Harris Hall encourages ‘caring and sharing’

Here in Putnam County our flowers are blooming and our vegetable gardens are producing, just as always. But this summer at Harris Hall, things are different.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, our 2020 Putnam County 4-H Fair has gone a different direction. Harris Hall, Putnam County’s ag and horticulture building, won’t be open and there won’t be the usual open shows exhibiting flowers, ag products, herbs, vegetable produce and floral arrangements.

Nonetheless, since our gardens are still producing abundantly, Harris Hall is doing something different this year. The Harris Hall committe is asking everyone to share the gardens’ bounty with others.

This summer, it’s not about competition — it’s about compassion. Everyone who grows garden for produce or beautiful flowers is encouraged to give gifts of produce and herbs to food pantries and to give floral arrangements to health care facilities, shut-ins, friends, folks who are in need and folks who could use a pick-me-up.

Other Harris Hall categories will be recognized with something else that’s new: The People’s Choice contests. Exhibitors can submit photos of their entries and the public is encouraged to vote for their favorites. This includes a potted herbs category as well as categories for container gardening and growing plots.

The People’s Choice contests are strictly for fun. We want to encourage people to share photos of what they’re doing in their gardens and to celebrate how different gardeners work with plants.

There is no prize, although the ultimate winners do win bragging rights.

Junior Gardeners — ages 4 through 17 — are also encouraged to participate, and there will be separate People’s Choice contests for them, apart from the adults.

Young gardeners also may donate produce and herbs to food pantries, and give away their artistic arrangements to health care facilities or those in need.

All junior gardeners will be awarded certificates recognizing their contributions. Those juniors who give away the most donations and those who win the various Junior Gardeners’ People’s Choice awards will also win bragging rights, for celebrating this year’s caring and sharing event.

Dates for participating are the following:

• Participate in Caring & Sharing Activity: June 15-July 15.

• Submit Entries Online: July 1-15.

For more information, go to https://tinyurl.com/HHBooklet2020, https://www.facebook.com/PutnamCountyMasterGardeners/, or call Purdue Extension at 653-8411.