In keeping with the rich traditions celebrated as part of the 175th edition of the Wayne County Fair, the Ohio State University Extension, Family and Consumers Sciences program once again will provide a variety of demonstrations and speakers in the Grange Rotunda, Monday through Thursday, Sept. 9-12.
Monday’s programming is geared to youths and their families to coincide with Kid’s Day. The first Kid’s Day at the fair was in 1915 and will continue this year with all sorts of interesting
Grange Rotunda presentations. Our speakers are bringing bugs, creatures, animal artifacts, a snake and snacks and even a robot.
The rest of the week, visitors can learn about teas, pottery, wool spinning, quilting, gardening, historical barns, antique tools and consumer protection.
Here is the lineup:
Monday, Sept. 9
10:30 a.m. Insect Adventures with the United Titanium Bug Zoo from the Ohio State University Wooster Campus. Zoo staff will bring some of Ohio’s native insects from the zoo and it will be a hands-on learning experience!
11:30 a.m. Featured Creatures - Serena Solis from the Wilderness Center of Wilmot will bring the center’s ambassador animals – Zea, a red corn snake, and Gus, an Eastern box turtle, for visitors to meet.
12:30 p.m. Build A Healthy Plate With Rita - Rita Abboud, Wooster Community Hospital registered dietitian, will lead an interactive session with kids on how to build a healthy plate. It’s a great way for parents to get healthy meal and snack ideas for back-to-school. Participants can win healthy snacks!
2 p.m. “Skins and Skulls” Mammals of Ohio Wildlife Program – John Lorson, Soil and Water Conservation District program manager, will lead a program on Ohio’s wild mammals complete with skulls, furs and even a few surprise animal artifacts. Pre-pioneer Ohio was filled with creatures of all sorts, and while some species were lost to the changing times, a handful have been successfully reintroduced and some have even made it back to the Buckeye State on their own. Come see, touch and learn about your wild Ohio neighbors! (Suitable for all ages.)
3 p.m. The Triway High School Robotics Team will talk about what’s involved in building a robot, how robots are used, and what they’ve learned from their experience with robotics.
4 p.m. Easy And Attractive Indoor Plants – OSU Master Gardener Mark Wiest will talk about five indoor plants that are easy to grow and care for. Audience members will be able to take home plant starters.
Tuesday, Sept. 10
10:30 a.m. Controlling Those Pesky Weeds - Paul Snyder, Secrest Arboretum operations manager and Master Gardener coordinator, will talk about common lawn and landscape weeds, their lifecycle and how to control them.
11:30 a.m. Understanding Utility Consumer Protections and Energy Assistance Programs - Tonja Stewart Shaw, senior outreach and education specialist for the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, will give an overview of Utility Consumer Protections and Energy Assistance Programs, focusing on how they support consumers in managing their utility costs and safeguarding their access to essential services. She will discuss various types of consumer protections available, including disconnection safeguards, payment plan options, and rights to fair treatment by utility companies. She also will cover energy assistance programs designed to help low-income households, including eligibility criteria, application processes, and the range of benefits available.
12:30 p.m. How To Keep Your Muscles Happy and Healthy – Wellness Center Director Dianna Stair, registered nurse and licensed massage therapist, will give an overview of the muscles in the body and the importance of keeping them moving. She will share techniques to help individuals relieve muscle tightness that involve using a simple tennis ball and a swim noodle.
2 p.m. Camellia Sinensis - 6 Teas, One Plant by Sonia Mullens, owner of New World Spice and Tea Traders in Wooster. It is not different plants that provide us with varieties of tea, but the process. Sonia will discuss how we get white, green, yellow, oolong, black, and dark tea all from one plant – Camellia Sinensis.
3 p.m. Pottery Demonstration – Adam McVicker ceramics coordinator at Wayne Center for the Arts, will be at his pottery wheel molding clay.
Wednesday, Sept. 11
10:30 a.m. Bonsai Basics – Dr. Ken and Cynthia Blanchard will give a brief overview of the history of bonsai, materials commonly used, techniques for creating it, and the care and maintenance of bonsai. They will demonstrate how a nursey stock tree can be altered to create a bonsai.
11:30 a.m. When Rain Hits the Ground: Rainfall Simulator Demonstration - Wayne Soil & Water Conservation District will host a demonstration of its new Rainfall Simulator—a device designed to shed light on the complex relationship between soil health, ground cover, stormwater runoff and groundwater recharge. The simulator, a collaborative effort with Medina SWCD will be making its first Wayne County appearance and actually include soil plots from area crop fields, pastures and even residential lawns so attendees can observe firsthand how land use affects our water resources. Staff will welcome questions for this interactive presentation.
12:30 p.m. Historical Barns - Wayne County is home to many family farms that have belonged to the same family for generations. Learn about the different styles of barns in our area as well as the Historic Family Farm program that honors farms that have been continuously owned by the same family for generations. Presenter is Wayne County native Barbara Lang, who serves as the Northeast Ohio farmer advisory board member for the Ohio Department of Farmland Preservation. She is also a board member of Friends of Ohio Barns and the American Dairy Association Mideast.
2 p.m. Tree City Quilt Guild – See beautiful quilts and learn about different quilting techniques from the Tree City Quilt Guild.
3 p.m. Wool and Flax Spinning - Sue and Rick Rindchen will demonstrate spinning wool and flax and talk about the importance of these fibers in agriculture and manufacturing.
Thursday, Sept. 12
10: 30 a.m. Caring For Hydrangeas - Paul Snyder from Secrest Arboretum will return to speak about hydrangeas. Panicle hydrangeas are everywhere. With so many to choose from, how do you know which one to plant? Paul will discuss top performing plants from Secrest Arboretum’s hydrangea trial and provide instructions on how to grow and care for hydrangea.
11:30 a.m. A New Focus For Your Lawn – Master Gardener Gary Horrisberger will discuss the latest research for customizing a management plan for your lawn, including strategies for reducing rainwater runoff and making it available to support a healthier lawn.
12:20 p.m. Tool Time with the Ag Museum - Paul Locher, director and curator of the Buckeye Agricultural Museum and Education Center and historical columnist for Farm and Dairy magazine, will speak about the ongoing development of the museum. He also will provide an audience-involved presentation on some tools that would have been used on the area’s pioneer farms. Come and have some fun guessing the use of these unusual and historic tools from Paul’s personal collection.
2 p.m. Using AI to Overcome Family History Research Roadblocks - Deborah Kitko, genealogy librarian at the Wayne County Public Library for more than 35 years, will discuss Artificial Intelligence and other tools that family historians may use to overcome roadblocks in their research. In February of this year, FamilySearch launched a new experimental website using AI to search every name in U.S. Property Records and U.S. Probate Court. Deborah is president of the Wayne County Genealogical Society and a trustee with the Wayne County Historical Society and Ohio Genealogical Society.
. 3 p.m. Killbuck Watershed Land Trust – What Does It Do? Tate Emerson, executive director of the Killbuck Watershed Land Trust, will share information and answer questions about the non-profit and local farmland preservation trust.
Speaking of history, the Grange Rotunda was bult in 1912 and contains 16 sides, one for each township Grange. Hope to see you at the fair.
Laurie Sidle is an Ohio State University Extension Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H program assistant and may be reached at 330-264-8722 or sidle.31@osu.edu.
CFAES provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis. For more information, visit cfaesdiversity.osu.edu
This article was previsouly published in The Daily Record.