FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

For more information contact:
Bill Clary

(502) 564-1137

‘AGRICULTURE ADVENTURES: KENTUCKY’ TO RETURN
THANKS TO OWENSBORO MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND HISTORY

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Owensboro Museum of Science and History will revive the “Agriculture Adventures: Kentucky” education program this school year, officials with the museum and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture announced today at the Kentucky State Fair.

“I am very pleased that ‘Agriculture Adventures: Kentucky’ will go on,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. “This program teaches children in an entertaining and interesting way about where our food and fiber come from. It is an excellent investment in Kentucky’s future. I am grateful to the Owensboro Museum of Science and History for taking on this fine program.”

The museum will present the program in schools in Daviess and surrounding counties this school year, Executive Director Kathy Olson said. It also will give performances in the museum and at public events, she said.

“’Agriculture Adventures’ was a no-brainer for us,” Olson said. “It’s a perfect fit with what we’re already doing. It’s also a perfect fit for Owensboro because we have such a strong foundation in agriculture. We’re the right place [for the program], and this was the right time.”

The COSI Museum in Columbus, Ohio, launched “Agriculture Adventures: Kentucky” in 2005. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture was one of the founding sponsors. “Agriculture Adventures: Kentucky” did not operate during the 2008-09 school year, and COSI transferred intellectual rights to the program to Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom Inc., a nonprofit agriculture education agency administratively attached to the KDA.

Two staff members in the Owensboro museum’s education department are being trained by COSI staff to run the program, Olson said. As the program grows and attracts sponsors, she anticipates that the museum will hire a part-time employee to manage it.

“We have every intention of expanding the program through western Kentucky and possibly throughout the state,” Olson said.

 “Agriculture Adventures: Kentucky” opens with the characters Chef Parmesan and Derby the horse taking children through the process of growing the ingredients to make pizza. Students then get to participate in hands-on activities such as milking a fiberglass cow, grinding wheat into flour and testing soil samples.

To find out more about “Agriculture Adventures: Kentucky,” contact the Owensboro Museum of Science and History at (270) 687-2732 or go to www.owensboromuseum.com.

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