BROOKINGS, S.D. — 4-H Night with the Rapid City Rush brought more than 1,000 4-H members and supporters together Nov. 17, 2017.

The event was held at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Ice Arena where the Rapid City Rush battled the Idaho Steelheads. 4-H members and friends participated in a fan tunnel, a pre-game puck drop, created a post-game human clover on ice and a human roping contest where 4-H rodeo members had an opportunity to rope volunteers in soccer bubbles.

“This event was an opportunity to promote 4-H and build a sense of community across county and state lines,” said Matthew Olson, SDSU Extension 4-H Youth Program Advisor – Pennington County. “Many times we focus on the livestock shows, youth in action events or static exhibits in 4-H, and forget that 4-H is a community.”

Olson explains that a large part of community is a sense of belonging. “This 4-H night with the Rush helped to put in perspective the impact 4-H members can have,” he said. “Seeing 1,000 people in an arena that are passionate about 4-H from across South Dakota and Wyoming was extremely powerful. One third of the crowd was there for 4-H.”

More than a 1,000 tickets were sold to 4-H members and friends at the discounted rate of $15 per ticket.

With the level of success this year, 4-H families and supporters can expect to see this event again next year. If you’d like to volunteer to help organize the 2018 event, contact Olson at 605-394-2188 or matthew.r.olson@sdstate.edu.

More about South Dakota 4-H
SDSU Extension’s 4-H Youth Development Program is a partnership of federal (USDA), state (Land Grant University), and county resources through youth outreach activities of SDSU Extension. Youth learn and experience Leadership, Health and Wellness, Science and Ag-Vocacy through a network of professional staff and volunteers reaching more than 9,000 enrolled members with yearly programming efforts to an additional 35,000 youth participants.

— SDSU Extension

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