Happy Birthday / Fathers Day Josh!!!

Passenger # 44 still hanging on!

Phone Photos

Attached are a few photos submitted by participants' using their phones.

Day 3

Today we were up way to early! At 7:05am Eastern time (6:05am Central time) we had to have already eaten breakfast and have our bags loaded on the coach. To say the least we were dragging this morning. Once we were loaded up we started our long journey to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Along the way many activities took place such as: sleeping, eating, watching movies, and playing cards. Also a couple of delegates had an even longer bus ride; they got sick from last’s night food. They must be complemented and commended because they made it thru the day and did not complain once, it was oblivious they were not going to be stopped from making it to Washington D.C. Along the road from Ohio to Pennsylvania, was arguably some of the most breathtaking parts of America. The scenery was astonishing: mountains, trees (mainly due to quantity compared to home), farms, lakes, and tunnels through mountains. We arrived in Gettysburg around 4pm eastern time. After checking into our hotel we were given free time in old town/down town Gettysburg where we explored the Gettysburg National Cemetery. After finishing up there we broke off in to smaller groups to grab a bite to eat and check out all the shops! After a long day of adventures we came back to the hotel for swimming where a group of delegates attempted to do our Kansas cheer stunt in the water. You can imagine how this might have gone; KAN……splash, splash, splash……LOTS OF LAUGHTER!! Thank goodness the water was there to break the fall. The group then got together for reflections of the day and to discuss plans for tomorrow. During reflections you could sense the anticipation of the next day, arrival at the National 4-H Center and participation in the main activities of our trip. Now for a good night of sleep!!

Chisholm Branscum
Grant County

Day 2

New adventures were had by all. The group visited the top of the St. Louis Arch. A few of the delegates and chaperones even got stuck in the tram on the way down from the top! The arch stands 630ft in the air and it is very majestic to look down and see the mighty Mississippi River flowing and the people standing on its banks. Most of the day was spent on the bus, even longer due to the “wonderful road construction” near the Illinois and Ohio boarders. During today’s bus ride all of the delegates put their heads together and came up with the Kansas chant. The chant is: “Kansas!! Who rocks the House; I say Kansas rocks the house! And when Kansas rocks the house we rock it all the way down!” This chant will be used for the opening ceremonies at the National 4-H Center. We settled in for the night at Grove City, Ohio and are all looking forward to the next stop in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Caitlyn Schmidtberger
Ellis County

Day 1

6-16-2011

Today was the first day of many.  Everyone got on the bus thinking the same thing: “Where am I going to sit and who am I going to sit with?”  Once everyone was on the bus we started our long journey together.  The more people became comfortable with each other the easier it became to talk.  Before we knew it we were crossing the Kansas/Missouri border and we had made new friends.  Upon arriving at the hotel we received our keys and went off to explore.  Later the group went to Union Station and found a variety of things to do.  They ranged from dancing to the electric slide, buying various amounts of fudge at the fudge factory, and a few of the delegates got fake tattoos.  There was also a whispering arch where you could stand on one side and another person could stand 30ft away on the other side of the arch.  And with nothing more than a whisper you could hear each other as if they were standing right next to you.  The group then headed back to the hotel so most of the delegates could see a glimpse of the St. Louis Arch at night.  When the night glimpse ended we met for reflections of the day and plans for tomorrow.  During reflections the group agreed that Don, our bus driver, was one of the best.  So until the next adventure: Make the Best Better! 

Austin Marshall

Harvey County

Day 10

The morning started off with sad good-byes to all our fellow CWFer's. We boarded our bus to begin our long journey home. we started off the day with naps and after a few hours watched the emotional movie World Trade Center. That caused a few tears. We stopped for lunch at Washington, Pennsylvania choosing from Arby's, Panera Bread, McDonald's, or Walmart. (You can tell it's a non touring day because we're listing our selection of restaurants) We lightened the mood with the comedy She's the Man and FINALLY reached our destination in Dayton, Ohio.
They said that there were restaurants within walking distance of the hotel, but we found a six lane highway in the row, so we had to track down Don, the driver, to take us to get some grub. Some ate at Arby's & spent 2 1/2 hours in the pool, while others spent 2 hours in the Olive Garden sharing some laughs. Finally, we ended the night with a meeting by the pool, and learning that we get to sleep in an extra hour before heading out again.

