Design for the new Anson Agri-Civic Center is now in progress, and as part of the process, feedback is encouraged. To that end, the public is invited to a public input meeting to be held 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13 at the Anson County Cooperative Extension Center on McLaurin Street.

At that time, representatives from HH Architecture will show preliminary site and building plans for the new Agri-Civic Center. Another similar meeting will be scheduled for later in the fall, as an evening session, once design is further developed.

For many years, community groups and organizations have competed for meeting and event space in the county. What is available gets booked early, leaving others to go out of the county for conference facilities.

Hearing and experiencing the community’s need, the County of Anson embarked on discussion and planning towards construction of the new Anson Agri-Civic Center. Property was purchased for the site, and HH Architecture of Raleigh was contracted for architectural and site design.

The facility will house a large conference center with the ability to be broken into multiple smaller meeting rooms, the Cooperative Extension Offices, and additional space for ag offices.

If you would like to attend and hear about this exciting project, please call the Extension Center at 704-694-2415 to register. This is an opportunity to learn about the facility and give input into its design.

Food and fun at the Fair

The 2017 Anson Ag Expo & Fair set for this fall will feature a new event planned just for families. Family Fall Fest is scheduled for Friday night, Sept. 22 at Circle G Arena in Lilesville. Mark your calendars to come visit, and better yet, participate.

The Anson Ag Expo & Fair Planning Committee has planned an evening of fun, food and games for the whole family to enjoy. Festivities will begin at 6 p.m. and conclude around 9. Plan to enjoy a fun night for everybody.

Children’s games will take place underneath the large tent that will house the annual livestock show the next day. Carnival-type games will be available for children to win tickets and then redeem them for prizes set up underneath the shelter.

Older youth will enjoy relay-style games set up in the arena. Traditional fall fair games are planned, including “Dizzy Bat,” a greased watermelon course, “Stuff a Scarecrow” and more. Games will wrap up around 8 p.m., and line dancing for everybody will begin in the shelter.

Finley’s Food Truck will be set up for the evening offering food truck fare and drinks. In addition, complimentary popcorn and sno cones will be offered for children and adults.

The evening event will set the stage for the annual 4-H Youth Livestock Show the next day, starting at 9:45 a.m. at Circle G. For those interested in the Ag Fair, it will also be on display on Saturday at the Cooperative Extension Center in Wadesboro from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Complete event information is available on the web at anson.ces.ncsu.edu and Facebook, under 2017 Anson Ag Expo & Fair. Like that page to receive event updates and be on the lookout for more postings.

Plan to come out and enjoy the fun. Celebrate agriculture in Anson!

Janine Rywak is director of the N.C. Cooperative Extension office for Anson County.

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Janine Rywak

Contributing Columnist