Volume 23, Number 14 – August 11, 2008
WVU Offers ‘Perennial Favorite’ Events
at State Fair
4-H to Open Camp Fairlea at
State Fair
State 4-H Judging, Presentations to Merge into One Event
4-H’ers to Tend Birdhouses at Interstate Rest
Areas
You Can Help Extension Put Learning to Work in Everyday Life
Meeting Notes
Directory Update
People and Places
Free hands-on activities, prizes, and souvenirs will help WVU again blossom as “The Perennial Favorite” when the State Fair of West Virginia throws the state’s “Biggest Garden Party” from Friday, Aug. 8, through Saturday, Aug. 16, in Fairlea, near Lewisburg.
Organized by WVU Extension, the University’s fun-filled harvest is designed for West Virginians of all ages to enjoy exhibits, displays, and activities that feature the programs of more than 20 schools and departments.
A diverse menu of free activities will be found in the WVU Building, Underwood Youth Building, 4-H Council Circle, barns, and show rings.
New this year is 4-H Camp Fairlea, which will provide fair-goers a taste of WVU’s nationally recognized 4-H summer learning programs. The camp was dedicated during a “commemorative reunion and Council Circle” on Saturday, Aug. 9.
The “coolness” of science will be found in the air-conditioned WVU Building, where the NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium promises out-of-this-world fun for teachers, students, parents, and anyone interested in science. A highlight of that exhibit is a solar system scale showing how much a person would weigh on other planets.
Fair-goers can try the ever-popular chocolate chip cookie mining game and the “Spinery” game; both challenges were developed by the National Research Center for Coal and Energy (NRCCE).
Some other WVU fair highlights include:
Other WVU programs offering exhibits include the College of Creative Arts, National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium, Student Affairs, Appalachian Farming Systems Research Center, College of Human Resources and Education, Health Sciences Center, Office of Undergraduate Student Recruitment, Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences, and WVU Institute of Technology.
The full schedule of WVU activities, times, and dates can be found on the WVU Extension Service Web site (www.ext.wvu.edu). Other details about the State Fair are on the fair’s Web site (www.statefairofwv.com).
4-H Camp Fairlea will blossom for the first time this summer and will be in full bloom every day during the State Fair of West Virginia. At the newly constructed 4-H Council Circle area, all fair-goers can transplant themselves into rich West Virginia 4‑H traditions, including singing, telling stories, and playing games.
A full Council Circle program will be held each evening. In addition, 4-H Camp Fairlea will feature a bounty of hands-on experiences—everything from computers to crafts—in the Underwood Youth Building.
4-H members, alumni, and volunteers had a special invitation to participate in a “commemorative reunion and Council Circle” on Saturday, Aug. 9. The reunion kicked off at 4 p.m. Special recognition was given to the Union (Monroe County) Rotary Club, which provided the funding for the materials to build the Council Circle. Monroe County is the home of West Virginia’s first corn club (forerunner of today’s 4-H clubs).
4-H Youth Development has announced that its annual state judging events, public speaking contest, visual presentations, and dog skillathon will merge into one event in 2009. The event will held from July 29 to Aug. 1 on the WVU campus in Morgantown.
The tentative schedule includes three days of competition and fun-filled educational programs featuring several WVU departments.
Participants may come to Morgantown on Wednesday, July 29, to prepare for the State 4-H Judging Day on Thursday, July 30. That day will feature judging contests in livestock, horticulture, land, and homesite.
The State 4-H Days Public Speaking and Visual Presentations and Dog Skillathon will be a two-day event, July 31 and Aug. 1. Also on the schedule will be the new “Clover College,” featuring programs for the whole family presented by WVU Extension and other WVU schools and colleges.
4-H’ers attending this new event will have the opportunity not only to develop crucial life skills while participating in the competitive events but also to learn about some of today’s hottest topics in science, technology, and creative arts.
For more information concerning any of the events, contact Jean Woloshuk (Jean.Woloshuk@mail.wvu.edu) or Chad Higgins (cchiggins@mail.wvu.edu).
