Building healthy habits and
identifying ticks, pollinators and skulls are among the topics to be
addressed at our family and consumer sciences exhibit area at the Wayne County
Fair. The exhibit in the Grange Rotunda will feature informational handouts and
displays throughout the fair Sept. 6-11.
Our speaker lineup will begin Monday with
presentations geared toward a younger audience to coincide with Wayne County
Schools Day and will continue through Thursday with a variety of experts set to
take the stage. Kaitlynn Henninge, who recently joined our staff as an Ohio State
University Extension family and consumer sciences educator in Wayne County, is
slated for three presentations during the week and will be on hand to greet
visitors to the exhibit area.
Here’s
the complete lineup of speakers:
Monday, Sept. 8
—10:30 a.m., Insect Adventures with the United Titanium Bug Zoo: Staff from the United Titanium Bug Zoo, located at Ohio
State University's Wooster campus, will bring some of Ohio’s native insects from
the zoo for a hands-on learning experience.
—11:30 a.m., Skins and Skulls - Mammals of Ohio: John Lorson, Soil and Water Conservation District program
manager, will talk about Ohio’s wild mammals, complete with skulls, furs and
even a few surprise animal artifacts. He invites fairgoers to come, touch and
learn about their wild Ohio neighbors.
—1 p.m., Build a Healthy Breakfast: Henninge will talk about the importance of breakfast and share quick and easy
breakfast recipes. She’ll provide samples of some tasty pumpkin pancakes.
—2 p.m., Creature
Feature: Serena Solis from The Wilderness
Center in Wilmot will bring the center’s ambassador animals, Zea, a red corn
snake, and Gus, an Eastern box turtle, and teach about them.
—3 p.m., Pollinators: Nature’s
Superheroes: OSU master gardener volunteers Maria Snoddy and Grace Grahm will explain how
pollinators help provide food and flowers and why protecting them is important.
The program is geared toward a younger audience, but adults will find it
interesting as well. Children will have a chance to become a “scientist” to identify
pollinator superheroes in action in some of the fair’s flower beds created by master gardeners.
Tuesday, Sept. 9
—10:30 a.m., Use of Artificial
Intelligence in Family History Research: Deborah Kitko, genealogy
librarian at the Wayne County Public Library, will explore how AI can be used as a tool for research, writing and
analysis in the quest for family history.
—1 p.m., Gluten-Free Eating: Henninge will talk about
gluten and related disorders, gluten-free eating, shopping, and baking.
—3 p.m., Exploring the Mediterranean
Diet: Wooster Community Hospital registered dietitian Rita Abboud will
discuss the health benefits and fundamental ingredients of the Mediterranean diet. She’ll have recipes and ideas to share.
Wednesday, Sept. 10
—10:30 a.m., Sourdough for Beginners: Meghan Wright, a married mother of five who
has been baking sourdough for 10 years, will offer what she calls a relaxed
approach to a timeless skill. Her presentation will include recipes and
information on ingredients, tools and techniques to start making sourdough.
—11:30 a.m., Preparing Ohio’s Fall Produce
in the Air Fryer: Henninge will share
the ins and outs of air frying and prepare a tasty recipe.
—12:30 p.m., Tree City Quilt Guild: Members
will demonstrate quilting techniques and showcase some of their work.
—2 p.m., The Art of Wreath Making: Susie Cochran, OSU master gardener volunteer and owner of Comfort and Joy
Wreaths, will share the art of making fresh evergreen wreaths. She will discuss
how to combine evergreen varieties with different textures and colors and use
pinecones alone or in combination with designing wreaths. Also presenting will
be Linda Hershey, who will demonstrate the methods of rug hooking with wool.
Both women will show examples of their work.
—3 p.m., How To Keep Your Muscles
Happy and Healthy: Dianna Stair, registered nurse and director of West
View Wellness Center, will give an overview of the muscular system and share
techniques for relaxing and releasing tight, stressed muscles.
—4 p.m., Have a Seat for Yoga: Lyn Shoots, certified yoga
instructor, will demonstrate and discuss the benefits of chair yoga.
Thursday, Sept. 11
—10:30 a.m., Healthy Aging and Exercise: Kerry MacQueen, health educator/injury prevention coordinator for Holmes
County General Health District, will discuss what positive, healthy aging looks
like through the use of daily physical activity and exercise.
—11:30 a.m., How To Control Weeds
in Your Yard and Garden: Paul Snyder, Secrest Arboretum operations manager and master gardener coordinator, will help you understand weed biology and simple control
strategies to limit the quantity of weeds found in your yard and garden. He
will provide samples of common weeds.
—2 p.m., Who’s That Tick?: Troy Koser, postdoctoral
researcher with the Ohio State University Department of Veterinary Preventive
Medicine, will offer information about the different tick species in Wayne
County and tick-safe precautions for families and livestock. Not all tick
species have the same effect on human and animal health, so Koser will talk about
the major tick species that may impact people and provide resources to help identify and test ticks. Additionally, he’ll describe his lab’s research on
tick biology, how to protect yourself from tick bites, and projects
looking into how to protect yourself and your livestock from ticks and
pathogens they carry.
If
you’re headed to the fair, be sure to stop by our exhibit in the Rotunda. It’s
a good place to have a seat, rest and learn something new.
Laurie Sidle is an Ohio State University Extension family and consumer sciences and 4-H program assistant and may be reached at 330-264-8722 or sidle.31@osu.edu.
