place I was gonna work. And I turned that down. Womp womp.
Amy Henschen: 37:36Oh my god. Am learning so much. I can't believe you turned down working on a fourteen minute boat ride through really good theming and then greenhouses.
Andrea Farrier: 37:48It's I know. I know. This is why I would love a particular job in this Illinois 4-H system. Also, a great nostalgic ride that I love a great is the Great Movie Ride.
Ryan Littlejohn: 38:03I've never been to Disneyland or World. K. I love Disney, but I've never been. Like, we never, well, seven kids never like my parents. We never went there.
Ryan Littlejohn: 38:14We went to other parks, but we're going to Florida in September to go alligator hunting.
Andrea Farrier: 38:22We have to go.
Ryan Littlejohn: 38:24I might hire you to schedule me like a trip in Florida around this because we're gonna be around Orlando for our hunting trip. So like, I need your name of your travel agency so I can book you.
Amy Henschen: 38:41It's called Andrea Farrier Travel Agency.
Andrea Farrier: 38:45I used to be a travel agent.
Ryan Littlejohn: 38:48This is a great side gig. You know how many, like, Extension staff need a good vacation? Like
Andrea Farrier: 38:55I used to be a Disney travel agent, and then use and I used to, like, book for other cruise lines and things when I was a stay at home mom before I came in back into the working world. And I loved it. I loved every minute of it, but it does take some time. And like with our schedule, it just does not necessarily align. So that makes it difficult.
Henry Craft: 39:21I will say, I I absolutely love this podcast because I learn things about people that what the heck? You're blowing my face off. Like, you were a travel agent. Like, all this stuff. This is nuts.
Henry Craft: 39:34But I will have to say, I'm I'm there with Ryan. My kids have not been to Disney and I never went as a kid. I know. But I went on a
Henry Craft: 39:47band trip. I went on a band trip and by that time the magic was gone. The pixie dust floated around me. It didn't hahappen. I'm also cheap.
Ryan Littlejohn: 39:48trip. I
Henry Craft: 39:50went on one band trip, and by that point, the magic was was gone. The pixie dust just floated around me. It didn't happen. And so, I mean Henry. I'm also cheap.
Henry Craft: 40:04I'm real cheap.
Amy Henschen: 40:05Andrea and I are making pained faces this whole time just for the record.
Andrea Farrier: 40:10Yeah. For the record. I this is clearly a cry for an Illinois 4-H Extension Walt Disney World trip, and I'm going to make this happen.
Henry Craft: 40:24Can that not happen?
Amy Henschen: 40:26And then just to note, as the only person on this podcast who's been to both Land And World and Tokyo Disney Resort, I think Disneyland is the superior park. Just saying. Okay. But also how did you give no love to the two best classic attractions, the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of The Caribbean?
Andrea Farrier: 40:42Okay. She is a very I I knew as soon as I she was gonna be like, Haunted Mansion! Haunted Mansion! Okay. I get it.
Andrea Farrier: 40:52I truly understand. But I think that Haunted Mansion also has too much of a cult following. You can't tell me it doesn't. And therefore some of the magic has gone. And same with Pirates.
Andrea Farrier: 41:10Right? Like pirates has also dissipated, but I will give Johnny Depp a little credit since he does occasionally show up and per you know, like actively act.
Henry Craft: 41:28Controversial opinion here. I would probably do Universal. Harry Potter world. I'm not gonna lie. I'm a I'm a huge Harry Potter fan.
Henry Craft: 41:39It's really tough for people to hear that, but I would I'd probably go probably go Universal. Controversial?
Amy Henschen: 41:48I'm not gonna argue with you. I think as like, if you're going on a family trip, especially with kids under teenage years, I think Disney's the choice. Teenager or above or just an adult trip, I think a lot can be said for Universal. Like, older scaling rides, Harry Potter section is true magic, amazing roller coaster, themed to Jurassic Park. And they're building a whole new theme park that sounds amazing called Epic Universe that's gonna open next year.
Amy Henschen: 42:15That looks unbelievable.
Ryan Littlejohn: 42:17I think a 4-H trip to like just amusement parks in general, like learn about the history of them, like how they started, the scientific things that go into them, like sign me up as one of the chaperones because I would do that. I love roller coasters. I love anything that's adrenaline rushing.
Andrea Farrier: 42:38Well, Amy is the person to talk to since she has hit two forty roller coasters.
Amy Henschen: 42:45Two ninety nine, girl. I'm about to hit 300.
Andrea Farrier: 42:49Yeah. Two ninety nine.
Henry Craft: 42:51There's PD funds for that. Right?
Amy Henschen: 42:53Totally. Right? I mean, you gotta say, though, the thing about, I think, all these parks, they create a feeling. They create a universe. And isn't that what we do in 4-H ?
Amy Henschen: 43:03We create a feeling, a community, a place where you feel excited and safe and, you know, it's like you can explore and discover. So I think that there's something because I think a lot of people are like, you like nature. Why do you also like this fake thing? And I'm like, because there's some magic there and there's something. And I think a lot of that ties to my job.
Amy Henschen: 43:23And I know Disney does consulting for businesses because on those things of like creating those feelings and that loyalty. And I think that comes with that belonging and things that kind of tie to our work. I know that sounds crazy, but I believe that.
Ryan Littlejohn: 43:36I, you know, I never thought about it like that kind of how this is, you know, there's a purpose behind this and then you kind of tied it into like the 4-H side here. Like, I think that's a great way to look at it. Like you're creating this magical place in 4-H that kids are themselves. And I think even like adults sometimes realize that, you know, they see their kid thrive in a 4-H program and they're like, you know, this is a great thing for them. Well, it's just, I never would have seen it like that as a roller coaster.
Ryan Littlejohn: 44:11Like 4-H is, I mean, it is a roller coaster. You got really highs, you got really lows, you got some that you're just spiraling down all the way through. So
Henry Craft: 44:21Listen. I see lots of good ideas for Amy to research and make some PD experiences. But for the sake of time
Ryan Littlejohn: 44:30Focus Field
Henry Craft: 44:32Yeah. We're gonna need to do some four H experiential learning at any any park. Yeah.
Amy Henschen: 44:41Thanks for joining us on this episode of Behind the Clover. We'll hear more from Andrea Farrier in our next episode. See you then.