Interstate rest areas in West Virginia will sport new homes for purple martins and bluebirds, thanks to 4-H club members who are cooperating with the W.Va. Department of Highways.
4-H members living near each rest area are pledging their commitment to maintain the housing and to check on the needs of the birds.
In addition to providing 4-H’ers with an opportunity to learn about the birds and conduct a community service activity, the project will provide delightful natural sights and sounds for rest area visitors.
The first birdhouses have been erected in rest areas in Cabell and Preston counties. On Aug. 26, 4-H’ers in Berkeley County will take part in ceremonies to inaugurate the project in two rest areas near Marlowe and Bunker Hill. Other ceremonies will be announced later.
The birdhouses were donated by Dave McClaskey, president of S&K Manufacturing of O’Fallon, Mo. He previously donated birdhouses to Boy Scouts in Missouri, who maintain them in interstate rest areas there.
Purple martins are starting to make a comeback in West Virginia, but they nest only in homes provided for them. These cheerful birds feed on flying insects and remove them naturally around buildings and grounds. The bluebird is well-known for its beauty.
American Indians provided gourds for the purple martins to nest in because the birds ate thousands of mosquitoes and other flying insects around their homes. Purple martins winter in South America and return each spring to the same houses in North America to raise their young.
WVU Extension works in the everyday life of West Virginia’s parents, children, farmers, businesses, communities, and labor force. One in five youths and more than 6,000 adults participate in 4-H in this state. Farming and forestry grow while our environment is protected. Community leaders receive training and tools to help them better serve local citizens. Extension promotes healthy lifestyles to all—from toddlers through seniors.
You can enhance Extension’s capability to do all this—and more. By directing your attorney to include a gift provision in your will or revocable trust directed to the “West Virginia University Foundation for the benefit of the Extension Service,” you can touch the lives of West Virginians in all walks of life in all sections of the state. You can even focus your gift on an Extension program that holds a special place in your life.
Julie Cryser at 304-293-5691 can be a good educational resource for you when it’s appropriate to learn more.
Extension puts learning to work in the lives of all West Virginians. With your generous help, their lives will be that much more satisfying for generations to come.
… The annual field day at Dave Miller’s Mountain Diamond Longhorn Farm near Tunnelton is scheduled for Aug. 23. The event will start at 9 a.m., with lunch being served around noon. This field day is held each year to provide educational opportunities for residents of West Virginia and neighboring states. Among this year’s activities will be an apiary demonstration and a pasture walk. Presentations will be made by Holly Spooner on geriatric horse care, Rakesh Chandran on weed control, and Tom McConnell on small farms in West Virginia. If you plan to attend, you should make a reservation by calling the Preston County WVU Extension Office at 304-329-1391.
… Registration for the Galaxy III Conference closes Aug. 15, and there will be no on-site registration. The meeting, which involves Extension professionals from all subject matter areas, will be held inIndianapolis, Ind., Sept. 15-19. Registration fee for the entire conference is $495, and daily registration is $150 per day. Several preconference sessions are being offered on Monday, Sept.15. To register, visit the Galaxy Web site (https://sharepoint.agriculture.purdue.edu/ces/galaxy/default.aspx).
… The next WVU Extension Service Professional Development Day will be held Wednesday, Sept. 24, at WVU Jackson's Mill, Weston. A list of offerings will be available soon.
The phone number for the WVU Extension State Fire Training Academy at WVU Jackson’s Mill was changed recently to 304-269-0875. The fax number is 304-269-0870.
… Faculty and Staff Changes
Mark Doty joined the organization Aug. 4 as program coordinator with Fire Service Extension (FSE). He is responsible for conducting the aircraft rescue and firefighting program and for managing the Mobile Structural Fire Trainer. Among other duties, Mark will train and certify fire service instructors and develop resources for them to use. He’ll also establish a marketing plan for all FSE programs. Mark has a bachelor’s degree in technology education from Fairmont State University (FSU), where he is enrolled in a master’s program. In addition to serving recently as a graduate assistant at FSU, he did substitute teaching in Wetzel County. He was also a driver, aide, and emergency medical technician for Wetzel County Emergency Ambulance Association and a lieutenant/training officer for the Paden City Fire Company.
