Jewell County, Kansas is a county located in extreme North Central Kansas in the center of the United States. The population was estimated to be 3,324. Its county seat and most populous city is Mankato. Graced with both rolling hills and fertile farmland, Jewell County is fortunate to have a variety of topography. Outdoor recreational opportunities abound. Lovewell Lake and State Park, located in the northern part of the county, offers excellent fishing, camping, hunting, nature study and water sports. Good fishing is also available at the Jewell County State Lake.

If you’re looking for new and exciting adventures, then Kansas is the place you want to be. History buffs can explore the state’s legendary cowboy towns or visit Kansas’ countless museums which celebrate the state’s pioneer, aviation, farming and Native American legacies. Outdoor enthusiasts will be happy to know that Kansas is still home on the range to the American bison which can be viewed up close at two of the state’s wildlife refuges and along the highways in Western Kansas and the Flint Hills. And for nature lovers, Kansas is home to the largest remaining stand of tall grass prairie in North America, providing a glimpse of what the continent looked like 200 years ago.

Kansas also boasts two minor league baseball teams, big-time college athletics and the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City which hosts some of NASCAR’s biggest events. And we promise when you visit Kansas, traffic congestion will not be a problem. The Road Information Program recently ranked Kansas roads as the seventh-best in the nation. And while there’s no official index of "crystal-clear days that fade into tranquil starry nights," we think we’d rank pretty high on that one, too.

We have a very diverse group of individuals in the 4-H exchange program who are involved in a wide variety of 4-H projects. We have been involved with many interstate exchange groups including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Idaho and Colorado to mention a few. We are open to traveling or being hosts. If hosting we do offer 2-3 family outings and would love our visiting state to help choose the activities we participate in. Some activities could include the Midget Nationals car races at the Bellville High Banks (the worlds fastest ½ mile dirt track), Kansas’ largest rodeo in Phillipsburg, Worlds of Fun/Oceans of Fun (amusement park/water park), Kansas Cosmosphere, Exploration Place, Salt Mines and many other activities too numerous to mention. Activities are dependent on dates of travel.

* Do you already have your group together for 2008/2009 exchange? If so, how many members do you have participating?
Currently we have 15 members.

* What is your boy/girl ratio?
At this time we could have 5 boys/10 girls.

* How is your group formed?
Our group is formed of any youth 14-18 who are active in 4-H. Most of our youth take a minimum of five projects each. Our junior leader group is a leadership group and all take leadership as a project. Mainly consisting of mentoring other 4-H youth and a lot of community service and community service projects.

* As well, do your participants remain the same for the two year exchange?
Ours basically stays the same. We will usually have 1-2 people leave as they are older and go off to college, therefore choose not to be in anymore. Then we will have a few who are now age eligible who can join.

* Is your group willing to travel first?
Our group is willing to travel first.

* Are all expenses paid when you host?
Our group pays for all group activities, as well as meals while in a group setting. The host family will furnish all meals and activities on family days. The only thing your participants would need to pay for is souvenirs.

* What airport do groups fly into? How far are you from the airport?
There are two major airports in Kansas. Kansas City International Airport is located in Kansas City, Missouri about five hours away and Wichita Intercontinental Airport in Wichita, Kansas about two hours away. It depends on where we can get the cheaper rates as to which airport we will use.

*How spread out are the exchange members in your county?
The participants are spread out but not widely. Usually they are within 5-10 miles of each other, with the majority being close to our two largest cities (Mankato and Jewell).

* Do you participate in /attend all events as a group? Do you have a family day, if so, one or more?
As with your group, we have group activities 3-4 days and family days 2-3 days. Some families get together and have group activities amongst themselves on “family days.” We encourage all participants to attend group activity days unless they have planned something really spectacular that day and that is the only day they can do it.

* Do you allow your teens to drive their exchange partners to and from group events?
We have on occasion had the teens drive, but we usually have our trip planned ahead of time enough that most mothers have the time off to chauffeur the kids around. If this is strict rule you abide by, then so will we. That is all part of the group exchange experience.

* How do you travel throughout the week?
On group outings and picking up and dropping off visiting travelers from the airport, we will charter a bus. It is like the busses that Greyhound or Trailways uses, but nicer. Excellent air-conditioning and in-bus movies.

* Do you have group meals?
We have a welcome picnic the day you arrive and a farewell picnic the evening before you leave. We provide snacks on all bus trips. On group activity days your meals will be provided. Otherwise meals on family days are provided by the host family.

* Where have you taken past groups while hosting?
There are many local tourist places that all of the visiting group will go to such as POW Camp in Concordia, Kansas; Geographic Center of the Continental United States in Lebanon, Kansas; Waconda Lake in Glen Elder, Kansas (site of the Waconda Natural Mineral Spring); and World’s Largest Ball of Twine in Cawker City, Kansas. Other places we have gone on group activities are water park/amusement parks for fun, but we usually like to take groups on educational outings that give a history and background of Kansas such as the Cosmosphere and Science Center in Hutchinson, Kansas; Eisenhower Museum in the state capital Topeka; the Oz Museum in Wamego; and Old Abilene Town right on the Chisholm Trail. It was also home to Wild Bill Hickok who was marshal of this town in 1871, as well as home of our famous president Dwight D. Eisenhower. For night time activities, there are rodeos and car races, fairs, etc. A lot of where we go depends on which airport you will be arriving at, but we also want to give you the choice on where we go. We will have a map and areas of interest sent to you, so you will be able to see where things are. Kansas is pretty spread out, and it seams you have to drive to get anywhere.