4-H Flea Market Food Stand Schedule for 2012

Clubs fill the lottery on an alphabetical rotation. Next year we will continue with clubs beginning with the letter ‘A’.  Lottery days are those not filled prior to March 1st.  Clubs can choose one, two or all three shifts – on a first come, first get basis – typically involving 6 to 9 clubs each year.

The Flea Market Food stand is the major fundraiser for Shawano County 4-H. 4-H Clubs and Key Committees operate the stand. Clubs profit is figured after bills (bakery, inventory supplies, etc.) are paid. The 4-H Leaders, Inc. commission of a flat 15%, is used to pay for the bad weather guarantee, food stand equipment, manager services and repairs/maintenance. The Leaders, Inc. voted that clubs will get reimbursed from the Leaders to make their profit at leat $150.00 for rain-out or unprofitable Sundays.

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Recent Announcements:

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Fair Food Stand Funds

When choosing shifts for working at the fair food stand, some leaders wonder why it is necessary to help out as you feel you don’t receive any benefits from working. Actually, this is the major fundraiser for Shawano County 4-H Leader’s each year. It is because of this that we don’t need to be out there selling candy bars, pizzas or any of the other numerous possibilities. Funds help pay for:

• Sponsorships for campers and award trip recipients.
• Funds for educational grants to key committees.
• Literature used by members, the fee you pay for books is discounted from full price.
• Volunteer background checks at $7 per leader. Mandatory on each leader every 4 years, having 60-70 volunteers re-checked each year.
• Awards and discounts on meals at the annual 4-H experience.
• Support for the Adventures in Dairyland Program, a two-week curriculum offered to 4th grade classrooms throughout the county.
• Many other incidental expenses we don’t need to pass along to the members because this food stand raises that money.

So when your club leader asks you to volunteer a couple hours of your time, we hope you look at this as an opportunity to give back to the organization that has offered so much for your family this year.

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Food Stand Clarification

When your club works the flea market….

1. Go to the UWEX office mid-week and pick up the key and instructions.  Please take the time to read these instructions before Sunday.
2. The instructions include a check list for your closing shift. The cleaning check list ensures  you will not have additional charges for managers cleaning after you leave.
3. Your club needs to provide $350 start up money. You’ll need to go to the bank to do this before Sunday opening.
4. When you leave the stand, leave the key and all receipts there.  Take all the money along with you and deposit it into your club treasury.
5. Call the UWEX office on Monday and tell them the amount of money you ended with, after you took out the start up money.
6. After expenses are calculated, you will be notified how much you owe.  Then, mail a check to the UWEX office.

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Food Stand Tips

As the fair nears, let’s take a few moments to review the importance of good customer service. The food stand is our best source of funds that allow us to do so many great things in our program. We all need to make sure that customers are given prompt and courteous attention. This is just as important during flea markets as well. Before you and your club work in the food stand, please take a few minutes to consider which method you will use to ensure all customers are served well. Some suggestions are as follows:

• Assign members to certain windows, if possible (the front windows are generally more busy so many put older members there).
• Have at least one adult in front to make sure all customers are waited on and to help with making change.
• Remember, while you can chat in front when you are not busy, face the windows so you can see when someone approaches.
• Speak loudly enough and clearly to the customers and to the people in the back filling orders. Be assertive to to make sure your order gets filled. Those busy working in the back will fill as fast as they can but usually it’s the loud and lcear orders that get filled first.
• Be polite to both the customers and those working with you. Always THANK customers for their purchases.
• Above all, enjoy yourself, smile and have fun. It’s contagious.

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Food Handling Safety Tips During the Fair

E. coli outbreaks have occurred at fairs, petting zoos and farms across the country.  Symptoms of an E. coli O157:H7 infection include: stomach aches, bloody diarrhea, vomiting and possible kidney failure.   The E. coli O157:H7 bacterium is believed to mostly live in the intestines of cattle, but has also been found in the intestines of chickens, goats, sheep and hogs.  It does not make the animals that carry it ill; the animals are merely a reservoir for the bacteria.  Humans can, however, become infected when E. coli bacterium is spread from livestock fecal material and somehow consumed by humans.

