PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Dr. Brian Campbell brianc@uca.edu (501) 450-3178 M-F,
Organization: Conserving Arkansas’s Agricultural Heritage (CAAH!)
Date: For immediate distribution
Headline: CAAH! Will co-sponsor Seed Swaps in Seven Arkansas Communities
Got Whippoorwills? Razorbacks? Red Rippers? Pencil Cob? Hickory King? Greasebacks? Turkey Craws? Want some? Come to an Old-Timey Ozark Seed Swap!
Grow Your Own Revolution:
CAAH! Conserving Arkansas’s Agricultural Heritage
“One for the cut worm, one for the crow, one to share, and one to grow”
www.arkansasagro.wordpress.com
Spring is just around the corner and so are our seed swaps! In addition to the 3rd Annual Ozark Seed Swap at the Ozark Folk Center State Park and the 2nd Annual Faulkner County Seed Swap at the Faulkner County Library, CAAH! has collaborated with organizations all over the state to establish new Seed Swaps in five additional communities: El Dorado, Fayetteville, Jasper, Russellville, and Searcy. Arkansas farmers and gardeners have a legacy of heirloom seeds that are in danger of being lost, and the sharing of these heirloom seeds will encourage their production for posterity. Last year’s swaps were a huge success with hundreds of gardeners in attendance and a remarkable number of heirloom varieties exchanging hands. We invite you to bring some seeds and stories to swap with other Ozark seed savers and yarn spinners. If you do not have any seeds to swap but want to get started, attend a swap or two and mingle with gardeners and farmers who can help; if you would like, you may bring envelopes, plant cuttings or garden implements to share... We can conserve the heritage of Arkansas while we share good stories, beautify our yards, and of course, get free seeds. Refreshments and music (a pickin’-please bring an instrument if you would like to join in!) will be provided. No charge for admission.
Seed Swaps will be held at the following locations and times:
Mountain View
February 13th 12-3pm
Ozark Folk Center, Administration Building
1032 Park Ave Mountain View, AR 72560
Contact: Tina Marie Wilcox 870-269-3851
Fayetteville
February 14th
Fayetteville Public Library
401 W. Mountain St., Fayetteville AR 72701
Contact: Katy Deaton, katyd@ncat.org
El Dorado
February 20th 1-4 pm
Barton (El Dorado) Public Library
200 East 5th St., El Dorado AR
Contact: Nancy Arn 870-863-5447
Searcy
February 27th 10 am-1pm
ASU- Beebe, Farms Classrooms
1000 West Iowa St., Beebe AR
Contact: Sherri Sanders 501-268-5394 SSanders@uaex.edu
Jasper
March 6th 10am-5pm
Newton County Library, Community Room
Contact: D’Coda dcoda@ozarkseedexchange.com or Jennifer (870)446-2983
Conway
March 13th 1pm-4pm
Faulkner County Library
1900 Tyler St., Conway AR 72032
Contact: Amy Campbell 706-248-2597 or awheeler1975@hotnail.com
Russellville
March 27th 10 am-1 pm
Pope County Fair Grounds, old Entertainment Building
1602 SR 124 Russellville AR 72802
Contact: Crystal Bowne 479-567-5707 or cbowne@atu.edu
Now in its third year CAAH! Seed Swaps are sponsored by CAAH!, The University of Central Arkansas Department of Sociology, and the Ozark Folk Center State Park along with interested farmers and gardeners across Arkansas. The seed swaps would not be possible without the donation of facilities in each city and the hard work of our student and AmeriCorps volunteers. CAAH! is a project dedicated to preserving agricultural folkways. Through this project agricultural tradition is spread by saving seeds in a central seed bank and giving them to gardeners throughout Arkansas along with the stories and meaning that have become a part of their essence. The results of the this project are the collection of information on endangered seeds, promotion of a seed sharing resource, and the rejuvenation of traditional Ozark seed swaps and passing on of seeds (as is being encouraged by the University of Georgia's Southern Seed Legacy). For more information on the CAAH! project, our website address is: http://www.arkansasagro.wordpress.com
1 comment:
Nice blog you got here Madison! Cheers! :)
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