Parma Homestead Hoofers Youth Group

The Homestead sponsors a youth group which was started to educate the youth of our area about the history and agriculture as well as what it was like to live on a farm and care for the animals. Member are required to come to the homestead a minimum of three days a week to care for the animal assigned to them.  They learn nutrition, grooming and facts about that particular animal  throughout the year.  The club begins in March and runs through November with a monthly meeting at the Homestead.  In addition, the club participates in many community events and also volunteers time during the events at the Homestead.  For more information, please contact Georgeann Porach at  216 233-9818.
*****OPEN ENROLLMENT FOR 2012 FARM SEASON IS NOW AVAILABLE****
Requirements are as follows: Participant must come to the Homestead to care for the animal assigned a minimum of three nights per week- no exception. They must also participate in events at the Homestead and also in fundraising and community service projects. A first year fee of $25.00 is required- for a t-shirt and project book. Also a $10.00 yearly membership fee is required for family to join PAHS. No other fee is required unless participant changes animal selection in next year- then new book is required. Animals are assigned according to ability of participant and availability. Our orientation meeting for open enrollment will be held on Thurs. Feb. 16, 2012 at 7pm in the cabin on the homestead property. The participant may not belong to another club or organization which competes with any of the same programs which we offer. If you have any further questions, please contact Georgeann at (216) 233-9818. **open enrollment will continue until April 30, 2012 or until we reach manximum membership.

Our youth group, The Parma Homestead Hoofers; have been busy this 2011 year. They again have made a trip to Broadview Multi-Care Center for a Family Fun Day and brought along many of our animals for the residents to see. Before this, they visited Summer in the City – the Middleburg Hts Home Days Festival in June and took many of their project animals for a two day petting farm . Then it was off to the Parma July 4th Parade . Their major undertaking this year was again starting a garden from seed and raising plants in their new greenhouse that has been erected on site- made possible with a grant from the Parma Hospital Nutrition Foundation. They also participate on saturday at the Stearns Farm Farmers Market where they sell hand made crafts, cookies and slushies as a fundraiser.They also showcased their projects during events at the Homestead. They also found time to create a short video for the Ohio Farm Bureau agriculture contest and won “Most Viewed View” with a prize of $500.00. You can view it on YouTube at Stearns Homestead Agriculture Farm Video. In between all this, they readied themselves and their project animals for their 2nd project fair on the premises. Book completion was judged on Sunday Morning , which consisted of each member reading their project book and completing a take home test, writing an essay on what they had learned during the project year and also completing a extra credit poster on their specific animals needs. The classes took place on Sat. and Sun. with proud fathers, mothers and grandparents watching. Judges were brought in for Rabbit, Dairy Goat, Sheep, Pygmy Goat, Hog and Chicken classes. The horse projects conducted their own horse show at Starlite Stables in Berea and competed in 5 classes and also an exhibition that each participant had to develop and present, which included some required items such as L-backing, side passing, etc. Below are the final standings for all classes:

Horse Show
Exhibition
1st place- Cory Cutler , 2nd Place- Lynsey Cutler, 3rd Place-Jessica Klein, 4th Place- Emily DeSantis.
FUN CLASSES (TIMED)
Carrot Race
1st place-Jessica Klein , 2nd Place- Cory Cutler , 3rd Place- Emily DeSantis, 4th Place- Lynsey Cutler
Flag Race
1st place-Cory Cutler , 2nd Place- Jessica Klein
Stakes Race
1st Place-Jessica Klein 2nd Place- Cory Cutler 3rd Place- Lynsey Cutler
Musical Stalls
1st Place- Jessica Klein, 2nd Place- Cory Cutler, 3rd Place- Lynsey Cutler

Beginning Rabbit
1st Place- Paige Kingery
2nd Place- Morgan Schultz
3rd Place- Anna Fisher
Intermediate Rabbit
1st Place- Betsy DeSantis
2nd Place- Elisa Valensky

Advanced Rabbit
1st Place- Emily DeSantis
2nd Place- Shae Sted
3rd Place- Maddie Intihar

PYGMY GOAT
1st place Maddie Intihar
2nd place Elisa Valensky

Chicken
1st place Betsy DeSantis
2nd place Andrew Koranda

DAIRY GOAT
1ST Place- Andrew Koranda
MARKET HOG SHOWMANSHIP
1ST PLACE JESSICA KLEIN
2ND PLACE EMILY DeSANTIS
3RD PLACE- MADDIE INTIHAR
SHEEP
1ST PLACE- ANDREW KORANDA

CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE, YOU ALL DID A GREAT JOB!!