Family Ag Day at the “Crossroads”

Butter churning, animal petting, honeybee observing, grain sandboxes and the smell of the Marion County Cattlemen’s grill greeted 350 excited visitors, children and adults alike, to the “Crossroads” exhibit/Loretto Motherhouse Farm Family Ag Day June 24. I am the Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Motherhouse and spent part of the past two years working with a group of Marion County, Ky., community members and Loretto Heritage Center Staff to bring the Smithsonian traveling exhibit, “Crossroads,” to the town of Loretto. As the committee discussed ways to bring more visitors to the exhibit the idea of a Family Agriculture Day was born.

This truly was a community effort. Peterson Family Farm donated corn, wheat and soybeans that were dumped into kiddie wading pools for grain sandboxes. Marion County Farm Bureau financially sponsored the event and provided “magic popcorn” giveaways for the kids. Marion County Future Farmers of America (FFA) students brought animals for the petting zoo and engaged with the visitors about the animals. Marion County Cattlemen grilled out and sold incredible sandwiches for lunch. A local beekeeper brought an observation hive where visitors could watch the bees work and try to find the queen. A few lucky kids even got to see the queen lay an egg. The Loretto Motherhouse Farm and my family brought animals, organized a butter churning activity and engaged with many of the visitors who were thrilled to have a safe family activity to attend. Most of the visitors to the Family Ag Day also took time to check out the “Crossroads” exhibit on what ended up being their busiest day.

The most exciting parts of the day were watching the children enjoy learning about their food and not being afraid to get dirty while playing in the grain sandboxes. The event was such a hit with the community that plans are already in place to make it a yearly event. With great community partnerships, my husband, Cody (Loretto Motherhouse Farm Director) and I are looking forward to expanding the event to include a local farmer’s market and even more children’s activities.