‘Cakes, Cows and Sows’

Shawano County 4-H is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and many members in the area have a multi-generational family legacy in 4-H, with involvement dating back to their parents and grandparents.

Terri Brunner has a family history in 4-H that goes back at least 70 years. Her grandmother, Violet Malueg, started the Caroline Aces 4-H Club in the early 1950s. Her parents, Tom and Betty Brunner, were 4-H members as children, and then moved to leader positions. Brunner was a member and is now the 4-H and University of Wisconsin-Extension coordinator in Shawano County.

Mary Ann and Tom Kramer, Shawano, are part of a multi-generational 4-H family. Following in their parents’ 4-H footsteps showing cattle, they both started in 4-H as children. Their own three children followed their lead, and grandchildren are now also in 4-H.

Since 1996, the Kramers have been instrumental in advancing 4-H in Shawano County, and started their three children in 4-H programs. When they moved to the Shawano area, they knew they couldn’t raise livestock, but wanted to get their oldest daughter, Andrea, involved in 4-H.

“We called the Extension office and asked what they could sign her up for,” Tom Kramer said. “The Extension narrowed it down to the shooting sports, based on my interests in hunting. I said they didn’t have that when I was a kid, but she got started in it and we haven’t let off it since.”

According to Tom Kramer, 4-H in Shawano County used to be referred to as “Cakes, Cows and Sows,” with 80% of the members residing on farms.

“Now you have maybe 15% on farms, so we can’t rely on the cows and sows, for sure, and we need to find other activities that keep youth busy, growing and interested,” he said. “We can’t go out and tell kids that we’re going to teach them math, or they’d shut you down, but we can say that we’re going to keep score today, and you’ll have to total up your scorecard. In the process, they learn math.”

Delmar and Rozanne Zernicke have an almost 70-year tradition of 4-H involvement. With the 4-H involvement of their extended family of children, grandchildren, an uncle and a sister, a legacy in 4-H began.

“I started in 4-H when the Landstad club was formed with family and neighbors in 1954,” Delmar Zernicke said.

Rozanne Zernicke recalled that all of the children showed dairy cattle and pigs, but her daughter, Dawn, was involved in sewing and photography, too. The eldest son, Doug, took a steer to the Shawano County Fair in 1975.

“We didn’t know everything then, but I recall he did pretty good,” Rozanne Zernicke said.

The Zernickes had another son, Dan, who showed a barrow in 1990 that took grand champion. Delmar said that when he was a 4-H member, “We showed cattle.” Then he laughed and said “The boys didn’t do sewing, but the girls did show cattle.”

Rozanne Zernicke became a 4-H leader in 1982. Their son, Derick, is the current dairy leader and another son, Dan, was a general leader for the Landstad Club for 32 years, in addition to being livestock leader and chair. Their daughter, Dawn, was a long-time leader, also. Daughter-in-law Amy was a Cloverbuds leader.

Zernicke’s sister, Ellen Mehlberg, was also involved in the Landstad club. She joined the Caroline club later and her children followed her into 4-H, with her as a leader in 1982. Her son, Rusty, won the Abe Lincoln award.

“I believe that’s helped him in his job,” Mehlberg said. “My daughter, Renee, was an Extension agent for some years. Rusty was a leader for a while and Rachel took over my general leadership role in the Caroline Aces.”

Lynn Tober-Steinke, who lives in Pella, joined Pella’s Willow Creek Blue Jays as the 8-year-old daughter of farmers. She recalled that singing contests were held with all of the clubs in the county.

“’She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain,’ we had so much fun singing that,” Tober-Steinke said. “I also took food and projects to the fair. That does mold you.”

She switched to the Pella Patriots when she was 14 and graduated when she was 18. Her favorite memory was playing softball with the Patriots.

“We did well, and everyone joined because of the fun 4-H league, we always could field a team,” Tober-Steinke said. “I made lasting friends throughout the county.”

After she had children, Tober-Steinke’s 4-H background helped when she got together with a friend, Julie Bishop, to start another 4-H, the Pella Eagles.

“We encourage all types of projects now,” Tober-Steinke said. Lots of members are involved in aerospace, and we did rocket shoots at the Highway 22 airstrip for model airplanes. These are the things our kids grew up with that we didn’t.”

The Pella Eagles are very active in the community, holding fishing derbies to help people dealing with cancer.

“Last year, Neuske’s paid us to help with its family picnic, where we ran games and did tie dyeing,” Tober-Steinke said.

Bishop died last year and Tober-Steinke’s children graduated from 4-H, so the club will transition to new leadership this year.

“I’m very humble about how we ran the club,” she said. “I’m very excited about the future of the Eagles, especially the kids. Kids who take what they had in 4-H and move into their futures with. 4-H is so wonderful.”