Arkansas 4-H Star Camp a summer tradition for more than 50 years

AMITY — Nestled among towering pines and a glittering 40-acre lake, Arkansas 4-H members from five counties gathered at Timber Lodge Ranch for the 4-H Star Camp, building pool noodle boats, coming out of their shells and living the camping experience.
Seventy 4-H members from Howard, Miller, Montgomery, Pike and Sevier counties joined 20 adults, including extension county agents, summer interns and parent volunteers, for three days of outdoor recreation and team-building activities from June 18-20.
Campers faced off in a water balloon Battleship-style game, created abstract art using paint-filled water guns and built boats from cardboard, duct tape and pool noodles, which they put to the test on the lake.
“For years, this program actually involved camping in tents and cooking everything outside,” said Eva Langley, Pike County extension staff chair for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “They really got the true camping experience. We’ve been coming here for several years now, and even though the kids are staying in air-conditioned bunks, we still want it to feel authentic, because not every kid goes camping.”
The 4-H Star Camp, named after its five participating counties, has gone by a few different names since its inception more than 55 years ago. Originally called Quad County Camp for its partnership among Sevier, Howard, Miller and Little River counties, the program has welcomed generations of 4-H members and their families.
“We work very hard to keep this camp a tradition,” said Rex Herring, Sevier County extension staff chair, who has been involved with Star Camp for the past 21 years. “You’ve got kids coming here whose moms and dads and grandparents have come through this camp. Our theme every year incorporates educational elements, but we have a lot of fun — otherwise, they wouldn’t want to come back.”
The camp brings together extension family and consumer sciences, agricultural and 4-H agents, as well as extension summer interns, who lead the activity rotations for the 4-H members.
“One of my favorite parts of Star Camp is the way we get to collaborate on it as agents,” said Samantha Horn, Howard County extension staff chair. “We put a lot of time and effort into planning this and making sure our kids get the best experience out of it.”
Children must be nine years old by the first day of camp to participate. Kim Frachiseur, Sevier County extension 4-H agent, said this threshold gives the Cloverbuds 4-H members, who range from five to eight years old, “something to look forward to.”
“We like that this makes participating in Star Camp feel like a right of passage for our Cloverbuds,” Frachiseur said. “They look up to all the older kids and hear them talk about how much fun they had at camp, then they get to come and see what it’s all about.”
Gayle Herring, 7, daughter of Rex Herring, was able to participate in camp a couple of years early because she attended with her father.
“My favorite thing so far has been swimming,” Gayle said. “And that lake is really, really deep.”

On the first night of camp, 4-H members were tasked with hunting for “the Cropster” — Howard County extension agriculture agent Dawson Bailey, dressed in a lobster costume — while navigating the dark using only glow-in-the-dark necklaces and bracelets. Some extension agents hid along the road with water guns to thwart campers, and other agents gave out dry beans to successful teams.
“We got to run down the road last night until 10:00,” Gayle said. “We had this thing called the Cropster, and we had to go get beans, and whoever got the most beans got prizes. It was really fun.”
Star Camp costs $100 per camper, which makes it relatively affordable compared to other summer camp fees. To help teach responsibility, campers from each county were assigned to help serve meals and clean up the dining area afterward. On the last night of camp, homemade ice cream — churned by campers and their family and consumer sciences agents — was on the menu.
“You want the kids to leave here with fun memories, a new friend and maybe a new interest,” Horn said. “I feel like that’s what 4-H is all about: helping our members grow in their confidence, their curiosity, and in their relationships with each other.”
Connecting members, strengthening 4-H
Herring said the camp is an opportunity for 4-H members to interact with their peers, and for county agents to strengthen their relationships with 4-H clubs.
“These kids get to commingle with others, and I love it from a county agent standpoint,” Herring said. “I’ve been with extension for nearly 28 years, and in the past, people have asked me, ‘What do you think about camp? Is it worth doing?’ And I say, ‘Absolutely.’ This is a big rapport-building experience with my 4-H’ers. They get to see me as a human being instead of just their county agent. You grow a better bond with the kids, and I really think that helps the success of our county programs.”
For shy or introverted 4-H members, Herring said the camp is also a chance to find their voice and practice social skills.
“What I love about it is that these quieter kids, I call them ‘shelled up,’ those are the ones I’m encouraging the most,” Herring said. “The way I evaluate myself is if next year, whenever those same kids come back, the first thing they say is ‘Hey Mr. Rex,’ when the year before, you had to stomp their foot to get them to say anything. That’s how you know you’ve left a positive mark.”
Herring said he hopes that 4-H members’ experience at Star Camp helps keep them involved with the 4-H program.
“The camp is very important,” Herring said. “I hope to make an impact on all the kids, to where they’ll stay in 4-H. We’ll do this as long as we can to provide this for the kids of southwest Arkansas.”