July 28 was the first day on the job for Alissa Gren, who is the administrative associate with Safety and Health Extension. For the past three years, Alissa was employed by Vinyard Christian Fellowship in Cambridge, Mass., in administrative assistant positions. She also worked in the Provost’s Office at Boston University as a staff coordinator and as a student worker. Alissa worked one summer for WVU Extension as a student employee. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Boston University in 2003.
The following WVU Extension Service faculty have received promotions: Michael Dougherty, Extension professor; Ronnie Helmondollar, Extension associate professor; Jeff Olson, Extension clinical assistant professor; Philip Osborne, Davis College professor of animal and nutritional sciences; and Brian Sparks, Extension assistant professor with tenure.
… Have You Heard?
The WVU Extension 2008 Directory has been posted on the intranet (http://intranet.ext.wvu.edu/intouch/ext_dir/dirindex.htm). You may also go to it by selecting Directory in the Fast Track on the Extension intranet homepage (http://intranet.ext.wvu.edu/). Because the directory will be printed, all employees should check the accuracy of their information in this online version. If corrections need to be made, send the information in an e-mail by Aug. 15 to Gitta Jenkins (Gitta.Jenkins@mail.wvu.edu).
Cathann Kress will leave National 4-H Headquarters Aug. 28. She has accepted a position with the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense. She will be responsible for creating strategic plans for establishing networks and collaborative efforts to address the needs of military families.
State officials are asking telephone users to prepare for the introduction of the new 681 area code by dialing all 10 digits when making local phone calls. Technically, the change is only practice because local calls will continue to be completed regardless of whether users dial the area code. But that will change Feb. 28, 2009, when West Virginians must dial 10 digits to complete any call. Starting March 28, 2009, new telephone numbers may be assigned the new 681 area code regardless of their location. As a result, neighbors living on the same street may end up with different area codes. Anyone wanting to call a local number will need to dial all 10 digits of the number. They will not be charged long-distance rates for calling local numbers.
… In Memoriam
Retiree P. Everett Mason, 72, died July 21 at his home in
Ellenboro. He was the WVU Extension agent in Gilmer County for 26 years. Everett
had a bachelor’s degree from Glenville State College and a master’s
degree in agricultural education from WVU. Survivors include his widow, Mary
Davis Mason, two sons, and a granddaughter. Condolences may be sent to the
family at PO Box 235, Ellenboro WV 26346. Memorial contributions may be made
to Wesley United Methodist Church, PO Box 54, Ellenboro WV 26346.
James Y. Pritchard, 79, father of Jim Pritchard, died July 25. His funeral was July 28 in Marlinton. His wife, Ida Hiner Pritchard, also survives. Memorial donations may be made to the Baxter Presbyterian Church, Dunmore WV 24934. Condolences may be sent to Jim at Rt. 1 Box 263, Marlinton WV 24954.
Jackie A. Belcher, 68, father-in-law of Donald Reed, died July 13 at Princeton Community Hospital. His funeral was July 16 in Iaeger. Condolences may be sent to Donald and LaNelle c/o the McDowell County WVU Extension Office, Box 860, Welch WV 24801.
Important Program Planning and Reporting Date
See the full calendar on the Web (http://intranet.ext.wvu.edu/progdev/reportab.htm#dates08).
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Our Continuing Mission . . .
The mission of the West Virginia University Extension Service is to form learning partnerships with the people of West Virginia to enable them to improve their lives and communities. To these partnerships, we bring useful research- and experience-based knowledge that facilitates critical thinking and skill development.
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Extension Focus is a publication of the Office of the Associate Provost for Extension and Public Service. News items should be sent to the Office of Communications, 506 Knapp Hall, P.O. Box 6031, Morgantown, WV 26506-6031.
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Submitted by Joyce Bower.
