Fun for all at the Ag Bash: An interview with Angela Rakes

By Eleanor Craig and Angela Rakes

At Loretto Motherhouse on Aug. 12, more than 500 people gathered over a four-hour period to enjoy the outdoors with their children at an event the originator, the Motherhouse’s Education and Outreach Coordinator Angela Rakes, calls the Ag Bash. The event marks the end of the summer and the beginning of the school year. Eleanor interviewed Angela, who described the day and provided photos.

“Ag Bash is completely free. The support we have from the outside businesses and all these community partners is bringing in more than enough money to sponsor the event. I would really, really love it if we could keep Ag Bash a free community event; and the way I’m hoping to do that is through community sponsors. It’s a win-win: They come and help out and volunteer. Grow our event. When the budget allows, we’ll give a donation to the student organizations as a thank you and to help grow their programs.”

“To me, what’s great about Ag Bash is we figured out a way to have an event bringing so many groups together supporting families and kids in the community. It just makes my heart so happy.”

“What I love so much about Ag Bash is, we bring together many parts of the Motherhouse — of course the farm, the Heritage Center, Jesse Rathburn’s nature education. But then also there are all these outside organizations that have bought into Ag Bash as well. Community and agricultural organizations, youth groups, vendors, craftspeople and sponsoring organizations. We had a sponsor for free books for all the kids. That cooperation is really what makes Ag Bash a success — all those different people coming together.”

“Each kid got a $4 voucher to our self-serve farmers market, to take home a pumpkin or a watermelon, or potatoes or tomatoes, something local and fresh and healthy that they could pick out for themselves. It seemed like more people, even beyond the voucher-holders, shopped at the farmers market.”