Fencing Clinic

The Ashe County Center is hosting a fencing clinic on Wednesday, September 2, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. This clinic will be held at the Upper Mountain Research Station in Laurel Springs.

Lewis Sapp, Territory Manager for Stay-Tuff Fence Manufacturing, will be providing his expertise on correct procedures for installing woven wire and Hi-tensile fencing. He can help with fencing projects from start to finish. He will have encing products and the latest tools on hand. There will also be a demonstration on flat and steep grades. If you have any questions, please contact the Research Station at 336-982-2501 or the Ashe Extension Office at (336) 846-5850.

4-H camps get much deserved recognition

In addition to traditional 4-H camp sessions, we conduct a variety of specialty camps each summer. Two of those camps were featured by local TV stations. Thought you would like to see the coverage on one of our /Operation Purple Camps /(at Swannanoa) and /Take Off 4-Health Camp/ at the Eastern 4-H Center. We are justly proud of all of our camps. It is gratifying to see two of them featured in such a positive way by area media.

Enjoy:

http://www.wlos.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/wlos_vid_695.shtml (look for Operation Purple)http://www.wnct.com/nct/news/local/article/take_off_for_health_camp_in_its_second_week/46680/
Larry Hancock
Extension 4-H Specialist

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.

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.

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!

Community Health Fair

Be Happy Be Healthy Community Health Fair

Friday, June 19, 2009

3 - 6 pm @ the Alleghany Memorial Hospital Lawn

Alleghany Memorial Hospital and the Wellness Center will be having a health fair on hospital grouds and will include health services information, lab work for adults, as well as tons of fun activities for the kids. Everything is free except for lab services. Snow cones, bounce house, jump rope, climbing wall, train rides, live music, and a FireHouse to learn about fire safety and calling 911 for help. The helicopter will also be on site. Bring the whole family and enjoy a fun afternoon to learn about healthcare services from our local hospital.