Spring Fest swarming with fun and interactive learning

Spring Fest is free and open to the public. Activities take place Saturday, April 8, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, April 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The activity-filled weekend will expose students of all ages to the diversity of agriculture with attractions ranging from cricket spitting and eating chocolate grasshoppers to a masonry competition and an exhibit featuring classic tractors.

"It is a great place for everyone, not just kids, to have fun and learn at the same time," said Spring Fest event coordinator Danica Kirkpatrick.

Spring Fest activities for both Saturday and Sunday include:

• The 16th annual Bug Bowl will feature a variety of insect-related activities, including cricket spitting, cockroach racing, making insect crafts, eating insects, honey tasting, the insect petting zoo, and a cake decorating contest featuring insect shapes and themes. New to Bug Bowl this year will be a nearly 40-foot-long inflatable caterpillar. Bug Bowl is sponsored by the Department of Entomology.

• Backyard Earth will have a barbeque with hot dogs, burgers, chips and soda. Students from the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture and other fields of study have created a giant Earth made from plywood and moss. Backyard Earth is sponsored by the Purdue Student Chapter of Professional Landcare Network (PLANET).

• Boiler Barnyard will showcase live animals, educational displays about consumer products, sheep shearing and dairy cow milking demonstrations. Other activities will include a coloring contest and animal trivia games with prizes. Boiler Barnyard is sponsored by the Department of Animal Sciences.

• Spores Galore will explore the relationships among seeds, plants and products. Participants will have the chance to paint with soil or shells and grind corn into meal. Visitors can learn about growing a pineapple at home, genetically modified plants and perennial weeds. This activity station is sponsored by the departments of Agronomy and Botany and Plant Pathology.

• The 93rd Annual Horticulture Show will take gardening back to the basics with the theme "Bloomin' Boilers." The show will feature a display garden filled with trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, patios, retaining walls, water features and pergolas. Plants will be sold. The show is sponsored by the Purdue Horticulture Society.

• Model rockets will be set off every hour, providing an opportunity to learn about aerospace and science. Participants can make an airplane out of straws to take home. The tent also will offer the chance to pet a rabbit, observe baby chicks socializing and explore careers within agriculture. These activities are sponsored by the College of Agriculture, Purdue Extension, 4-H, Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow, Agricultural Council, Pre-Professional Women in Agriculture, and the Department of Youth and Agricultural Education.

Activities taking place only on Saturday, April 8, include:

• A working sawmill exhibit, tree grafting, a station where participants can make their own pine cone bird feeders and seedling tree sales will by sponsored by the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources.

• Games to test visitors' knowledge of character branding, financial literacy and consumer products, as well as prizes and candy, will by offered by the Department of Agriculture Economics.

• Basic biology and chemistry experiments will be conducted at a site sponsored by the Department of Biochemistry.

• Old and New Iron will showcase classic tractors. Attendees will have the opportunity to win a children's playhouse built during the weekend. A pedal-power tractor obstacle course, coloring with soybean crayons, and testing sense of smell are among the activities sponsored by the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.

• Boiler Brick Bowl will challenge Purdue landscape architecture and design students and teams from other universities to construct a birdhouse for pigeons, called a dovecote, primarily out of bricks. The designs will be judged on visual quality, durability and overall craftsmanship. Boiler Brick Bowl is sponsored by the International Masonry Institute.

• The Food Science Fun Fair will include activities such as creating a personalized can bank using a canning press and the Mystery Drink Challenge, which will require using all five senses to determine the flavor. This site is sponsored by the Department of Food Science.

• Where the Wild Things Are includes a live animal spay/neuter demonstration, the Indianapolis Zoo Zoomobile, a petting zoo and an exotic animal exhibit, along with special lectures, exhibits and displays. This site is sponsored by the School of Veterinary Medicine. Information sessions about admission for veterinary medicine and technology programs, as well as facility tours, will be offered throughout the day.

Additional information and details about Spring Fest activities can be found at the 2006 Spring Fest Web site.

Writer: Julie Douglas, (765) 496-1050, douglajk@purdue.edu

Source: Danica Kirkpatrick, (765) 494-9113, dkirkpat@purdue.edu

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
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