4-H Volunteers Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of their 4-H Center
4-H Volunteers celebrate the 50th Anniversary of their 4-H Center
By Mike Powell & Lisa Rothenburger
On Sunday, June 9th, current and former 4-H’ers gathered at the Ted Blum 4-H Center of Somerset County, New Jersey to celebrate a special anniversary. On that day 50 years prior, the 4-H center was officially opened. They came not just to celebrate the center, but the 50 years of providing for the community, memories good and bad, and each other. Guest speakers including local County Commissioners and NJ Secretary of Agriculture Ed Wengryn (a Somerset County 4-H alum) were invited to speak at the ceremony, and congressman Tom Kean Jr. sent a congressional letter praising the work of the Somerset County 4-H and congratulating them on this anniversary. A museum was set up by two members of the 4-H community sharing stories from the history of the program, photos from all over the years, and a video showcasing the building of the center.
The Ted Blum 4-H Center is unlike any other in the nation. At the time of its completion, it was the largest 4-H center in the entire country. While it has since lost that distinction, it is still one of the largest. The Ted Blum 4-H Center is also one of few in the nation that is owned by the volunteers, not by the county or by the state. The center is home to Somerset County 4-H, as well as Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Somerset County and the Somerset and Union County Soil Conservation District. Soil Conservation and Somerset County rent the space for the RCE offices! This is the opposite of typical arrangements in many other counties and states.
Somerset County 4-H underwent a long journey to get to building the center. Before, clubs and members met in each other's homes throughout the county. Agents had offices in the county seat of Somerville. In 1964, Fred Meyers, a local dairy farmer, sold his farm to the 4-H Association for $1,000 an acre. This land was very optimal for 4-H because it was right across the street from the county fairgrounds. During that fair, the members were polled to see if they were in favor of doing away with their cash awards so that money could go to the building fund. “The 4-H council voted to give up our cash prize,” one 4-H’er remembered. “Back then, a blue ribbon was $6! That was a lot of money! We had no clue that that one vote would spark a chain of events that led to where we are today.” A sale of Christmas trees was started, which was soon phased out with a sale of Christmas wreaths. To this day, the holiday wreath sale is still a Somerset County 4-H fundraiser.
Many ideas were considered for the center. One of the most popular at the time was geodesic domes. However, the price was too steep for 4-H, and a different design was chosen. In 1966, ground was broken for the garage that stands behind the center. Ground was broken for the center a few years later, and everyone came to help. Local electricians volunteered to wire the center. Plumbers helped with the piping. 4-H clubs came in and painted the walls of the gym and the hallways.
In total, the center cost $500,000 to build. Adjusted for inflation, that would be close to $3 million today. The agent who got it all done, Ted Blum, realized the feat that the Somerset County 4-H had done. He wrote, “The financing of this project has been through the sale of Christmas wreaths, some money earned from the fair each year, donations from 4-H clubs, one donation from Doris Duke for $5,000, and the donation of material and labor from county unions and businesses.” If you take the material and labor that was donated, the value of the center is $10 million. One 4-H program raised that all by itself, a feat that is impressive beyond belief.