Zack blomquist

Day 9

A week of no sleeping is finally catching up to all of us, but we all got up early and headed to the Pentagon! To get to the Pentagon, some of us experienced our first subway ride (we had a little bit of trouble working the ticket machine). Once we got the tickets, we loaded up, some almost didn't make it in the door! Once getting to the Pentagon, we had to run because they almost cancelled our tour. During the tour we visited the 911 memorial, walked through the 235th birthday party of the U.S. Army, and walked around the whole perimeter of the Pentagon.
Once the tour was over we hopped back on the subway headed back to the bus, and on to the mall via our bus. We then had a free day. Some spent the day shopping or visiting the museums like the Holocaust, Air & Space, or the National Archives. Yet others went to the Hard Rock Cafe, or got conned into buying some great deals at the store by a salesman.
We met at 4 O'clock to head back to a subway then tried getting on a bus (there were lots of states trying to get on the bus). It took three buses to get us all back. Some of us got on free since the driver got irritated that it took too long, which was a good deal for those that didn't have to pay.
Upon returning to the national 4-H Center we dropped our bags and rushed to dinner which happened to be a cookout. After dinner we met as a delegation one last time to fill out surveys about the week's events. We also presented our gift basket to our amazing PA , Aly. I think KAMO got to her because not only was she wearing her "I Love Beef" pin on her headband, but she also vowed to hang the "Eat Beef" license plate in her room. All rather funny considering she is a vegetarian.
Following delegation wrap up was the talent show, opened by Ashley Fitzimmons singing a beautiful National Anthem. Rebekah blew the crowd away with her musical skills and Bryan and Cain provided chuckles with their comedy routines. Surprise act of the night was Harrison who beat boxed Free Bird by request. Finally we danced the night away and packed and hit the hay.

Catherine Huck & Ronnie Hart

Day 8

Thursday started off with breakfast in the Clover Cafe. MMMmmm! No complaints there. There are always 3 to 4 choices at every mealtime and they're all fabulously yummy! Good thing that we get a lot of exercize.

We headed to our daily workshops. After that, most of us found our bills returned from the government committee either accepted, revised, or completely redone. We then had the choice to accept their changes or debate our side at Congressional Session. My workshop chose to deny and debate our side, which is to take physical education out of schools (because it calls for more government funding, excludes those with disabilities, schools would need more teachers to give assistance to such kids, this takes time away from core classes and such activities can be done after school hours and given to those with interest and/or ability). I think it all went really well. Many people had questions about the bills, laughs were had too!

Today was also the last day of committee meetings. Everyone was hurrying to finish last minute tasks. The communications and public relations committee finished up the last of their presentations. We're looking forward to reading their newspaper, and seeing the slideshow and video they've put together for tomorrow night!

Our cultural heritage evening was tonight also. We went to a dinner theater to see "Hairspray". We all looked quite lovely, if I do say so myself.

The show was amazing. We all had a blast.

Day7

Day7

Today was another good day. As expected, we rose up early to start our day with some breakfast before heading to Capital Hill. The Capital Hill experience was started off with a guided tour of the Capital building. One guide happened to be a current student at the University of Kansas.... which was very ironic. Here's a fun fact for you, the President can't enter the Capital Building unless invited by a Senator.
The MO. + KS. delegations were split up to go to their respective Senator and Representative meetings. The highlight of the MO. kids' visit was the meeting with Rep. Blaine Luetkenmeyer. The meeting with Senators Brownback and Roberts didn't go quite as planned where as Senator Roberts was sick. Brownback mostly talked about the oil spill and the healthcare bill. The Kansas Delegation then split up according to their districts to meet with their Representatives.
We then ate supper at the Union Station. Then, we went to the Kennedy Center and watched a very interesting modern dance production. After, we returned, we had free time, where some used it to play cards, basketball, volleyball and other games. Most everyone is tired, but also very excited to see Hairspray tomorrow, and ready for another fun filled day of DC festivities.

