‘Farm Theater’ Promises Laughs, Education—And Cash
April Ellis
Herald Staff
aellis@harrodsburgherald.com
The Mercer County Extension Office is hosting a one-night-only comedy date night with free dinner, free child care and the opportunity to make $50. The only catch is attendees have to be farmers between the ages of 18-44 and be registered by Jan. 23.
The event, entitled “Farm Theater,” which will be held Monday, Feb. 5, at 6 p.m., is part of a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) grant administered by Debbie Reed, an agricultural nurse who splits her time between the University of Kentucky College of Nursing and College of Agriculture, and promotes farm safety and wellness.
Reed said research shows that for participates to retain information and use it to make actual changes in their lifestyle and work habits, it needs to be fun, and she promises the Farm Theater experience will be that.
“You may not remember the sermon, but you will remember the pastor’s jokes and the lessons taught, and it’s the same concept here,” said Reed.
Reed explained there will be three 10-15 minute skits performed about real life scenarios. Linda McClanahan, extension agent for agriculture and natural resources, noted the topics covered weren’t just for farmers in general, but were tailored to Mercer County farmers, hoping the message is well received.
Between the skits, Reed will lead a discussion on what problems dev
Members of the Lincoln County agricultural community acted out scenes for their Farm Theater night.
eloped and possible solutions. “Its really fascinating to watch this work, because the farmers begin sharing and they start to solve each other’s problems,” she said.
Reed has been running this program for the last six years across Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, primarily for older farmers, but as the grant was coming to a close, she wanted to target young farmers and thought Mercer’s agricultural population could really benefit.
“When asked if we wanted to host the event, we jumped at the opportunity,” said Luci Hockersmith, extension agent for family and consumer science. “Our hope is to improve the health and wellness of our farm families.”
For more information, or to register, contact the Mercer County Extension Office at 734-4378.
To learn more, check out this week’s issue of the Harrodsburg Herald.
