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PAGE 16 FARMERS AND CONSUMERS MARKET BULLETIN – 404-656-3722 – agr.georgia.gov WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2020
Finding a new normal

Venues take festivals, events online as COVID-19 forces cancellations

By Jay Jones som Festival canceled the March 21- GA,” and has recorded 800 downloads across
jay.jones@agr.georgia.gov 22 event for the first time in its 39-year iPhone and Android devices since it became
history. The festival is trying to help available just before the COVID-19 closings.
The COVID-19 outbreak has vendors by setting up a virtual mar- Jennie Inglis, the center’s marketing and de-
forced the cancellation of many fes- ketplace online at www.conyerscher- velopment coordinator, said the app had been
tivals and events that Georgians look ryblossomfest.com. in the works for a few years and may be useful
forward to when winter gives way to Jill Miller, festival director with for people currently sheltering at home.
spring. It’s also given the organizers of the city of Conyers, said the idea was “We do keep our local community in mind,
many others the opportunity to lever- suggested by two vendors. The virtu- as well as all the visitors that come through
age technology and foster virtual to- al marketplace is a webpage that has here, so we are hoping our local folks can use
getherness and learning. links to vendors’ websites and social it. I didn’t grow up here, but I’ve lived here
The Georgia 4-H Environmen- media pages. for 20 years, and there’s new information in
tal Education Program switched its “It’s become what we felt we could there that I suspect a lot of folks don’t know.
camps to an online series, “From The do for them,” Miller said. “We can’t do So we’re hoping that it can be a rich resource
Mountains To The Sea,” which pro- a whole lot more for them other than for those that are regulars up here.”
vides lessons from each of the 4-H giving their money back or making The app also offers the chance to explore
centers across the state. The series sure they are involved next year, but activities and sites from home and possibly
continues with a new lesson added it’s just given us further connection plan for a trip later this year. Users can touch
each weekday through May 22. with our vendors so they know that we a map or use a menu to find different photos
Melanie Biersmith, associate state care and understand they are losing and narrated tours of trails and historical
4-H leader, said their facilities typical- out. Hopefully, this will help them.” sites such as the Nacoochee Mound, a Native
ly host thousands of K-12 students at Kristin Newton of Lotus Runner American landmark that dominates the local
this time of the year to participate in To join in on the lessons, follow the Geor- Nursery in Watkinsville was a festival scene and dates back 2000 years.
field studies. She said the goal for the online gia 4-H Centers on social media or review the vendor. She said that she appreciated the ef- The Explore Helen Sautee GA app is free
lessons is that 4-H can be a classroom without lessons in the series archive at https://georgi- fort to help. She is a retired teacher and had and can be downloaded for iPhone and An-
walls with a click of a computer mouse as ev- a4h.org/environmental-education/from-the- worked at a heating and air company before droid devices. A printed version in the form
eryone shelters in place. mountains-to-the-sea-archive/. starting her business selling ornamental of a brochure is also available by contacting
“We hope that by offering these short pro- Georgia Grown’s annual Georgia Ag plants and cacti at festivals across Georgia. the center. For more information, go to www.
grams each weekday, we can give youth and Week celebration planned for March 23-27 “I had been dabbling in it for a while, and I snca.org.
adults a way to stay connected to our facilities was among the first events to be cancelled due had a boss who was generous to let me off on
and our programs during this time when we to concerns of spreading the COVID-19 vi- some Fridays to go to festivals, but it just got
aren’t able to physically participate in field rus. However, Georgia Grown, the marketing cut short because no one is going out and fes-
studies,” Biersmith said. arm of the Georgia Department of Agricul- tivals are canceling,” she said. “I think I have Stay connected
Lessons or live streams are posted daily. ture, launched an online effort that celebrated about a month, month and a half, and then I
Lessons cover a range of topics such as her- Georgia’s top industry and helped families will have to go back to work for somebody. to Georgia Grown online
petology, entomology and beach or stream sheltering at home learn more about farming. We’ll see.”
ecology. The lessons also highlight specific Each day of Ag Week had a theme where The Sautee Nacoochee Center in northeast Activities, virtual marketplace keep
amenities at the 4-H centers, including his- people could participate through social me- Georgia canceled all upcoming events, includ- kids and grownups busy
toric landmarks, salt marshes, tidal creeks, dia using #GeorgiaGrown. The week started ing the Fiber Arts Festival it planned for this
natural history museums and species exhibits. with Monday as Hand-On Garden Day and month. However, the release of a smartphone Georgia Grown is offering a host
Georgia 4-H has six facilities providing followed with Buy Georgia Grown Products app has helped the center stay connected with of children’s activities, recipes and
lessons for the online series: Rock Eagle 4-H Day (Tuesday), Ag Hero Day (Wednesday), people through virtual tours of points of inter- other resources supporting agricul-
Center located in Eatonton; Wahsega 4-H Ag Literacy Day (Thursday) and Make My est in White County. The app provides users ture to help families as they shelter
Center in Dahlonega; Fortson 4-H Center in Plate Georgia Grown Day (Friday). with photos and recorded narrations that cov- at home to stem the spread of the
Hampton, near Atlanta; Burton 4-H Center Go to feedmyschool.org to find related ed- er historic sites and hiking trails, along with COVID-19 virus.
on Tybee Island; and Georgia 4-H at Camp ucational materials and games for children to information about folk potters, shops and art Many activities were developed
Jekyll and 4-H Tidelands Nature Center on complete while sheltering at home. galleries. as part of the online celebration of
Jekyll Island. Organizers of the Conyers Cherry Blos- The app is called “Explore Helen Sautee Georgia Ag Week last month. They
remain available to help parents keep
children learning, pick up a quick and
easy recipe or learn more about ag-
riculture, Georgia’s largest industry.
Georgia Grown, the Georgia
Department of Agriculture’s Mar-
keting Division, partnered with
Georgia’s Feed My School program
to bring resources online at www.
feedmyschool.org.
The website has several activities
for children to stay engaged and learn
about nutrition and agriculture. Click
on the “Georgia Grown at Home” link
to download and print daily activity
sheets that include coloring sheets,
word searches and mazes along with
lessons on agricultural themes like
food safety, Georgia geography and
gardening.
GeorgiaGrown.com also has a
large inventory of recipes to draw
from that covers main courses, side
dishes, salads, sauces and desserts
all made with Georgia-grown farm
products. An online marketplace
hosts more than 200 small business-
es and farms offering a wide assort-
ment of products that are all made in
Georgia through online purchasing.
To stay up to date on the latest
about Georgia agriculture, visit the
program’s social media pages on
Facebook (Georgia Grown), Insta-
gram (@iamgeorgiagrown) and Twit-
ter (@GeorgiaGrown).