BRAZIL —
Cars lined the Clay County Fairgrounds parking lot Saturday morning as families gathered for the 4th Annual Nature Day — an eclectic mix of activities hosted on the property.
Sue Urban, 4-H leader for the Purdue Extension Office in Clay County, said the annual event has grown each year since its inception.
“We try to kick off the fall season and get everyone outside and moving around,” she said inside the exhibit hall, where 30 booths filled the building with activities ranging from gardening to exercise and nutrition.
Meanwhile, outdoor exhibits included presentations by the Master Gardeners, as well as a guided seminar about edible plants and those with medicinal potential.
Behind the exhibit hall, Boy Scout campers parked beneath a canopy, offering cooking demonstrations for those venturing into the great outdoors.
Jacob Maccarone, 13, and a member of Troop 95, said sausage and “Monkey Bread” were on the menu that morning, the latter being a camping concoction with cinnamon and sugar.
“We haven’t had breakfast yet,” he said, adding he particularly enjoys camping.
Hammers slammed into nails inside the Industrial Barn, where every child participating was allowed to build their own bird house.
Bob Casad, a retired railroader, said the activity was so popular last year they exhausted the supply of 55 houses in less than two hours. This year, he brought 90 hand-made kits, with wooden blocks he’d sawed himself.
“All of these guys are volunteers for Izaak Walton League,” he said of those gathered to help the kids.
A 3-year-old stood on a bench nearby, wearing yellow rain boots and denim shorts, trying to hammer a nail into place with both hands on the tool.
“I enjoy this,” Casad said. “I enjoy the kids.”
Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
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Ooooooo: Jennifer McKee of the Vigo County Soil and Water Conservation District, working in conjunction with the Sycamore Trails Education Committee helps Kara Rendant and Jessica Lowder sort through items from the creek bottom they are standing in. The three were participating in Clay County's Nature Day on Saturday. (Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis)
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Stages: Sue Urban of the Purdue Extension office looks at monarch butterfly chrysalises. Some of the butterflies have already hatched while some are still morphing from caterpillars. She was participating the Nature Day program at the Clay County Fairgrounds Saturday.
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Buggy: Alejandro English works the pipe cleaner legs onto the spider he created at Nature Day at the Clay County Fairgrounds Saturday morning.
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Learning experience: Jordan Bellville and his brother Jacob listen to a question posed to them by Master Gardener Debi Gansz. The correct answer at Clay County's Nature Day earned the boys a prize.
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Up close: Jace Hawkins uses a magnifying glass to get a closer look at what he dredged from a creek bottom at Clay County's Nature Day. His sister Sydney stands behind him waiting for her turn.
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Leftover: A minnow was among the creatures dredged from the creek at Clay County's Nature Days Saturday morning. Despite the recent drought, the tiny fish found enough water to survive.
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Quizzed: Randy Staley of Staley's Soil Service Inc. quizzes Kyler Neal about different rocks. The two were at Clay County's Nature Days Saturday morning.
Discussion
VIDEO: 4th annual Nature Days at Clay County Fairgrounds draws a crowd
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