The Mount Airy 4-H Dairy Club recently celebrated its 100th anniversary celebration at the recent Hunterdon County 4-H and Agriculture Fair in East Amwell Township and former members from as far away as California attended
The club, which has members all over the county, is the oldest 4-H club in New Jersey and one of the oldest in the United States.
A full day of activities took place on Aug. 24, including the County 4-H Dairy Show for current club members. The new County Dairy Princess, Annabelle Majorossy, gave a milk toast in honor of the club and she and her dairy court served milk punch, cheese and crackers.
About 75 alumni and their families attended, some traveling from Colorado, Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania and New York. Some who couldn’t come that day came and stopped by the dairy barn on other days of the fair and some sent notes or called to tell how much the club meant to them. The oldest member present was 97-year-old Bart Case of West Amwell Township.
Alumni Sadie Strober and Dan Persichilli demonstrated how preparing cows for shows (“fitting”) has changed through the years. The group gathered around a 1952 milk tank truck from HunVal Farm (alumni Jared and Treacy Everitt Weeks) for pictures and watched a video outlining the 100 years of the club from its beginning by 10 West Amwell farm boys in Mount Airy. Alumna Sarah Hunt Callaway, in a cow costume, did a skit “What It’s Like to be a Cow at the Fair”.
Presentations followed with commendations from the County Commissioners and State 4-H Association. A comedian, Tim the Dairy Farmer, traveled from Florida to entertain featuring dairy jokes. Irvin Hockenbury of Raritan Township and Betty Jane Hunt of West Amwell Township (two of the “senior” alumni) cut a big birthday cake, served along with cupcakes and ice cream. Alumni Dave Bond capped the day on the Main Stage attraction with his Real Country band.
A number of local organizations and businesses donated goods and services to make the celebration possible. Serving on the committee were: Kathy Everitt Kovacs, Sadie Strober, Sandy Eldridge, Jo-An’ VanDoren Beck, Alex Eldridge, Oliver Elbert, Jackie Majorossy, Kathy Young, Sarah Phillips Lyness, Daniel Persichilli, David Bond, Diane Cooper, Irvin Hockenbury, Bruce Hockenbury, Kyle Young, Dan Torrone and Betty Jane Coleman Hunt.