Enterprise 4-H club is still “learning by doing to make the best better.”

That was the official purpose of Mower County 4-H programming found in John Carroll’s research.

Carroll said the more than a half-century-old purpose remains true today.

“I had some great experiences in the club, and I know many of you did too and that today’s members are carrying on what the charter members started 75 years ago,” he said.

Carroll was master of ceremonies at Sunday’s 75th anniversary of the Enterprise 4-H club.

Held in the 4-H building on the Mower County Fairgrounds, the anniversary party turned into a reunion of past and present members.

Carroll praised Karen Sundberg and Laura Sayes, who assisted him in coordinating the anniversary,

The Dick Carroll family donated a hog roasted by Darin Nelson for the pork sandwich lunch that preceded the anniversary. More than 240 people were served.

Lori Amick, current adult leader in the club, was singled out for special praise for assisting the anniversary committee.

Just like a regular club meeting, the members and alumni all stood and recited the 4-H pledge.

Special guests were inducted, including three of the living charter members who attended the party: Ella Marie Lausen, Lorraine (Hansen) Bartz and Raymond Sayles.

Another honored guest was Ron Seath, former long-time Mower County Extension Service agent for 4-H programming, who was inducted into the Mower County Livestock Hall of Fame during the 2008 Mower County Fair.

A group of the club’s current members performed a skit to show how the club has changed through 75 years.

Carroll offered a brief summary of the Enterprise club’s history since it was formed in 1935.

The club members met in families’ homes until it found a permanent setting at the former Enterprise Public School.

“You knew you were entering ‘Enterprise country,’ when you drove south of Austin,” said Seath, who was the county’s “4-H guy” for 32 years.

4-H alumni shared their memories of the Enterprise club. Some were poignant, others were happy and still others were “inside jokes” only the 4-Hers could understand. For instance, Sheldon Sayles wrote about “State Fair Romances.”

Wilbur Sayles told how meetings were also held at his accordion music studio along U.S. Highway 218 South.

Sherrie Hansen told how 4-H helped her become a successful business woman. Hansen owns and operates the Blue Belle Inn at St. Ansgar, Iowa.

A letter from a sister, Becky, also shared touching memories of life in the club as a child and teenager.

Another letter from alumnus Paul Schottler shared more memories.

It was evident from the responses from audience members how important Enterprise 4-H life was to the alumni.

That feeling runs deep in the lives of Sayles, Sundberg and Lori and Amanda Amick, mother and daughter.

Sayles and her husband, Chad, have two daughters, Natalie, 11, and Emily, 8, who are members of the Enterprise 4-H club.

“I like the community service and the wide variety of experiences they get in 4-H,” Sayles said. “They meet other kids and work with other kids. It’s a great experience for them.”

Sundberg is an alumna of the club.

“When I was in 4-H, my projects included dairy, sewing, food and nutrition and some dairy judging,” Sundberg said.

Rick and Karen Sundberg have three daughters: The oldest two, Stephanie and Shannon, have graduated and are no longer in 4-H and the youngest, Sarah, showed photography projects.

The Sundberg daughters all showed rabbits in previous years.

“4-H really shaped my life,” said the mother. “It taught me how to cook and how to be responsible and give back to the community, which I believe tells a lot about the 4-H program.”

She sees the same lessons being learned by her daughters through 4-H activities.

“My kids are very good at volunteering. They contribute to society and give back. They clean up road ditches, clean up the Enterprise cemetery,” she said.

Sundberg credited Lori Amick’s leadership with helping the Enterprise club’s membership grow to the current level, 53.

Lloyd and Lori Amick have a daughter, Amanda, and a son, Tyler. Amanda is a 4-H graduate, and Tyler is still active in the programming.

“I think being in 4-H causes a parent to be more involved in their projects and to help them,” she said. “I know Tyler has been in woodworking, and it forces parents to give advice and help.”

Now an Enterprise graduate, Amanda Amick, 19, said 4-H changed her.

“4-H has changed me a lot,” she said, “I’m more outspoken and more of a go-getter. I don’t know if it’s just 4-H or a combination of 4-H and my mom.

“I made more friends who I hang out with now,” she said.

Amick went from club officer to becoming an ambassador to serving on the 4-H advisory board in her Enterprise years.

Today, she is a summertime assistant in the Mower County Extension Service office, assisting with 4-H matters.

“4-H is like a disease for my whole family and we all have it real bad,” she joked.

Her father, Lloyd, remodeled the 4-H building this year as an Enterprise volunteer.

More examples how Enterprise alumni and members continue to “learn by doing to make the best better.”