By CHAD COOPER
[email protected]
Nearly 50 Buchanan County youth and volunteers spent a week making memories, developing leadership skills and building lifelong friendships during the annual Buchanan, Bland and Grayson Junior 4-H Camp held June 22-26 at the Southwest Virginia 4-H Educational Center.
A total of 37 Buchanan County campers, seven teen leaders, four adult leaders and one Virginia Cooperative Extension employee attended the weeklong camp, joining participants from Bland and Grayson counties for the annual summer tradition. This year’s camp theme was “4-H Holidays in the Sun.”
Throughout the week, campers participated in educational classes, recreational activities, outdoor adventures, team-building exercises and evening programs designed to promote leadership, citizenship and personal responsibility while creating lasting friendships.
“This year’s camp went great,” Buchanan County Extension Agent Sandy Shortridge said about the week. “The theme was ‘4-H Seasons in the Sun’. Each night we celebrated a different holiday; those included: St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Independence Day and Halloween. Thursday night, we put on Halloween costumes, went trick-or-treating on the campgrounds, and then enjoyed the Monster Mash Dance. Our talent show was very enjoyable with youth performances from all three counties. We concluded on Thursday night with an awards ceremony and a beautiful candle lighting ceremony. The kids enjoyed their classes, which included Archery, swimming, kayaking, zip line, cooking, fishing, crafts, and many more. We had quite a few new campers and even more returning campers. All seemed to enjoy the week, and in their goodbyes to their friends, I heard them say, “I’ll see you next year.”
Buchanan County participants earned several individual honors during the week.
Teen leader Aleyah McClanahan, a Twin Valley High School student, received the Responsibility Character Award in recognition of her outstanding leadership and dedication throughout camp.
“This year camp went fantastic and will always hold a special place in my heart as it was my last year as a ran leader,” McClanahan shared. “Some of the highlights would be that I had a really great camper and it was one of the best years I’ve had so far. These kids have made my last year the specials.”
Autumn Yates, a student at Riverview Elementary Middle School, earned the Citizenship Character Award for demonstrating exceptional citizenship during the week.
Aalayah Barton, also a Riverview Elementary Middle School student, received the 2026 4-H Camp Friendship Award, recognizing her positive attitude and willingness to include and encourage fellow campers.
Two Buchanan County campers were also selected as the 2026 Campers of the Week.
Rylan Lester and Graycee McGlothlin, both students at Riverview Elementary Middle School, received the honor for their outstanding participation and leadership during camp. As Campers of the Week, each earned an all-expenses-paid return trip to Junior 4-H Camp in 2027.
Shortridge said the annual camp continues to provide young people with opportunities to learn, grow and develop valuable life skills while enjoying the outdoors and forming friendships that often last for years.
Junior 4-H Camp is one of Virginia Cooperative Extension’s signature youth development programs, providing hands-on educational experiences that help young people build confidence, leadership abilities and a commitment to serving their communities.
The annual camp brings together youth from across Southwest Virginia each summer, giving participants opportunities to explore new interests while strengthening the values of leadership, responsibility, teamwork and citizenship that are central to the 4-H program.