Proper hygiene can limit the risk of animal-to-person transmission.  That is why it is important to thoroughly wash hands after working, playing with or petting animals, or after being in an area that houses animals.  Linda Olson, UWEX Family Living Educator for Shawano County reminds us to use the following safe food handling tips:

1. Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before entering the food stand or handling food.  Dry hands with paper towels.
2. Wear plastic gloves at all times when handling food.  But do not wear gloves when sweeping with a broom, or when touching anything other than food.  If you do touch something other than food, put on a new pair of plastic gloves.
3. If working in the barn before your food stand shift, be sure to change clothes and wash hands/arms thoroughly before returning to the food stand.

For more information contact Linda Olson at the UW-Extension Office.

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Don’t reassemble the shake machine!
After cleaning the shake machine, please DO NOT put the machine back together.  Simply leave the beaters and other internal parts out on a clean dishtowel or paper towels on a table near the machine.  These parts need to air-dry to prevent rusting.  Our manager will reassemble the machine.
Also,if the shake machine is to be used the next day, it does not have to be cleaned at all!  Simply leave the machine running with an adequate amount of mix in the hopper and you can save yourself a cleaning job! So if running the machine on a Saturday or a holiday weekend or during the Fair, only the last shift on the last day of the weekend needs to clean the machine. Before closing the food stand, remember to check both doors and all windows to make sure they are locked!

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Food Stand Fire Extinguishers
There are two fire extinguishers mounted on the wall by the entrance door.  The larger, SILVER-COLORED extinguisher is for GREASE FIRES ONLY!  If a fire starts on the gas grill, or in a cooking pan, this is the extinguisher to use first.  It sprays a fine mist that won’t splatter the grease around.  This fine mist will turn into a foam layer that smothers the fire. The smaller RED extinguisher is an A-B-C type and should be used for fires anywhere else in the food stand, but NOT for grease fires.  Stand at least 8 feet away from the fire, and aim the chemical foam at the BASE of the fire.  If you get closer than 8 feet away, the high pressure chemical could actually splatter burning material and spread the fire!

We also have an automatic fire extinguisher system built into the hood of the gas grill where burgers are fried.  If it gets hot enough, this system will automatically turn on and coat the grill with chemical foam to smother the fire.  The hood system can also be activated by pulling a switch on the wall by the entrance door.  This switch is located just above the two wall-mounted fire extinguishers.  Do not ever pull the switch except in case of extreme fire danger. If you have a grease fire in the cooking area, adults can try to put it out using the silver-colored fire extinguisher first.  If this doesn’t work, activate the hood system by pulling the switch on the wall, if the hood system hasn’t automatically activated yet. In case of fire, everyone should get out of and far away from the food stand.  Have someone call 911 immediately.  Only one or two adults should remain to try and put the fire out with an extinguisher.  If there’s any doubt as to whether or not it can be put out easily, that adult(s) should also get out.  The food stand can be replaced, but YOU cannot be!

SAVE and REVIEW this information whenever your Club is going to work in the food stand.

Shawano County 4H Program is on Facebook!

If you have any questions regarding 4-H Youth Development in Shawano County, please contact:

	Joe Stellato, Department Head and 4-H Youth Development Shawano County Courthouse 311 North Main Street, Room 101, Shawano, WI 54166 Phone: 715-526-6136 * 715-526-4875 Email: joseph.stellato@ces.uwex.edu
	Terri Brunner, 4H Program Assistant Shawano County Courthouse 311 N Main Street, Room 101 Shawano, WI 54166-2198 Phone: 715-526-6136 Fax: 715-526-4875 Email: theresa.brunner@co.shawano.wi.us
	Charlotte Schwartz,  Office Assistant Shawano County Courthouse 311 N Main Street, Room 101 Shawano, WI 54166-2198 Phone: 715-526-6136 Fax: 715-526-4875 Email: charlotte.schwartz@co.shawano.wi.us