College Tent at Ag Expo Educates, Entertains
College Tent at Ag Expo Educates, Entertains
5/23/08
Contact: Michelle Lavra
517-432-1555, ext. 156
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) will once again pitch a tent at the 29th annual Ag Expo, July 15-17 on the campus of Michigan State University.
“Education Celebration” is the theme of this year’s CANR tent in honor of several MSU milestones -- the 100th birthday of Michigan 4-H, the 100th birthday of MSU agriscience education, the 80th birthday of Future Farmers of America (FFA), the 15th birthday of the Michigan 4-H Children’s Gardens, the fifth birthday of the MSU Product Center and the fifth birthday of the CANR tent’s appearance at Ag Expo.
In celebration of these milestones, birthday cake will be served each day in the CANR tent at approximately 1:30 p.m. Free ice cream will be provided by the MSU Dairy Store, including the new “4-H Forever” flavor in celebration of the 100th birthday of the Michigan 4-H program. Donations would be appreciated and will be collected at the ice cream station. Proceeds will benefit the CANR Alumni Scholarship Fund.
The United Dairy Industry of Michigan (UDIM) is sponsoring a performance stage in the tent and will be providing the public with daily cooking demonstrations at 11:30 a.m. Free samples will be available to the audience to taste each day.
Other presentations on the UDIM performance stage will include a session on combating moles in your lawn, tips for buying horse hay and an interactive seatbelt safety presentation put on by the Ingham County 4-H Seatbelt Safety team.
Information about career options related to agriculture and natural resources will be available to visitors, as well as the opportunity to speak with college representatives about attending MSU and the CANR. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about interesting research projects that are going on around the world while enjoying a cup of Rwandan coffee, and they can get one-on-one advice from the Water Research Institute on well-placement decisions.
The MSU Bulletin Office will have popular publications for sale such as field guides to butterflies, reptiles and amphibians. The Plant Doctor booth will be staffed by Master Gardeners and other horticulture experts who will answer questions and examine and diagnose problematic plants. Fresh produce and flowers from the MSU Student Organic Farm will be for sale in front of the CANR tent.
Children can choose from a variety of activities such as the popular craft table and face painting, along with other games and giveaways at many of the booths. The crash-test dummies will be visiting to educate on seatbelt safety, and kids will be rewarded with a prize after completing their “diploma” by collecting stamps from each booth they visit.
The CANR tent has expanded this year, offering something for everyone, especially families and children.
“Five years ago, we started the CANR tent with several booths and about 5,000 visitors,” said CANR tent co-manager Michelle Lavra. “This year, we have about 30 booths filled, and we hope to top last year’s visitor record of approximately 13,000. The CANR tent is both educational and entertaining, showcasing what CANR offers while providing fun activities for the whole family.”
The CANR tent will be in a new location this year, taking over the space that had traditionally been occupied by the Ag Expo food tent.
For more information regarding the CANR tent or Ag Expo, call 1-800-366-7055 or visit the Web site at http://www.agexpo.msu.edu/index.htm.
#ml#