By Locals. For Locals. Wayne County, Indiana
Starting at 7:00 p.m. you can see the brightest and best competing in the track show at the Wayne County 4H fairgrounds. For only 6.00 to enter and a short drive from home ,it is local entertainment at it’s finest.
If you can’t make it to the State Fair competition this will be your best chance to see up close some fantastic marching bands. Come on out and cheer on your favorite school.
Food vendors will also be available.
A live concert and fireworks??!! Yes it’s true at your own Wayne County 4H Fairgrounds. Look below for a video of Pork McElhinny.
4H Fair Horse Show, 2011 & More to Come for 2012!
We’ve been distributing the new Go Wayne County print edition for the past 24 hours, and it is one you won’t want to miss. This is the special 4H Fair edition which includes an insert of the Fair schedule created by GWC. Our front page contributor is Carolyn Lafever, Wayne County Historian, who writes about the very first 4H Fair in Wayne County.
You can pick up a copy all over Wayne County including:
Right now:
Depot District:
Also in Richmond:
Fair Food! Prepare for it...
Later Today:
In Centerville:
In Hagerstown
In Cambridge City:
Also: the 4H Fairgrounds office.
We deliver to at least 35 locations across Wayne County each month. These are just the first few- so keep looking if you haven’t gotten a copy yet. Or contact us at Karole@gowaynecounty.com or constance@gowaynecounty.com and we’ll help you find one.
Many were moved throughout the day yesterday- moved to laughter and tears. As volunteers from many businesses and organizations walked the track in the hot sun, children played games and got their faces painted. People gathered and shared memories of loved ones, and experiences of surviving the disease we all decided we hate- cancer.
The video below of fireworks with a live Christian band in the background, was a particularly poignant way to end the day–a celebration of the lives of many who still fight to find a cure and the ones who have gone on after a long battle. For more pictures of Relay For Life you can visit our Facebook site at Go Wayne County.
Do you like mud? Do you have kids who like mud? Then you will want to head out to the 4H Fairgrounds this Saturday for the annual Mud Bog!
Races begin at 7:00 p.m. with gates opening early for ticket sales and good seats. $10.gate fee/person. Children 8 years old and under: free. For more information contact Gary Stapleton at 765-220-2100
Healthy Nutrition Program
A while back GoWayneCounty.com covered the just-released plans for the 4H Fair for summer 2011, and discovered that funding had been cut for part of the programs. To follow up we went to the Purdue Extension Office to find out the rest of the story.
Even though the extension has been in Wayne County since 1914, I did not know all that it entailed. However, after an interview with Stacy Herr from the Purdue Extension Office, I now have a better understanding.
According to Stacy Herr, the Extension is comprised of four parts. Under the umbrella are: 4-H and Youth Development, Ag and Natural Resources, Health and Human Sciences, and Economic and Community Development.
The most visible program in the community is 4-H due to the fair each summer, according to Stacy. But there are many other areas of support given by this four pronged department of the County, in partnership with Purdue.
Purdue’s partnership with Wayne County means that much of the staff is paid jointly by the County and by Purdue. The funding that was cut was actually due to the loss of two staff positions that were not filled—one after a retirement and another after an extended leave. This then has lead to an overflow of work falling on the staff that oversees other areas of the organization.
What this means is that the position which handled such things as the “chick it out” program and “professor popcorn” in the community is no longer filled. Therefore these programs will have to be streamlined. So this Spring, for example, not as many classrooms, as have in the past, will be able to have chicks in their rooms. But Stacy shared that with volunteers helping they will do the best they can. She added, “Our intent is to treat the 4-H Educator position as a vacancy and hope to fill it in the future.”
Health and Human Sciences, overseen by Georgia Wagner who is a registered Dietician, running full force—though the extra workload from unfilled positions will need to be shared. This program works through community agencies to support those at risk by providing education for nutritional needs. This education is done on both an individual and group basis as needed all over Wayne County.
Stacy Herr oversees the Ag and Natural Resources part of the Purdue extension and is also filling in the blanks in other areas. She said on average each growing season she will get about 500 calls from residents in Wayne County with concerns about their own gardens or farms. The questions can range from garden pests to soil composition.
Stacy, who holds a Masters Degree in her field, grew up in Southern Tippecanoe County on a farm. Her family raised hogs and grew popcorn. But as the area became urbanized her family stopped farming. But since agriculture was how she was raised, Stacy went on to higher education to study Animal Sciences at Purdue.
During the 8 years participating in 4-H, Stacy shared, the money she made was always used for educational purposes. She added that many young people in 4-H use the money earned for special trips in high school and to use towards college.
Stacy now lives in Wayne County and raises sheep with her husband. She does livestock education, other programs with Ag topics along with a Master Gardener program. And during 4-H she helps with livestock.
Casting At The 4H Fair 2010
She shared that the enrollment this year for 4-H will be about 1000 kids. She encourages parents to bring their children this year to the fair, if they are considering joining 4-H, to see what areas they may enjoy the most. Enrollment for 4-H starts around the end of the year (“holiday season”,) and closes by the first week in February. The fee to join 4-H is only 10.00 and is open to children 5 years old and up.
As mentioned above Stacy Herr also teaches the Master Gardener program which entails 32 hours of education plus 32 more hours of volunteerism. Several people in Wayne County have graduated and now volunteer in the community. Another exciting project coming up is the new “Rain Garden” which will be showcased at the Wayne County Fairgrounds this year. A horticultural student from Purdue will design the rain garden which will show people how to use runoff in their gardens. The Master Gardener Club will plant the garden.
To find out more about the programs and services offered by the Purdue Extension Office in Wayne County you can call them at 765-973-9261 or visit their website. http://www.ag.purdue.edu/counties/wayne. You can also find out how to support or contribute to this very important organization. Donations can be earmarked for certain programs by the donor.
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