Montana 4-H Foundation to raffle 30-year Don Greytak calendar collection

From Montana 4-H Foundation

The Montana 4-H Foundation will raffle off a final collection of Don Greytak 4-H calendars to celebrate 30 consecutive years of a very successful 4-H calendar project.

People who purchase a 2021 calendar have three chances to win the collection by submitting their name into a drawing. The complete 1992-2021 Montana Greytak 4-H calendar collection will be raffled off March 1. This mint collection will be presented in a beautiful birch and walnut box built by craftsman Jim Potter of Havre. The top of the box features a very attractive leather piece tooled by leatherworker Ray Besel of Lewistown.

The final calendar collection is generously being donated by Thomas Welch of Havre who came up with the calendar idea and spearheaded the project's initial association with Montana 4-H when he was a member of the Montana Aggies. Welch, a recently retired agricultural educator at Montana State University-Northern, believed Havre artist Don Greytak's pencil drawings of animals, children, machinery and rural agriculture scenes would be a natural fit for a Montana calendar. His initial thought was that every Montana county has 4-H members and these members and clubs could sell and benefit from calendar proceeds. The Montana Aggies and the Montana 4-H Foundation liked the idea and the project came to fruition with the first 1992 calendars printed and sold by Montana 4-H members throughout Montana in the fall of 1991.

The early calendars were originally titled "Montana Agriculture Calendar" and included many dates of agricultural events. The price remained at $10 until 2018. Each calendar has featured a Greytak pencil drawing on the calendar cover and an additional 12 seasonal drawings aligned with each month.

"Truly, the Montana 4-H Foundation is extremely grateful for Don Greytak's contribution to this project and his talent and generosity needs to be acknowledged," Montana 4-H Foundation Executive Director Sandra Germann said.

The calendar artwork with this 30-year collection represents an astounding 390 unique Greytak pencil drawings. Sales from these calendars have benefitted more than a generation of local 4-H members throughout Montana and have provided several hundred thousand dollars used for Montana 4-H member activities and youth development.

"This is one of the most pleasing and rewarding projects I have ever been involved with," Welch said. "I am extremely appreciative of the many supporters of this project including Don Greytak, past Montana 4-H Foundation Executive Director Terry Wolfe, current Executive Director Sandra Germann and early members of the Montana Aggies including Clint Peck, Hayden Ferguson, Fred Traeger and others that supported the project."

The Montana 4-H Foundation members also thanked the many people throughout Montana who have supported 4-H members through the years by purchasing Montana 4-H calendars and helped make this unique and ongoing project so successful.

2021 Calendars are on sale now through local county extension 4-H offices and the Montana 4-H Foundation at 406-994-5911, or online at http://www.mt4hfoundation.org/greytak-calendars.html . Calendars are available for $15 each with all proceeds benefiting Montana 4-H.