4-H Talent Rocks the Rumba!

  The Rumba on the Lumber is the traditional date for our 4-H Talent Showcase held at the Carolina Civic Center just off the Plaza in Downtown Lumberton.  The annual event is made up of two major categories:  4-H Artastic, the visual arts contest; and 4-H Entertains, the preforming arts contest.  This year we had about 70 people registered for both categories and it was a lot of fun for everyone involved.
  Artastic entries were due a week before the actual event so they could be classified and judged.  This year new rules were put into place which made the format easier for participants and judges alike.  This year we had more than 30 entries from four counties.  We had three cloverbuds competing in Mosaic as well as Fine Arts.  Participants in this age division included:  Naomi Edwards from Hoke County;  Brooke Canady from the St. Paul's 4-H Pony Club; and Maggie Underwood with the All Around All Stars 4-H Arts and Crafts Club and the Dirty Rascals Junior Master Gardener 4-H Club.  All three received participation ribbons.
  In the nine to ten year old age division we had four entries from three competitors.  Alzdair Ray of the Sharpshooters 4-H Club in Cumberland County placed first in Woodworking and Wood Carving.  Oliva Miller of the Bladen County Superclovers 4-H Club took home the white ribbon in the Fine Arts competition.  Laci Rozierof the St. Paul's 4-H Pony Club took home the red ribbon, and Alzdair Ray walked away with his second blue ribbon of this year's Artastic!
  As the 4-H members get older it seems the the competition gets tougher.  That was definitely the case in the 11-13 year old age division.  With 13 entries in eight different categories, the judges had a lot of decisions to make.  Keiren Hatcher of the All Around All Stars 4-H Arts and Crafts Club and the Dirty Rascals Junior Master Gardener 4-H Club received a blue ribbon for her button art in recycled arts category.  Also placing first was Alora Edwards of Hoke County for her mosaic piece as well as her decorative creation.  D. J. Brown of the Titans 4-H Club placed first for his John Deere Bird House, in woodworking and wood carving category.  Page Freeman of the All Around All Stars 4-H Arts and Crafts Club placed first for her ceramics and pottery entry as well as her jewelry entry.  Michiko Hill of the Inspirational Youth 4-H Club took home the red ribbon in the jewelry division.  Kayley Dwyer of the Hoke County Monster Club was a double ribbon winner as well.  She took home both a third place ribbon in fine arts and a blue ribbon in decorative painting.  Rounding out this category in the fine arts division were:  Tyrick Taylor of the St. Paul's 4-H Pony Club; Tyson Alford of the Dirty Rascals Junior Master Gardener 4-H Club and Young Leaders 4-H Club; Brianna Cryer of the St. Paul's 4-H Pony Club that took home a red ribbon; and Christian Tice also of the St. Paul's 4-H Pony Club who took home a blue ribbon.
  The senior division, made up of our 14-18 year olds was also a tough one for our judges.  We had ten entries from six different competitors  in four different divisions.  Lianna Edwards of Hoke County took home a blue ribbon for her recycled art and also placed in the fine arts division.  Maurice Rogers of the Titans 4-H Club took home a blue ribbon for his woodworking and woodcarving entry.  A close second was Jacob Sprouse of the Bladen County Superclovers.  Jacob also took home two blue ribbons, one in decorative painting the other in fine arts.  Hayley Hall of the Bladen County Superclovers took home second place in decorative painting and third in fine arts.   Jasmine Moore of the Spiritual Generations 4-H club placed fourth in fine arts.  Tyron Alford of the Dirty Rascals Junior Master Gardener 4-H Club and Young Leaders 4-H Club placed second in the fine arts division.  All of the pieces entered were displayed in the lobby of the Carolina Civic Center as part of our 4-H Talent Showcase.
  At one o'clock Cathy Brown, the Hoke County 4-H Youth Development Extension Agent, took the stage to host our annual 4-H Entertains show.  Almost 35 youth were registered to take the stage and show us what they are made of.  In the 9-10 year old age division we had three acts.  Spiritual Generations 4-H Club members joined together to give us a team praise dance performance.  For their efforts Nadia Bennett, Mya Mitchell, Kristen Smith, and Kyleigh Smith took home third place.  Brooke Canady with the St. Pauls' 4-H Pony Club took home a red ribbon for her talent tickling the ivory keys.  Sarah Sprouse of Bladen County's Superclovers took home first place for mime act.

  In the 11-13 year old junior age division the judges had a tough pick have to break two ties to determine first and third places.  Those competing in this age division were Elizah Leach with the Voices in Praise 4-H Club doing his 4-H beat box, fellow club member Cariyah Scippo sang for us, as did Chasity McClay member of the St. Paul's 4-H Pony Club.  When it was said and done Kayley Dwyer with the Hoke County Monster Club took home third place.  The St. Pauls' 4-H Pony Club team of Christian Tice and Tyrick Taylor took home a red ribbon for their puppet show, and Jeshaish Moore of the Doin' Big Entrepreneurial 4-H Club and Young Leaders 4-H Club, took home a blue ribbon for her vocal talents.
  Just when the judges thought they could breath a sigh of relief in rolled the seniors.  Sicily Ekinunah of the Titans 4-H club took home third place for her poetry recitation.  Second place went to Lundan Dinnerson for her dramatic recitation from the Color Purple.  Megan Hurst with the Dirty Rascals Junior Master Gardener 4-H Club and Horsin' Around Animal Science Club took home first place for her ballet performance.
  The high point winners from each county will now have the opportunity to go on to District Activity Day at Mount Olive College on April 27.  We would like to thank our judges; Renee Diggs-Neal, Mack Johnson, Brenda Brisson, and Jason Bullock.  Also a big thank you to the Lumberton Road Runners for marketing our 4-H Talent Showcase as part of their Rumba on the Lumber event.  Richard Sciefford and the staff and volunteers of the Carolina Civic Center for allowing us to have such a wonderful setting for our growing competition   We would also like to thank the 4-H staff members in Bladen, Cumberland, Hoke and Robeson for making all of this possible.  It takes a lot of hard work behind the scenes to make sure everything goes smoothly with a competition this size.  Of course big applause to our 4-H Volunteers and parents who got our members signed up and ready for this opportunity.  We could do it without all of you!