Guests visited last year’s Community Connections event to learn about what Purdue Extension Hancock County has to offer. This year’s event is Nov. 11.
Submitted photo
GREENFIELD – Chicken and noodles, homemade ice cream and information booths about home and agriculture services will be available at a local event this weekend.
Community Connections, hosted by Purdue Extension Hancock County, is 4-7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11 at the Hancock County Fairgrounds.
It’s the second year for the event, designed to let the community know that Purdue Extension is more than just about 4-H.
“We’re really just hoping to share what we have to offer,” said Amber Barks.
Barks is the 4-H youth development and county extension director, but the office also offers resources and educational opportunities on gardening, farming, food preservation, soil quality and more.
“Each extension educator and the Hancock County Solid Waste Management district educator will all have a booth there, and we’ll have some of our partners there as well so people can check out what the programs have to offer, and the great education opportunities and partnerships we can have in the community,” she said.
The free event was first introduced last year during the busy October season, and attendance wasn’t as high as they wanted due to people heading to Halloween events instead. They’re hoping this year’s November gathering will bring in more people from the community.
There will be children’s activities on site, eight to 10 information booths and a silent auction to raise money for Extension programming.
The event will feature a chicken noodle dinner benefiting the organization’s programming (cash or check only) with adult meals $15 and youth meals for those under age 8 at $8. Homemade ice cream is available for $4– the same popular ice cream that’s available at the fair every summer.
Food will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The community event takes the place of the office’s annual meeting, though some business is still conducted at the end of the event.
Barks hopes it’s a way for people to not only enjoy good food together, but also get to know the educational opportunities the extension office has to offer.
“If they have questions, they have a place to ask those questions locally,” she said.
