The Great Frederick Fair’s effort to teach sensible eating is a winner.
The My Plate Garden project took first place at the International Association of Fairs and Expositions’ recent annual convention and trade show in Las Vegas.
Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading.
Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.
Welcome!
Log in or read 2 more articles before registering, and 8 before becoming a member.
.Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in or create an account to continue reading.
Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your registered account or create an account to receive 6 more articles over the next 30 days.join now for unlimited access.
Share unlimited digital access with 4 family members… join now.
Thank you for reading! To continue reading your local news, please register for free. Or join for unlimited access. (Already a member? Log in.)
Thank you for reading! To continue reading your local news, please register for free. Or join for unlimited access. (Already a member? Log in.)
Local news and analysis – and much more. By joining you get unlimited access to it all.Join now.
Share unlimited digital access with 4 family members… join now.
Thank you for reading! To continue reading your local news, please register for free. Or join for unlimited access. (Already a member? Log in.)
Checking back? Since you viewed this item previously you can read it again.
Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Please purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Your current subscription does not provide access to this content.
You get home delivery Monday through Saturday – plus full digital access any time, on any device – with our six-day subscription delivery membership.
This membership plan includes member-only benefits like our popular ticket giveaways, all of our email newsletters and access to the daily digital replica of the printed paper. Also, you can share digital access with up to four other household members at no additional cost.
Subscriptions renew automatically every 30 days. Call 240-215-8600 to cancel auto-renewal. Most subscribers are served by News-Post carriers; households in some outlying areas receive same-day delivery through the US Postal Service. If your household falls in a postal delivery area, you will be notified by our customer service team.
With our four-day Wednesday-through-Saturday home delivery package, you get home delivery of our popular Food and 72 Hours sections as well as the full Saturday-Sunday weekend paper.
And, as with all of our packages, you get full access to all of our online content, any day and on any device.
Membership includes access to newsletters, special offers and the ability to share your subscription with up to four additional household members.
Subscriptions renew automatically every 30 days. Call 240-215-8600 to cancel auto-renewal. Most subscribers are served by News-Post carriers; households in some outlying areas receive same-day delivery through the US Postal Service. If your household falls in a postal delivery area, you will be notified by our customer service team.
With a digital-only membership subscription, you get individual access to all of our online content, 24/7, on any device.
Digital memberships qualify for special member benefits, like our popular ticket giveaways.
Plus you get access to the ePages, a digital replica of the printed paper, and all of our email newsletters.
Subscriptions renew automatically every 30 days. Call 240-215-8600 to cancel auto-renewal.
Our short-term pass is the digital equivalent of buying a couple of papers at the corner store. You can access all of our digital content for 48 hours with each non-renewing pass.
Sorry, no member giveaways, custom newsletters, linked accounts or ePages access with short-term passes.
The MyPlate garden project at The Great Frederick Fair recently won national recognition.
The Great Frederick Fair’s effort to teach sensible eating is a winner.
The My Plate Garden project took first place at the International Association of Fairs and Expositions’ recent annual convention and trade show in Las Vegas.
Started in June for the 152nd Great Frederick Fair, the 900-square-foot garden — a collaboration among the fair, United Way of Frederick County, Habitat for Humanity and local farmer Michael Dickson — contained pathways leading to vegetables, fruit, grains, proteins and even a small chicken coop. The project reflects the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food pyramid.
MyPlate is part of a larger communication initiative based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans to help consumers make better food choices. It illustrates the five food groups using a familiar mealtime visual, a place setting, and is designed to remind Americans to eat healthfully, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Frederick garden was built in a circle and reflected the USDA’s MyPlate logo and all the food groups. A complementary mural on a nearby wall hovers over the garden and depicts how agriculture feeds the community. Local volunteer artists painted the mural.
United Way of Frederick County couldn’t be more excited to hear that the garden project was recognized at the IAFE conference, said Malcolm Furgol, United Way’s director of community impact.
“We believe the garden is an excellent example of collective impact by bringing volunteers, organizations and resources together to promote healthy lifestyles,” Furgol said.
Volunteers were mobilized to realize Seed of Life Nurseries farmer Dickson’s vision for the project, Furgol said. United Way committed its Summer Serve youth participants to help with the gardening over the summer, provided the educational materials used for handouts and informational fliers, and recruited volunteers who could talk to fair attendees about the garden and answer their questions.
The national award is a win for the community, not just the fair, said Becky Brashear, former GFF general manager.
“The award speaks well for Farmer Mike’s contribution,” Brashear said, ”and it offered us the first opportunity to work with United Way, Habitat for Humanity, and local artists, who developed the mural, providing a good visual.”
Getting national recognition for a project that helps the community is great, Dickson said. The garden was intended to be a beacon for youths to learn about agriculture through The Great Frederick Fair and Seed of Life Nurseries, he said. “For us to get national recognition for what we’re doing is truly an honor.”
Plans are to continue and expand the project next year by adding a greenhouse that will provide food year-round, Dickson said.
United Way also plans to continue to support the garden, Furgol said.
“United Way is focused on promoting healthy lifestyles long-term, and this project is a perfect example of a prevention-oriented solution,” Furgol said. “It also ties into our focus area of education by teaching kids how they can plant their own food and even has an impact on our third focus area, improving financial stability for Frederick County families.
“Using fresh produce to cook meals can save money over buying prepared foods and reduces the health care costs associated with unhealthy eating.”
The IAFE Agricultural Awards Program has three main goals: to improve the agricultural education of fairs; to help fairs determine ways to be of service to both fair exhibitors and the fairgoing public; and to recognize fairs that provide outstanding agricultural education.
Follow Ike Wilson on Twitter: @ikewilson99.
Details
• A video about My Plate Garden project can be viewed at www.fairsandexpos.com. At the home page, under the "Events" tab, click on "Seeding Change" and then click on the videos link.
Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to read or post comments.
Looking to hire in Frederick? Reach jobseekers in print and online. Email recruitment@newspost.com.
Keep the conversation about local news & events going by joining us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Recent updates from The News-Post and also from News-Post staff members are compiled below.
Our local business directory includes detailed information for featured businesses as well as customer reviews and direct links to related events.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it clean. No vulgar, racist, sexist or sexually-oriented language.
Engage ideas. This forum is for the exchange of ideas, not personal attacks or ad hominem criticisms.
TURN OFF CAPS LOCK.
Be civil. Don't threaten. Don't lie. Don't bait. Don't degrade others.
No trolling. Stay on topic.
No spamming. This is not the place to sell miracle cures.
No deceptive names. Apparently misleading usernames are not allowed.
Say it once. No repetitive posts, please.
Help us. Use the 'Report' link for abusive posts.