AMES, Iowa – Iowa State University Extension will provide educational information, displays and special events such as Germ City, Eat to Compete and Celebrity Showcase from their new location inside the 4-H Exhibits Building at the 2006 Iowa State Fair.
“Activity fills the building from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day,” Mitch Hoyer, 4-H program specialist and building superintendent, said. “With more than 50 project areas and nearly 4,000 exhibits, there will be something that everyone can enjoy, not to mention on-stage events throughout the day, live WOI Radio broadcasts and interactive educational exhibits each day.”
Germ City will emphasize the importance of hand washing. After applying hand lotion that is sensitive to black light, fairgoers enter a tunnel equipped with black lights to identify “germs” on their hands. Participants then complete their normal hand washing routine and re-enter the tunnel to determine the effectiveness.
Research shows consumers may underestimate the role hand washing plays in food safety, disease prevention and personal health. Hand washing reduces the risk of infection from norovirus, commonly known as the 24-hour flu, according to Sam Beattie, assistant professor of food science and human nutrition at ISU.
The Eat to Compete display looks at the relationship of food and physical performance. The display includes nutrition information such as a comparison of ingredients found in popular sports and energy beverages.
Fairgoers will find avian flu information at another display that addresses the mutation of highly pathogenic forms of the virus and biosecurity measures for poultry health. Information about the introduction, spread and clinical signs of avian flu will be available. Biosecurity issues include early detection of avian flu, resources for reporting sick birds, and management practices to limit the possibility of infection.
The 4-H Celebrity Showcase presents selected 4-H’ers and well-known personalities talking about a shared interest such as photography, hunting or tourism. Through the event, Iowa 4-H demonstrates publicly the evaluation process by which a 4-H’er has an exhibit selected for the Iowa State Fair. Some participating celebrities include former Iowa governor Robert Ray, ISU head women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly, television personality Outdoors Dan, and artist and Sticks founder Sarah Grant Hutchison.
Extension’s 4-H Youth Development program will recognize former 4-H members who currently are serving in the military. A special display will offer fairgoers a chance to use kiosks to insert video or still digital greetings into e-postcards to send to military personnel and families. The 4-H Technology Team will teach Podcast 101 showing how to produce and put podcasts on the Internet. Also, several soldiers will be featured in a photo display.
Everyday events in the 4-H Exhibits building include working exhibits at which youth and adults can create new foods or crafts or test a scientific fact or formula. Fairgoers can view thousands of exhibits from 4-H’ers representing each county on everything from photography to home improvement. Throughout the fair, more than 1,000 communication performances take place, including the working exhibits, presentations, extemporaneous speaking and Share-the-Fun (talent acts staged each day at noon and 5 p.m.).
WOI Radio will broadcast Midday and Talk of Iowa from the ISU Extension exhibit in the 4-H Exhibits Building weekdays during the fair. Market news reports also will be produced and broadcast live from the Extension exhibit.
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