July, a busy time of year!

Lizzy Ryan

(7/2010) This week is Ag Camp, and week long day camp that takes place at the Ag Center in Gettysburg. This year I am a counselor for third graders. I have been a participant in the past. That has been fun. In the years I was a participant we have gone to Hershey gardens, Washington Zoo, and a lot of different types of farms like pig and alpaca farms.

This year we are going to an Amish Farm, the Washington D.C. Natural History Museum, and the Hershey zoo as well as a Whitmore Farm, a sustainable farm just outside of in Emmitsburg run by Will Morrow and Kent Ozkum.

Whitmore Farm is a Certified Organic farm in Maryland specializing in heritage, primarily American breed livestock raised on pasture. What I liked about Whitmore farm is the provide a healthy, pasture-based environment for their animals and to treat them humanely and with respect throughout their lives and practice agricultural practices that respect the land and don't harm the environment unnecessarily. All their animals were happy, from the pigs and goats to rabbits and chickens. .

In this camp we are not just going on field trips but we are also staying at the Ag center and doing crafts like making dream catchers, stepping stones, T- shirts, and more. We are going to different classes like dairy history, a class on reptiles, and a class on plants.

I think this camp has a lot to offer to the participants; lots of fun learning about agriculture, gardening and the environment. This camp happens every year the last week of June.

Other things I am excited for is that I just joined something in 4-H called livestock judging. This is where we go to different competitions and judge animals such as steers, goats, sheep and pigs. Then we have to give reasons for why that animal is "good" or "bad".

My Lionhead rabbit is going to the South Mountain Fair to be a show rabbit. The only problem is that my rabbit, Nutmeg, isn’t a registered breed so she will just have to entered in the pet section which is where my we just get just on how I handle my rabbit and her cleanliness.

July not only brings camps, but it also brings picnics! Every year our family has the 4th of July at our house where we invite our entire family like cousins, grandparents, and aunts and uncles. But first we have to figure out which day of the holiday most everyone is available.

Every Wednesday night, we gather for dinner at my grandmother’s and grandfather’s house. This has become a tradition ever since I can remember. Anyone that happens to be in Hanover that evening come for dinner. It’s a good time to see many of the family. Anyway, at that time is usually when we come up with a date for our annual 4th of July weekend picnic.

All day my mom gets ready by cleaning and cooking. Then finally people start to come. For awhile people just start talking then we eat our dinner, which is usually hamburgers and hot dogs, the normal summer meal. After we are done eating we light a big fire and roast marshmallows for s’mores. We then light our sparklers and run around and draw pictures with all of the smoke. We all do this, even my cousins who are now in college.

The last thing everyone does is gather on our driveway and we shoot off small firecrackers. We get to watch the lightning bugs after dark and just sit around the fire and talk and laugh.

July is a fun month, even if it’s hot.

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