MOFGA and Maine Seed Companies Sponsor School Information Quest at Common Ground Country Fair
(Unity, Maine) -- On Friday, September 22 at this year's Common Ground Country Fair, school groups from around the State will participate in Fair Information Quest, an educational mission that could earn students and educators gardening supplies for their schoolyards, classrooms and libraries. The Information Quest, now in its third year at the Fair, is a treasure hunt designed to provide a more fulfilling and educational experience for the many school groups that attend the Fair free on Friday. The program is part of an agricultural education outreach program developed by the Fair's host, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA). Johnny's Selected Seeds of Albion and Fedco Seed Company of Waterville also provided generous contributions to make the Information Quest possible.MOFGA has always opened its gates to school groups of any grade level and their teachers and chaperones for free on Fridays. Last year, almost 10% of all the fairgoers attended the Fair on school field trips. Every school group attending the Fair is invited to use the Information Quest to explore the many fascinating aspects of the Fair. Each group receives several pages of questions, sorted by area of the Fair, designed to inspire students to seek the answers through interaction with exhibitors and other participants. For example, groups are directed to the Farmers' Market to ask farmers why they choose to farm organically;' to the Environmental Concerns Area to find out about the health of Maine's air, water, soil and wildlife; or to the Recycling Area to find out how MOFGA makes use of food and paper waste generated at the Fair.
School groups are then invited to collaborate in the classroom, under the supervision of the teacher, to produce a scrapbook documenting the answers to at least ten of the questions in the Info Quest, as well as any other discoveries that engaged them at the Fair. Submissions may include original artwork, poetry, stories, reports, and photographs.
At the end of October, representatives of MOFGA, Johnny's and Fedco will judge the scrapbook submissions. Schools with the top five entries each will win gift certificates (with a combined value of $60.00) from Johnny's and Fedco, and will have their "Blue Ribbon" submissions on display in the Fair Exhibition Hall in 2001 -- the 25th year of the Common Ground Country Fair.
MOFGA also will provide free subscriptions to its quarterly newspaper, The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, to the teachers who submit the five winning scrapbooks and to the teachers who submit the first five other entries.
The contest is open to all Maine student groups. Any educator or student wishing to participate in the Fair Information Quest should contact the Fair office for the contest guidelines. Common Ground Country Fair, PO Box 170, Unity, ME 04988. Ph: 568-4142. Email: cgcf@mofga.org. Web: www.mofga.org.
The Fair will take place on September 22, 23 & 24 at the home of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) in Unity, Maine. Gates open at 9 am daily. Ticket prices are $8.00 for adults, and $6.00 for elders 65 and over. Children ages 12 and under and MOFGA members get free admission all weekend.