The one hundredth anniversary of the Smith-Lever Act, which created the national Cooperative Extension System, will be marked with events nationwide during 2014.
Enacted May 8, 2014, the act was crafted to provide cooperative agricultural extension work between the agricultural colleges established by land grant legislation in 1862 under the Morrill Act.
According to the Cooperative Extension website, the year-long celebration will highlight Extension’s past and focus on the contemporary application of Extension’s transformational educational programming into the future.
Local University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension offices are gearing up for the celebration as well.
According to Mason County Horticultural Agent Tracey Parriman, events coordinated through her office will officially kick off May 8 and continue into the Germantown Fair.
An invitation only "Leaders and Legislatures" lunch will be hosted May 8 at the Mason County extension office, followed later that day with a public reception and open house from 5p.m. to 7p.m.
Parriman said members of the community are encouraged to bring in old farming pictures, old homemaker project samples, and old 4-H projects, all focused around Mason County. Examples of some of the projects are: lamps made from pop cans by 4-H members; sewing/needlework projects; woodworking projects; and even old record books.
Although May 8 marks the official kick-off in Mason County, a tree planting scheduled for April 4 in honor of Kentucky Arbor Day is also part of the celebration. Coordinated by the Mason County Master Gardeners Association, the tree planting will take place at the Washington Recreation Park, followed by a giveaway of 400 trees at the park and the Extension office.
Projects centered around the week of the Germantown Fair will be a joint effort of the Mason, Bracken and Robertson county extension offices and will include: a fashion show featuring the fashions of the past 10 decades; ice cream and cake social, followed by a Family Barn Dance on Aug. 2; and the addition of the oldest 4-H project and 4-H memorabilia categories to the Floral Hall.
For more information about the national celebration, visit http://www.extension100years.net; for local information call Parriman at 606-564-6808.
The Ledger Independent is online at: http://www.maysville-online.com