Orcutt retires from Fallbrook 4-H Club

Lynn Orcutt spent 39 years in Fallbrook 4-H Club, including as a group leader, but she has retired from her official 4-H Club role after concluding her duties with the 2018 San Diego County Fair.

"It's been a wonderful gift to me my whole life," Orcutt said.

Orcutt said that 4-H Club helps to develop children into adults.

"It's a wonderful program," she said. "I was grateful to be involved in it all those years."

Orcutt's parents developed the Valley Oaks mobile home park, and the family moved from Fullerton to Fallbrook in 1958. Orcutt graduated from Fallbrook High School in 1963, although she was not in 4-H Club or Future Farmers of America. Her current husband, David, was a Fallbrook 4-H Club member as a child in the 1960s.

Between the two of them David and Lynn Orcutt have five children, all of whom attended Fallbrook High School. Lynn Orcutt has four sons, and the younger three were involved in Fallbrook 4-H Club as well as the FFA chapter at Fallbrook High School. Orcutt's sister married Darwin East, whose children were involved in 4-H Club and interested their cousins in the organization. Orcutt's second son, Danny Long, joined Fallbrook 4-H Club when he was 12 and became interested in sheep.

"They got so much out of those programs. They learned business and they learned leadership, and they learned all kinds of skills that have nothing to do with agriculture," Orcutt said.

Although three of Orcutt's sons worked at Fallbrook Fertilizer, Feed and Farm Supply during their school years, only one of the children currently works in agriculture. T.J. Salinas, who is the youngest of the four sons, manages an organic citrus farm in Pala.

Orcutt's younger three children are now 50, 37 and 33. Despite the 13-year gap between her second and third child, Orcutt remained involved with the Fallbrook 4-H Club. Orcutt's granddaughter – whose father is the only child who was not in 4-H Club – is now 26, so Orcutt had another gap between children or grandchildren in 4-H Club.

"I still stayed on as a leader," Orcutt said. "There was always a niece, a nephew, a friend's child."

During her Fallbrook 4-H Club career, Orcutt was involved in the sheep, beef, goats, dairy goats, dairy cattle and swine groups, and she was a leader in the sheep, goats, dairy goats and swine groups. Orcutt was also active in other aspects of 4-H Club.

"We were involved in projects that had nothing to do with animals," Orcutt said. "I just appreciate parents loaning me their children. They just really were fun to watch grow up."

Orcutt had been the swine leader for the past 12 years. Her husband and his daughter, Courtney Cooke, will take over the swine group.

The 4-H Club leadership roles are on a volunteer basis, and Orcutt has been a barber in Fallbrook since she purchased Village Barber Shop in 1976. Five years ago, she closed Village Barbershop and moved her hair-cutting activities into Bello Lei Salon.

"I spent every vacation I had at the fair," Orcutt said.

Her duties at the county fair required her to spend 14 full days with Fallbrook 4-H Club.

"I figured out if I didn't quit being a 4-H leader I would never do anything else," Orcutt said.

Orcutt plans to use her vacation days for travel, although she may take one vacation day to join the 4-H Club members and leaders at the county fair in future years.

"I'll be at the fair," she said.

Fallbrook 4-H Club, which is for children at least 9 years old, resumed Sept. 4. "There are lots of things for kids to do," Orcutt said.