Iron County Extension kicks off summer events

By RICHARD JENKINS

rjenkins@yourdailyglobe.

Hurley - The Iron County University of Wisconsin-Extension office's summer events calendar begins today with the first day of its Trailblazers program.

In addition to the bike rides exploring the region, Youth Development Educator Neil Klemme, said the fifth through eighth grade trailblazers will also take several canoe trips.

"We've added a lot of canoeing into it this year, we want to get kids out doing more than just biking - (we want them to) canoe and hike too," Klemme said. "So they'll be biking to the Gile Flowage and canoeing there."

Trips are also planned to canoe near Mercer and Upson.

"Trailblazers is a lot of fun because, we're not only getting them outside biking and canoeing, we're getting them to see a lot of the really cool places they have in the area," said Emily Murphy, who is helping organize the Trailblazers program.

The program is, once again, also designed to prepare those participating in the Iron County Outpost Camp in July.

The Outpost Camp features several longer bike rides and canoe trips.

"We're encouraging everyone who signed up for outpost camp to sign up for at least three sessions of trailblazers so they can get their biking legs in shape," Klemme said. "There's also going to be a canoe trip at Outpost so we want them to learn to canoe as well."

In addition to Trailblazers, Klemme said there will also be a babysitter training planned to begin in mid-June.

Running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., June 19 through June 22, the class will teach would-be babysitters a range of skills - including CPR and being safe when home alone with younger kids.

New this year will be a shooting sports program, established in partnership with Gogebic County 4-H. Beginning June 13 and running every Tuesday through August, participants as young as eight will be able to learn to archery, as well as how to shoot air and .22 rifles.

"We're going to bring the archery equipment and Gogebic County is going to bring .22s and air rifles," Klemme said. "The kids can try archery for half of the session and then go do air rifles or .22 (for the other half)."

While the events will take place at the Superior Range Shooters Club, Klemme said there are plans to shuttle kids from the Iron County courthouse.

While Klemme hopes participants join 4-H, he said non-4-H members can try out the shooting evenings before joining.

July brings the office's annual 4-H summer camps, both the traditional camp from July 11 to 14 at North Lakeland Discover Center and Outpost Camp.

While the traditional camp - for students in grades three through five - is full, Outpost Camp still has space available.

This camp, meant for the older students in sixth through eighth grades, will run from July 18 to 21. The camp begins with a 17-mile bike ride to the campground, followed by a canoe trip to the Big Island in the Turtle Flambeau Flowage where they will camp the first night. The next morning, campers will return to the Lake of the Falls campground.

"The canoe trip is really fun because it's a new experience for a lot of the kids," Murphy said. "A lot of them have been camping, but they've never had to load up everything they need into canoes and go somewhere."

Featuring tent camping and campers making their own food, Outpost Camp is designed to push the campers outside their comfort zones and make them realize what they are capable of.

"(Outpost Camp) isn't really just a 'come out and mess around with your friends' kind of camp ... they're building confidence in themselves and their ability, they're learning about their own personal leadership style and how they work with other people," Klemme said. "The goal of it is to make our kids more confident and better leaders as they get older."

The extension office will also offer a pair of day camps, on July 25-28 and Aug. 8-11.

Held at the Kimball Community Center, Klemme said the camp will have a variety of activities for students in kindergarten through third grade.

"Those will be kind of like mini summer youth camps, where (kids) will come out and do arts-and-crafts, recreation, STEM activities, stuff like that," Klemme explained.

Elsewhere in the extension office, Community Natural Resource and Economic Development Educator Amy Nosal is preparing for the start of another year of the Hurley Garden to Market Club.

Targeted at fifth through eighth graders, but somewhat flexible on age, the club starts meeting on June 16. Once again, the members will grow produce in the Hurley K-12 School's garden and then sell what they grow at the Iron County Farmers Market. The club will also likely take a number of field trips in the region to see different farming methods.

The final major event for the summer for Iron County 4-H students is the Iron County Fair, which runs from Aug. 3-6.

More information on the various activities, as well as registration forms, can be found at the extension office's website - iron.uwex.edu.