Brittany Joerg

Day6

Today was the third day of adventures and much longer for those delegates who traveled long distances to reach the National 4-H Youth Conference Center. If I may say so, today was the most awe-inspiring thus far.
We headed to Iwo Jima, Arlington, and the FDR Memorials all before lunch. Our P.A. told us a true story about a man that stood at the bottom of the Iwo Jima Memorial to pay respects to his father. Our bus driver, Don, drove the round-about around the monument that honors the lost in the battle for Iwo Jima, Japan. The story told of each of the six men raising our proud flag. Three of the six made it home - most of them as young as seventeen. The story definitely struck reality into our hearts, most of us the exact age of the fallen.
While FDR told of Roosevelt's Presidency, Arlington pulled heart strings as we saw the tomb stones stretched out as far as our eyes could see, standing in perfectly straight lines. What got many of us the most, was watching the changing of the guartd and spotting a fallen hero being lead to his or her final resting place. Leading just ahead was this person's family, including two small children. We'll never forget sights like these.
We arrived back at the National 4-H Center for our workshops and committee meetings. Many of us worked on writing bills in our workshops to be sent to the government committees for discussion and improvements.
Town Hall was presented to us tonight. We were split into groups and given topics for discussion, just like in an actual town hall meeting. Many of the topics got pretty heated (like abortion and the legal drinking age), and when everything had been said and done early, some brought up an interesting question: crunchy or smooth peanut butter?
Fun was had by all at the Derby this afternoon! Many activities were set up by the Healthy Living Committee (Thanks Guys!).
We learned how to make a "smart" action plan and follow through in our delegate group meeting. We had to plan out a first date. Randy had his first date on paper! Let's hope he had a lovely time.
We also received our CWF Polos tonight. Hopefully we'll get to wear them to the Air Force Band tomorrow, providing that it doesn't rain.
Oh, and do you hear that noise? Sounds like it's a game of extreme spoons in the hall tonight! :)

Ashley Davis

Day 5

Our day began with an awesome breakfast at the Clover Cafe, which is stationed on the National 4-H Center campus. Afterwards we boarded the bus and headed to the home of our nation's first President, George Washington. As we drove to Mount Vernon, our P.A. Aly, showed us sights and told us stories of the areas we traveled through.
When we arrived at Mount Vernon we had to wait in line for forever and a day! But boy was that wait worth it. Mount Vernon was immense and beautiful. The outside was made of wood that was notched and covered with sand to look like bricks. One of the delegates noted that Washington's bed chambers were plain and white, while all the guest chambers were bright and exquisitely furnished. Another comment was that the view was amazing! When we were asked to compare Mount Vernon and Monticello, it was unanimous that our delegation preferred Mount Vernon. Some of the similarities we found between the two included the bright green dining rooms ant that both plantations were agriculture based. The green walls were said to show off wealth and assist in digestion. Along with the similarities there were differences between the two. These included the materials that were used to build and the size of the estates.
Once we were finished venturing through the house, we were turned loose to explore the grounds. Some of the sites we took in were the wharf, the old barn, and the grave site of the Washington family. As we neared the end of our visit, we went to the theater which showed the battles that Washington participated in. The theater even snowed! Our visit came to a close and we headed back to the 4-H Center for lunch.
After lunch, we all attended our workshop and committee meetings. In the Government committee, Blake, Ronni and Tori were all elected to leadership positions for the congressional session. Ben Bellar was elected head of the week's video. Rebekah and Cain auditioned for the talent show.
When we finished supper, we went on our "Night View" of D.C. The similarities we noted in all of the memorials was the relation to Greek and Roman architecture. Part way through our tour it began to rain. However, it was right as we viewed the Korean War Memorial. We all thought it was neat to see the names at the Vietnam Memorial. It made us all proud to be Americans!

Blake Madsen