Purdue Extension offers education, fun at state fair

July 28, 2014  


Bone Zone

Visitors in the DuPont Food Pavilion at the Indiana State Fair will be greeted by this "barker," who welcomes people to the Purdue Extension exhibit Bone Zone Carnival of Healthy Choices.  (Purdue Agricultural Communication file photo)
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue Extension returns to the Indiana State Fair this week showcasing activities that are both educational and fun for the family and people of all ages.

The fair at the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis runs Aug. 1-17. Purdue Day, which includes participation from Purdue Extension, is Aug. 8.

Three Purdue Extension exhibits will be featured in the DuPont Food Pavilion during the run of the fair, including Bone Zone Carnival of Healthy Choices, in which children and adults can learn how diet and exercise keep bones healthy. Extension's most popular exhibit has traveled to museums in five states.

"The exhibit premiered at the Indiana State Fair in 2008, and we're bringing it back for an encore this year," said Jeffrey Rollins, coordinator of exhibits. "All of our exhibits are hands-on and very interactive, but the Bone Zone gets visitors' feet busy, too." 

The other exhibits are The Edible Journey: The Incredible Story of How Your Food Gets to You, which outlines the paths that food takes as it travels from the farm to the fork, and Indiana Farm to School, about Indiana's network to help ensure the health of children, farms, the environment, the economy and communities.

There will be Purdue Extension food and nutrition demonstrations every day, including on "kid-friendly" snacks, fish as "brain food," freezing produce so it can be enjoyed year-round, cooking with wild game, and enjoying food from gardens. Demonstrations will be in the DuPont Food Pavilion, 4-H Centennial Hall, and the Home and Family Arts Building.

Special events include:

* "What Does the 2014 Farm Bill Mean for Your Farm?" at 10 a.m. Aug. 12 in the banquet hall of the Indiana Farm Bureau Building. Purdue agricultural economists and officials from the Indiana Farm Service Agency will provide information to help farmers better understand parts of the new farm program that will require decisions on their part in late 2014 or early 2015 and what information they will need to gather to make informed decisions.

* Crop production report panel discussion, at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 12, also in the Farm Bureau Building banquet hall. Agricultural experts will analyze the U.S. Department of Agriculture's August crop production report that will be released that day. The report provides the first yield and production forecasts for the 2014 U.S. and Indiana crops.

* Women in Agriculture Awards, at 5 p.m. Aug. 13 in the Normandy Barn. Two awards will be presented to women who demonstrate leadership and innovation and make positive contributions to Indiana agriculture. The awards are part of the lieutenant governor's Celebration of Agriculture event.

 * Live veterinary surgery at a site along Farmers Boulevard on the north side of the fairgrounds. The demonstrations will be offered daily at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. except on Aug. 7, 12 and 14. Organized through collaboration with the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association, the animals are shelter pets that need the surgeries in order to be adopted into new homes.

Observance of the 13th annual Purdue Day will include booths and exhibits from the colleges of agriculture, health and human sciences, and veterinary medicine along State Fair Boulevard.           

Writer: Keith Robinson, 765-494-2722, robins89@purdue.edu 

Source: Jeffrey Rollins, 765-429-5409, jjrollin@purdue.edu

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Keith Robinson, robins89@purdue.edu
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