Knox County 4-H Center

The property at 401 West High Street in Mount Vernon was purchased by siblings Richard and Arline Landers and leased to the Knox County 4-H Center board of trustees for $1.00 in 1989.  The building was donated to the Knox County 4-H program in 1970 and is utilized for 4-H community club use, OSU Extension programs and partner organizations.  The board receives support from community donations and United Way of Knox County.

Programs offered at the 4-H Center include:

• Club meeting space
• Junior Fair Board
• Camp Counselor Training
• 4-H Shooting Sports (archery and air gun range)
• Hunter Education
• Trapper Education
• Master Clothing Educator Sewing Clinics
• Community Service Board computer distribution
• Team Challenge Training
• Operation: Military Kids (OMK)

Guidelines for Using the 4-H Center

Groups using the 4-H Center are required to report impact on the members of their group.  This can be a simple system if each group designates a reporter and follows through.  Also, please inform the Extension staff if a meeting is cancelled so other groups may use the space.

 The scheduling of the 4-H Center may be done by calling the OSU Extension office on weekdays (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or stopping in to schedule in person.  Rooms are available on a first–come-first–served basis with larger groups scheduled in larger rooms depending on activities.  Clubs may perform community service by calling 397-0401 and arranging a time to clean areas.  User groups are also expected to remove the trash generated by their meeting and place it in the brown dumpster provided behind the building.  The yellow and green Abitibi container is for recycling papers – not cardboard.  Items for recycling need not be bundled but shredded documents may be bagged. 

New recycling containers have been provided to the 4-H Center by the County Commissioners.  Please urge users to separate paper, cardboard, plastic, aluminum and trash in these containers found in the Assembly Room.

It is important to turn off the thermostats after a meeting to conserve energy.  Donations of money, 33 gallon (or larger) trash bags and cleaning supplies are also needed.  Contact Larry to donate or volunteer to clean one of the rooms.  Clubs may schedule clean-up, paint-up and fix-up days at the 4-H Center as we make adjustments for more meeting and activity spaces.

Club Use of the 4-H Center

We have done some house cleaning at the 4-H Center.  The room that is located behind the drinking fountain has been designated as the CLUB ROOM.  This means that clubs can store materials in that room for use at their meetings.  There are some stipulations that go along with that, though.  If clubs wish to store items they first need to contact Andrea at 397-0401.  The items that you are storing need to be clearly labeled with your club name.  Andrea will assign a location for those materials to be held.  If the items are not marked they will be disposed of.  Also they need to be kept in the room in an orderly fashion.  Our office and other volunteers have worked hard to get to this point and we do not want to go backwards.