EXTENSION CORNER: 4-H Chick Chain birds coming home to roost
If you read this column regularly, you may remember my discussion of the start of the Northeast Alabama 4-H Chick Chain project. Now we are at the conclusion of the project and we have a great opportunity for you, members of the public, to support these incredible students, witness their skills, observe their responsibility and even bid on some of their healthy, show-quality chickens.
You are invited to the Northeast Alabama 4-H Chick Chain Show and Auction. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the VFW Fairgrounds, 151 18th St. NE in Fort Payne.
Participants will be judged on the birds and showmanship skills. The awards will run from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., with the auction following the awards.
Bidders will have the opportunity to purchase pens of dual-purpose chickens from several breeds including Barnvelder, Barred Plymouth Rock, Black Australorp, Black Giant, Easter Egger, Light Brahma, Rhode Island Red and Silver Laced Wyandotte.
On the topic of chickens and eggs, we have great news about a local 4-H poultry project winner. Phoenix Bates, a sixth-grade student at Sardis Middle School, won the state Golden Egg Contest.
Phoenix along with participants across the state submitted a dozen eggs from their home flocks. The eggs were all professionally judged, and Phoenix came out on top winning a golden egg crown, scepter, and, more practically, 500 pounds of chicken feed. She will be featured on both the Chicken Whisper radio show and magazine.
If you have additional questions about backyard poultry, reach out or stop by our office at 3200-A W. Meighan Blvd. in Gadsden, call us at 256-547-7936 or visit us on Facebook at https://bit.ly/3otwUdl or online at https://bit.ly/3yniPCx.
Hometown Hospitality
Are you into retail? Do you think tourism is an important part of our local economy? Do you want to make sure that your business is putting its best foot forward to visitors to our community? If you said “yes” to any of these questions, join us on Oct. 7 for the Hometown Hospitality program.
Downtown Gadsden Inc. and Greater Gadsden Area Tourism are teaming up with the Extension Office to offer this program free to anyone interested in learning more and building on our already successful tourism economy in Etowah County.
Taking place from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Pitman Theater, 629 Broad St, Gadsden, the class will offer customer service training designed to help frontline service industry professionals provide excellent service capable of attracting and retaining customers.
Participants in this engaging and fun training will learn and practice excellent customer service skills and how using these skills benefits businesses. The training also features tourism customer service tools to help service industry professionals support their communities.
“We’re glad to help bring this program to Downtown Gadsden merchants and their employees, and to support retail tourism in our community,” said DGI Director Kay Moore.
To sign up for the program or for more information call or email me at 256-300-0512 or etw0013@aces.edu.
The Alabama Cooperative Extension System is an equal opportunity educator and employer. Everyone is welcome! Please let us know if you have accessibility needs.
Eric Wright is extension coordinator for the Etowah County Extension Office.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: NE Alabama Chick Chain finale Saturday in Fort Payne
