Joomla Login LightBox powered by WowJoomla.com

Kearney Klovers offers endless opportunities through 4-H program

The Kearney Klovers 4-H group has been around since the 1970s, and while it’s changed names a few times, its dedication to educating the youth of America has never wavered.

“It’s been around for a long time,” Sue Jordan said. “We joined about five years ago and there was about 10 kids then, but about three or four years ago Klovers combined with a club from Lawson. And when that happened, a lot of horse people came, too.”

And with those horse people came Lisa Keefe, who is described as the local expert on horses and showmanship.

“Lisa Keefe brought a lot of attention and expertise,” Jordan said. “We went from 10 to about 25. She was instrumental in getting that going in Kearney and now she is the county expert.”

Today the Klovers are thriving and have an extensive horse following.

Cassidy Lawson, 10, is involved with the horsemanship group. She is preparing to show her horse next week at the Clay County 4-H Fair, and she said she really enjoyed the variety 4-H offered.

“There’s a lot of different things you can do in 4-H,” Lawson said. “When my mom told me about it, I wanted to get involved. I just like everything about it — making friends, spending time with my horse, learning new things — it’s really cool.”

Kristie Lawson, Cassidy’s mom, said she thought the club was more than just a bunch of youths with a common interest.

“The people that you meet in 4-H are amazing.” Kristie Lawson said. “You can’t find another group of people that are so incredibly helpful, outgoing and willing to do anything to help you be involved. It’s been great for both of my daughters. They learn so many life skills.”

Club president Courtney Reckrodt said that anyone who was interested could be in 4-H in one way or another because it’s grown to offer such an extensive variety of courses.

“We’re not just a horse club,” Reckrodt said. “In 4-H you can do whatever you want and if what you want isn’t a category, there’s an independent study category. Our three biggest categories are arts and crafts, showmanship and vet science, and what’s really cool is that you don’t even have to own a horse to be involved. We like people to know that — that you really can get involved. I enjoy learning new stuff, and it’s cool to learn about horses from the experts; Dr. Leighr teaches our vet science class and Lisa (Keefe) teaches our showmanship class.”

Dr. David Leighr is a veterinarian at Long Veterinary Clinic in Kearney.

Reckrodt said she also enjoyed the friendships she made by being involved.

“It’s nice to have friends that have the same interests as you do,” Reckrodt said. “When I talk about horses, they know what I’m talking about because we share a common interest.”

Kristie Lawson said 4-H has been a big part of making both herself and her daughters who they are today.

“I was in 4-H when I was young,” Lawson said. “I like that it’s community-involved and that a lot of focus is on community service.”

Today, 4-H has grown to include categories such as robotics, computers, photography, cake decorating and even fashion, many of which will be demonstrated at the upcoming county fair.

“4-H used to just be affiliated with farm animals and agriculture, but it’s grown to be so much more,” Jordan said. “It’s a great program. It’s been the best thing my daughter has been associated with. I would highly recommend that other parents get their kids involved. The opportunities are endless.”

The Clay County 4-H Fair is Monday to Sunday, July 6 to 12, at the Earnest Shepherd Youth Center in Liberty.

CLAY COUNTY 4-H FAIR

- When: The fair is Monday to Sunday, July 6 to 12, at the Earnest Shepherd Youth Center in Liberty.

- What: Some of the categories that will be demonstrated are dog showmanship, public speaking, fashion, geology, computers, theatre arts and veterinary science.

- Additional activities: There will be an ice cream social from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 9, where the public can come and learn more about 4-H.

- For more info: Visit the 4-H Web site at http://extension.missouri.edu/clay/4h/.

Staff writer Carrie Alexander can be reached at 628-6010 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed