54— Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 6, 1975
Farmfest gaining
LAKE CRYSTAL. MINN.
- FARMFEST 76 - a 1200-
acre, seven-day ex
travaganza destined to be
the nation’s top bicentennial
ag event • is growing faster
and bigger than its sponsors
ever dreamed ... and it’s
still about a year away.
Here’s a brief look at what’s
happening:
-The 91-acre exhibit area is
sold out.
-Reservations are being
taken for probable exhibit
area expansion.
-Nearly 500 companies and
organizations are already
participating.
•Official AREA recognition
makes FARMFEST ’76
America’s Bicentennial
Salute to Agriculture.
-Thousands of contacts
have been made for
historical and educational
contributions.
-Some 50 chambers of
commerce are represented
on Advisory Council.
-The nation’s 465,000 FFA
members soon will launch a
massive advance ticket
sales.
-|200,000 is being invested
in the site preparation.
-Prospects of one million
FARMFEST visitors are
becoming more likely each
day.
“FARMFEST ’76 is
proving that the spirit of ’76
is more alive in rural
America that anywhere
else.” says Ed Hart
executive director of the
event set for September IS
IS, 1976, near Lake Crystal,
Minnesota. “We’re just
amazed at the enthusiastic
acceptance and national
support for FARMFEST
’76.”
FARMFEST ’76 is spon
sored by Agricultural
Promotions, Inc. (API), a
non-profit public corporation
of fanners, educators, agri
business leaders and others.
API sponsored FARMFEST
U.S.A. in 1972, which at
tracted 350,000 persons.
“We’ve had tremendous
participation in two
preliminary events
already.” Del Hodgkins,
4-H program
gets award
CHICAGO - The 4-H
Wheels program, a pre
driver education course for
teens, will receive an Award
of Honor from the National
Safety Council at the
Council’s National Safety
Congress here on Sept. 30.
The award is the highest
recognition given by the
council for an innovative
safety program undertaken
by a youth-serving
organization.
Wheels was developed
jointly by The Firestone Tire
& Rubber Company, the
Cooperative Extension
Service and the National 4-H
Service Committee. Each of
the three groups will receive
a citation plaque at special
presentation ceremonies
during the youth sessions of
the congress at Chicago’s
Midland Hotel
Designed to promote
safety consciousness among
young persons 14-16, Wheels
is part of the national 4-H
automotive program
sponsored by Firestone and
conducted by the Extension
Service. .Enrollment in the
president of API, reports.
"Last spring, as a preview of
crop conditions, we launched
the 1075 Natioanl Crops Test
Center right here at the site.
Ed Hart and his crews
planted 106 corn hybrids and
28 soybean varieties in a 300-
acre area - the largest
demonstration of its kind
anywhere in the nation."
“And in July, we were
proud to have John W.
Warner, head of the
American Revolution
Bicentennial Ad
ministration, here to help us
dedicate the site,” Hodgkins
says. “The AREA’S official
recognition is verv im
portant to FARMFEST ’76.
Mr. Warner’s appearance
highlighted an exciting day
long program with bands,
flag-raising by a historic
volunteer infantry, 21 shot
cannon salute and the kick
off meeting of our broad
based Advisory Council.”
This fall will also mark the
start of a nationwide ad
vance ticket sales effort by
the Future Farmers of
America. FFA chapters
across the nation will earn
commissions by selling
tickets at discounted early
purchase prices. At last
fall’s national convention the
FFA designated FARM
FEST ’76 as its official
national bicentennial ac
tivity.
According to Hart, dozens
of major events and ac
tivities are shaping up for
FARMFEST ’76, including:
AG COMPETITIONS
GALORE - 20th World
Championship Tractor Pull
with $40,000 purse, World
Championship Horse Pulling
Contest with $lO,OOO purse.
National Horse Plowing
Contest, chuck wagon races,
FARMFEST ”76 Invitational
Horseshoe Pitching Contest,
and contests in tractor
plowing, mechanical corn
picking, and band corn
husking.
ONE THOUSAND acres of
field and farmstead
demonstrations - harvesting,
plowing, grain drying,
tillage, weed and insect
control, seed plots, growing
course is open to all teens
without charge through the
local county extension office.
Educational materials in
the Wheels program include
color slides, scripts, tape
cassettes, teaching outlines,
and member activity sheets
geared to pre-drivers and
beginning drivers. An
organizational guide and
promotional materials are
also included in the Wheels
kit.
The 12-session course is
supervised on the local level
by community volunteers
and covers such topics as the
driver’s responsibilities,
causes and cures of
automobde accidents, how
the car’s engine works, and
safe trip planning
The National Safety
Council’s Award of Honor is
part of the council’s youth
safety awards program,
which recognizes youth and
youth-serving organizations
and individuals for
meritorious activities in
preventing accidents and
promoting safety by and
among young persons.
interest of
examples of crops from
every part of America,
livestock breed exhibits,
rural homes and living, farm
credit, farm buildings,
states, cities, and
educational institutions.
PERMANENT
MEMORIAL to the
American Farmer atop a 40-
foot knoll overlooking the
event, containing a 100-200
year “time capsule" with a
moment© from each FARM
FEST 76 participant.
FREE STAGE SHOWS -
top-name entertainers and
political leaders appearing
before vast audience in the
five-acre natural am
phitheater northeast of
“American Farmer
Monument Hill,” and a
massive final Sunday church
service.
HISTORICAL DISPLAYS -
antique farm equipment and
tools, demonstrations of
historic trades and crafts,
every tractor ever made,
and pageants re-creating the
epic story of American
Agriculture.
MUCH, MUCH MORE -
women’s activity center, a
working 1900 farmstead.
many
education hall with seminars
and programs, possible
network television
documentary, and com
memorative postage
stamps, books and albums.
Some firms deserve to be
singled out for particularly
generous contributions,
according to Hart. Big dollar
sponsors of special events
and contributors of free
materials and equipment
IN-
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STRASBURG EAST KING STREET WILLOW STREET
LANCASTER
397-4732
687-8611
Include: Pioneer Hl-Bred,
Trojan Seed, DeKalb
Agßesearch, Farm Credit
Banks of St. Paul, Midland
Cooperatives, Farm Wife
Nows, Harvesters, Morton
Buildings, Ford Tractor,
Chevrolet, P-A-G, Peterson
Seed, Moews, Melroe,
Crystal Coop, Ciba Geigy,
Monsanto, Feeken
Manufacturing, and Snapper
Mower.
Seed companies con
tributing to the 1875 National
Crops Test Center are Acco,
Asgrow, Cargill, Dairy land,
DeKalb, Edward J. Funk,
Funk Int’l, Gutwein,
Our trucks are radio dispatched for faster service when you need it!
Formerly Sweigart Firestone
677 W. HIGH ST. PHONE 665-2258
MANHEIM, PA HOME 665-3603
BUCK
464-3421
214-4175
MEMBER Foil
'S.x
. lib
Jacques, Kaltenberg,
McCurdy, Midland,
Northrop King, O's Gokj/P-
A-G, Payee, Peterson,
Pioneer, Pride, yßamy
(Embro), Renk,
(Golden Harvest), Security,
Sokots, Teweles
(Americana)/Trojan and
We* the (master.
PARMFEST ’76 is seeking
help - ideas about historical
materials, projects, and
volunteer effort for special
promotions - from
throughout the nation. The
address is PARMFEST 76,
Box 76, Lake Crystal,
Minnesota 56055.