Monday, July 27, 2009

Alleghany 4-H’er Inducted into Honor Club


An Alleghany County 4-H’er received one of the highest honors a 4-H’er can achieve during the annual state 4-H Congress.

Congress is the high point of the 4-H year, bringing young people from across the state to the North Carolina State University campus and Raleigh for a week of activity. This year’s Congress was July 20-24 and included a celebration of 100 years of 4-H in North Carolina.

Cate Hall, 19, daughter of Bonnie C. and Al Hall of Sparta, was inducted into the 4-H Honor Club. Cate, a student at Wilkes Community College, has been active in the 4-H program for nine years.

New Honor Club members were tapped during a candlelight ceremony Monday night, July 20. Membership in the Honor Club is based on service to the 4-H program, leadership, moral standards, 4-H activities and project achievement. Less than one-half of 1 percent of North Carolina 4-H’ers are selected for membership each year. Members must be at least 16 years old and have a minimum of three years 4-H experience.

Approximately 800 4-H’ers, volunteer leaders and North Carolina Cooperative Extension agents attended 4-H Congress.The 4-H program is the youth education program of North Carolina Cooperative Extension, based at North Carolina State and North Carolina A&T State universities. More than 239,000 young people between the ages of 5 and 19 participate in North Carolina 4-H activities each year with the help of 23,000 adult and youth volunteers.

For more information about 4-H in Alleghany and how you can get involved, please contact Amy Lucas at (336) 372-5597 or amy_lucas@ncsu.edu.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

2009 Farm Expo

The Ashe and Alleghany County Cooperative Extension, the Ashe and Alleghany County Christmas Tree and Cattlemen's Associations and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture are hosting an all-inclusive Farm Expo on Saturday August 29 from 12:30 pm until dark at the Upper Mountain Research Station in Laurel Springs, NC.

The 2009 Farm Expo will highlight research projects at Upper Mountain Research Station, farm diversification opportunities, and have vendors showing off new farm equipment, conservation opportunities, farm related funding, area banks, and many other for profit and nonprofit agricultural services.

The Ashe and Alleghany County Cattlemen's Associations will be grilling fresh roast beef for dinner and the NCDA will be providing a "Taste of North Carolina" exhibit with strawberries, and other farm fresh produce to highlight the abundance and diversity of crops grown in North Carolina.

The 2009 Farm Expo is being co-sponsored by NC Farm Bureau and Carolina Farm Credit. NC Farm Bureau's ice cream truck (free ice cream all day) will be on hand for the Expo.

Click here for the brochure that gives all the information needed about attending this event.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Open Youth Horse Show


The first Open Youth Horse Show of 2009 will be held on Saturday, July 25th. The gates will open at 7:30 a.m. and Registration will begin at 8:00 a.m. Click here for the Show Program which lists all the classes for the day. The cost to participate in the show is $3 per class or $15 to show all day. Friday night (July 24th) there will be a show pre-registration as well as an open ring from 7 - 8:30 pm.

Alleghany County Fair


The 22nd Annual Alleghany County Agricultural Fair will be August 22-29, 2009. Click here for more information about the fair. There is a complete Schedule of Events, as well as Rules and Entry forms for the Demolition Derby, Livestock Shows and the Exhbibition Building.

We hope to see you and your family at the fair!