Oconee County 4-H

09/08/2026

Upstate SC Young Birders Club
Jr. Naturalist and WHEP champion Aerin Skye Graham has started a birding club for youth! Join her for our Sept 24th Jr. Nat Ornithology class, AND these Upstate SC Young Birders Club events:

IN-PERSON EVENT- Saturday, September 19th- Hawkwatch at Sassafras Mountain with Ed Moorer

ONLINE EVENT- Beginning this month you can also join a monthly online in-between meeting- Come learn about how to use eBird. Sunday PM 9/13. In these online meetings we will also talk about birds we have seen recently, useful websites, and play some games.

Email for more meeting details and information about the club: [email protected]

For info and to register for Jr. Nat: https://2026oconeejrnaturalist.eventbrite.com

09/02/2026

Members & VOLS, time to RENEW (and get someone to join!)
Reminder, FREE T-shirt for youth who join/renew in Sept!

I also offer a benefit for any adult who joins Oconee 4-H as a volunteer.

September Newsletter went out this morning - check it for ALL the info! https://clemson.box.com/s/9cklj0jhuk147lnbm14uw4yfhbkrck7h

2026 - 2027 South Carolina 4-H Membership Enrollment is OPEN!!!! 🎉❗️🥳

🍀 A new 4-H year is here—and there’s so much to discover! From hands-on learning and new friendships to leadership and unforgettable experiences, South Carolina 4-H gives youth opportunities to learn, grow, and make a difference.

👕 Enroll September 1–30 and receive a FREE 4-H T-shirt!

Enroll today! https://www.clemson.edu/extension/4h/get-involved/index.html

08/26/2026

Partial Lunar Eclipse Aug 27 (TONIGHT), 10:30-1:30pm
FREE Planetarium Shows to learn more!
https://events.clemson.edu/event/25810-partial-lunar-eclipse-special-event-with-free
8/27: 8, 8:30, 9, 9:30 - then the real event!

Key Timings (Eastern Daylight Time - EDT)
Penumbral eclipse begins: 9:23 p.m. on Aug. 27
Partial eclipse begins: 10:33 p.m. on Aug. 27
Maximum / Peak eclipse: 12:12 a.m. on Aug. 28 (96.2% covered, creating an "almost blood moon")
Partial eclipse ends: 1:52 a.m. on Aug. 28
Penumbral eclipse ends: 3:01 a.m. on Aug. 28

08/25/2026

It's been busy (wasps, bees, chickens, Oh, My!), what's next?!
Jr. Naturalists at the Botanical Gardens (Thursday!) https://2026oconeejrnaturalist.eventbrite.com

Monday - Jr. Chefs (COOKIES!!!) https://OconeeJrChefClubMeetings.eventbrite.com

And of course, in 5 days it's time to join or renew! (You can submit now, I won't approve until September 1).

08/21/2026

COUNT BUGS FOR SCIENCE!
The Great Southeast Pollinator Census is on - tally all the times different types of insects land on the flowers of one plant over 15 minutes. Submit. You've scienced!

If you'd like to learn a little more, join Friends of Lake Keowee Society - FOLKS & 4-H TOMORROW at Cove County Park from 10-11 for a quick training on the process. Free Registration here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/great-southeast-pollinator-census-at-south-cove-county-park-tickets-1996455210277

THEN either go out and count on your own, or stay for the Pollinator "Festival" at the South Cove Pollinator garden! We'll play games, count pollinators, enjoy photo opps, catch and investigate creepy crawlies. This is a drop-in event from 11-1

Join for one, join for both, go do it on your own, just COUNT BUGS FOR SCIENCE! https://gsepc.org/
(Official census dates are Friday 8/21-Sat 8/22, with Sunday & Monday rain dates)

08/20/2026

FREE Series for youth 8-13 starts TODAY!

Oconee 4-H and South Cove County Park are hosting a series of natural history programs for youth 8-13 on Thursdays, August 20-Oct 29

For details and to register please visit https://2026oconeejrnaturalist.eventbrite.com

SPACE IS LIMITED

Membership in SC 4-H is recommended, but not required for this event (BUT, if you register now - end of Sept the youth gets a free 4-H shirt! email [email protected] for membership details).

Planned topics and locations follow:
August 20 - Great Southeast Pollinator Count (entomology & plant interactions part 1) @ South Cove
August 27 - Dendrology (Trees) at Hayden Conference Center (SC Botanical Garden) with Carolyn Dawson
September 3 - Herpetology (reptiles & amphibians) with Dr. Patricia Whitener @ Chau Ram County Park
Sept 10 - Aquatic Macros & Stream Ecology @ Chau Ram County Park
September 17 - Botany @ South Carolina Botanical Garden (maybe)
Sept 24 Ornithology (Birds) with Youth Leader Aerin Skye Graham @ Devil's Fork State Park
October 1 - Geology @ Oconee Quarry (Meet at the Oconee Rock Quarry, 686 Rock Crusher Rd. Walhalla, SC 29691)
Oct 8 - NO CLASS
Oct 15 - Mammals @ South Cove
Oct 22 - Monarchs & Milkweed Planting/ecology @ South Cove
Oct 29 - Spooky Friends (bats, spiders, centipedes, my hissing cockroaches if they're still alive) 6:30-8pm @ South Cove

08/09/2026

Be sure to join the next installment!!!

08/05/2026

12 Kinds of Ice, a musical staged reading
By Ben Steinfeld
Directed by Rick Dildine
FREE
Best enjoyed by ages 10 and up and presented in partnership with Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis.

The Brooks Center is excited to welcome the South Carolina New Play Festival https://www.southcarolinanewplayfestival.org/twelve-kinds-of-ice to Clemson for a special staged reading of 12 Kinds of Ice, based on the book by Ellen Bryan Obed and illustrated by Barbara McClintock.
In this new musical for ages 10 and up, cold temperatures and warm hearts unite to tell a tender story that takes us from spotting the first glaze of ice to building an ice rink and hosting skating shows, hockey games, and moonlit solos.
SC New Play Festival’s staged readings bring new plays and musicals to life with professional actors, directors, and musicians, in venues across downtown Greenville. These dynamic, script-in-hand performances offer audiences a first look at works in development and invite audiences into the creative process, where their response will shape the future of American Theatre.

Limited free tickets available https://www.southcarolinanewplayfestival.org/twelve-kinds-of-ice

08/04/2026

Help youth grow more than just a food plot!

Registration is now open for the 2026-2027 South Carolina 4-H Wildlife Food Plot Project, where youth ages 5-18 learn about wildlife conservation, habitat management, and plant identification while creating and managing their own wildlife food plot.

New this year: Thanks to a partnership with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the top Junior and top Senior individual participants will each receive a South Carolina Lifetime Hunting and Fishing License. (This incentive is available only to youth registered as individual participants and is not available for group registrations.)

Registration closes August 14, 2026.

Learn more and register at:
https://2026WildlifeFoodPlot.eventbrite.com