Prairie Rose 4-H Club was open to boys and girls in Swede Township. In the late 1950’s when Lois (Malm) Bentson was a member they met once a month on a Friday night in member’s or leader’s homes. Her father, Edwin Malm, was one of the leaders. Following the business meeting the boys would break off and go and study tractors and machinery. The girls concentrated on homemaking activities. She remembers embroidering dish towels, table cloths, and a pillow cover. They also sewed aprons and bread basket cloths.

4-H supplied a cooking book. One of the first projects the girls started with was learning to make baking powder biscuits. After that was mastered they could move on too more involved recipes. Lois traces her bread making back to 4-H and says she still bakes bread once a week. Another favorite food project was rhubarb pie, and yes, she still uses her 4-H rhubarb pie recipe.

"Cleaning and cutting up a chicken was a project. At least once. That’s how I learned to cut chicken up… at 4-H." It wasn’t one of her fondest memories of 4-H.

Lois commented that 4-H provided a social opportunity for kids and leaders. After the meeting kids went outside and played games while the adults visited. Everyone came back together for lunch before going home.

When it came time for the sewing projects the girls started by hemming a dish towel by hand. They also learned how to do it on a sewing machine. Lois recalled a lesson on how to miter corners. The girls had to bring their mitered dish towels back to the next meeting to see if they done it right. Another sewing skill that she learned at 4-H was to pull a thread in a piece of fabric to straighten it.

It was a requirement that each member give a demonstration sometime during the year. They gave them within the club to their peers.

4-H clubs elected officers to preside over the business meetings. 4-H meetings were her first experience with parliamentary procedure and how to conduct a meeting. She remembers being a secretary and added "I hated it." She also recalled that 4-H taught members to keep record books. She said there were pages that had to be filled out and signed.

The 4-H fair was held in the fall, probably September – Lois remembers that it was always after school had started. Projects were turned into the leaders who took them to LaMoure to be judged.

Lois doesn’t remember exactly how long she was a member, but said it was for several years. 4-H made life much easier when she got to high school home economics classes. Many of the things she did in home ec. classes were the same as she had done in 4-H. And Lois said because she started cooking at an early age through 4-H she started her daughter cooking at an early age. Jessica amazes her adult friends with her cooking skills.

The fair and talent nights were two county activities. Each club had to be represented at talent nights. One time her club sang Easter Parade at talent night. The girls had to dress in their Easter clothes and probably had to wear their Easter bonnets. She guessed talent night was held in late March.

And though it has been 40+ years since Lois participated in 4-H she still remembers that the four Hs stand for head, heart, hands and health. She also said her leaders, Minnie Kinslow and Julia Davidson, were very good teachers.

As Lois recalled her 4-H days, Merle, her husband shared a few memories of 4-H life as a member of the Flickertail Club in Sargent County. That club only had boys as members and it met once a month in various places, often leader’s homes. Lessons were presented at each meeting.

Merle said he enjoyed gardening and often had gardening projects entered at the Sargent County Fair (he added that the Sargent County Fair was bigger than the LaMoure County Fair).

Merle also raised rabbits. At one time he had 32 adult rabbits. But a storm blew down the snow fence he used to contain them and that ended his rabbit and gardening projects.

Merle remembered his club did lip sync to a Mitch Miller song at talent night. His sister started the wrong song on the phonograph. He said one kid in their group kept perfect time but was backwards from everyone else. Although the performance wasn’t meant to be a comedy it got lots of laughs!

He said another year his club went to state in a talent competition. It featured a jug and fife band. He remembered that they placed, but not as first. At that time the state competition was held in Fargo. He said each time they presented that act they added to it. By the time they got to state they had costumes and everything.

He also remembered one of his demonstrations was on cleaning an electric motor.

The greatest thing about 4-H for Merle, was it allowed kids to follow things they were interested in.