Sprucing up Harmony Hall
The “Birds in Harmony” birdhouse show, sale and exhibition is ready for visitors to view all the bird-related entries in the second annual event at historic Harmony Hall, 109 E. King St.
The exhibition is free and viewable from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays through April 7. The exhibit will end with the presentation of awards by The Free Press at the annual Southern Brunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day.
Presented by the Lenoir County Historical Association, the brunch will feature country ham biscuits, hot soups, fried chicken, pasta salads, deviled eggs, assorted sandwiches, homemade desserts and iced tea.
Tickets are $20 adults and $10 for children younger than 10, available by calling Harmony Hall at 252-522-0421.
McKimmon Center honors women who built it
As North Carolina’s Extension and Community Association prepares to celebrate 100 years of service, members want to honor women who were in Home Demonstration Clubs, Extension Homemakers, ECA and any Extension agents who worked with them throughout the years.
ECA members and Extension agents — past and present — can be honored with a donated brick for the courtyard of the Jane S. McKimmon Center in Raleigh. The 4- x 8-inch bricks will bear the honoree’s name and be dedicated during a centennial ceremony Oct. 27.
Through Saturday, the tribute bricks are available for $100, with the cost increasing after that.
The N.C. ECA was started in 1913 as home demonstration clubs, later becoming N.C. Extension Homemakers. These volunteers have played important roles in their communities, from teaching food safety and home gardening to preparing the first school lunches and promoting community literacy.
In the 1920s, the club women statewide attended an annual weeklong course at the university taught by extension specialists and agents. The “Country Woman’s College” experience made such an impact that, in the 1950s, the women decided to raise money for a building of their own.
In 1966, they presented a $100,000 check to N.C. State as seed money for a continuing education center on the campus. The McKimmon Center for Extension & Continuing Education — named in memory of Jane S. McKimmon, the first leader of North Carolina’s home demonstration extension programs — today continues the mission of education for all people, honoring the vision of the women in home demonstration who made it happen.
To purchase bricks, or for more information, contact Trudy Pickett, Lenoir County Cooperative Extension, at 252-527-2191, or any Lenoir County ECA member. Online, visit go.ncsu.edu/eca_bricks.
