UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Ag Progress Days welcomes visitors of all ages, and organizers of the 4-H and Youth Building have a slate of activities planned for its youngest attendees on all three days of the expo, Aug. 12-14.
The building is located behind the Family Room building on Main Street, between West Eighth and West Ninth streets at the Ag Progress Days site. Displays and exhibitors at the 4-H and Youth Building will include:
- Pennsylvania 4-H: Visitors can learn about the state’s 4-H program and participate in a 4-H animal science activity.
- Pennsylvania Dairy Princess and Promotion Services: Meet local and state dairy royalty, test and improve your dairy knowledge with various games, and play a round of corn hole.
- Pennsylvania State Rabbit Breeders Association: Learn more about raising rabbits as a hobby as well as their uses throughout the state.
- Penn State Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology: At this display, sponsored by Penn State’s Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, visitors can learn about fungal friends and foes and see what makes plants get sick.
- WPSU: Representatives will be on site to share the radio station’s PBS Learning Media resources.
- Governor's Youth Council on Hunting, Fishing and Conservation: Learn about what it takes to serve as a guide or agent in the District Conservation and Natural Resources Program in Pennsylvania.
Other Ag Progress Days attractions for kids and families will take place throughout the grounds:
- Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center wildlife tent: Located near the 4-H Youth Building, this exhibit will feature live animals, avian nest display of Pennsylvania's breeding birds, craft activities and hands-on opportunities to learn about mammals of central Pennsylvania.
- Butterfly house: Visitors can come to the Yard and Garden Area at the end of West 11th Street to see native Pennsylvania butterflies and learn about their importance as pollinators. There also will be a youth activities tent to plant seeds, and young visitors can enjoy an insect scavenger hunt. Master Gardeners from across Pennsylvania will be in the demonstration garden to answer gardening questions and give tours of the pollinator gardens.
- Corn maze: Children and adults can wander the giant maze, which is stroller- and wheelchair-accessible and located near the Harrington Building at the end of East Fifth Street.
- Pasto Agricultural Museum: Learn about farm and rural life before the widespread use of electricity and gas-powered equipment in this hands-on museum located on East 10th Street across from the red barn.
Sponsored by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, Ag Progress Days is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, nine miles southwest of State College on Route 45. Admission and parking are free.
Hours:
- Aug. 12: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Aug. 13: 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Aug. 14: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
For more information, visit the Ag Progress Days website. The official hashtag for social media is #agprogressdays, and the event also can be found on Facebook (@AgProgressDays).