Arkansas Seed Swaps Spring 2011

[johno]

For Immediate Release: 12 January 2011

Contact:

Ms. Mary Crawford, [e-mail] [phone] M-F, or

Dr. Brian Campbell [e-mail]







CAAH! to Co-sponsor Ten Seed Swaps throughout Arkansas in Spring 2011

CAAH! Conserving Arkansas’s Agricultural Heritage

“One for the cut worm, one for the crow, one to share, and one to grow”

www.arkansasagro.wordpress.com

[e-mail]



In addition to the 4th Annual Ozark Seed Swap at the Ozark Folk Center State Park and the 3rd Annual Faulkner County Seed Swap at the Faulkner County Library, CAAH! has collaborated with organizations all over the state to sponsor 2nd annual Seed Swaps in El Dorado, Fayetteville, Jasper, Russellville and Searcy, and to establish inaugural Seed Swaps in three additional communities: Eureka Springs, Hot Springs, and Little Rock.





Date

Community

Location/Address

Time

Local Contact



Feb 2

Searcy/

Beebe

White County Fairgrounds



802 Davis Drive

Searcy, AR 72143

8-12

Sherri Sanders, White County Cooperative Extension Service

[e-mail]



Feb 19





Mountain View

Ozark Folk Center

Bois D’arc Conference Center

1032 Park Ave

12-3

Tina Marie Wilcox, Ozark Folk Center

[e-mail]

[phone]



Feb 19

Russellville



All Saints' Episcopal Church

Sutherland Hall, 501 South Phoenix

10-1

Carolyn McLellan, [phone], [e-mail]



Feb 20

Fayetteville

Fayetteville Senior Center

945 South College Avenue

1-4

Katy Deaton, Fayetteville Community Gardening Coalition (FCGC)

[e-mail]



Feb 26

Little Rock

Arkansas Flower and Garden Show

Statehouse Convention Center

10-2



[phone], [e-mail]

[e-mail]



Feb 27

Hot Springs

The Art Church Studio

301 Whittington Ave.

2-5

Benny Veteto, [e-mail]

artchurch.org/



March 5

Jasper

Newton County Library

Community Room

10-2

Jennifer Tapp,

[e-mail]



Mar 12



El Dorado

Barton (El Dorado) Public Library

200 East 5th Street

10-1

Nancy Arn, Barton Public Library,

[e-mail] [phone]



Mar 12

Eureka Springs

Eureka Springs Carnegie Library

194 Spring Street

10-2

Becky Gillette, [e-mail]



Apr 9

Conway

Faulkner County Public Library

1900 Tyler Street

10-2

Jeanetta Darley,

[e-mail]





UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS, CONWAY, ARKANSAS –Co-sponsored by churches, libraries, Master Gardener groups, a state park, and the Southern Seed Legacy, the University of Central Arkansas’s Conserving Arkansas’s Agricultural Heritage (CAAH!) project will host Seed Swaps around the state throughout Spring 2011. The Ozark Seed Swap at the Ozark Folk Center State Park will be the fourth annual, the Little Rock Inaugural Seed Swap will be held ceremoniously in conjunction with the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show, and the Hot Springs Inaugural Seed Swap will be co-sponsored by the eminent Southern Seed Legacy. We invite you to bring some open-pollinated (heirloom) seeds, bulbs, plants, and stories to swap with other seed savers. If you have no seeds to swap but want to get started, come along to mingle with gardeners and farmers who can help. We conserve the heritage of Arkansas as we share good stories, beautify our yards, feed our friends and family, and of course, trade seeds.



WHAT: 2011 Seed Swaps

WHEN: Spring 2011

WHERE: Conway, El Dorado, Eureka Springs, Fayetteville, Hot Springs, Jasper, Little Rock, Mountain View, Russellville, Searcy

WHO: University of Central Arkansas Sociology Department ‘s CAAH! partnering with the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show, Arkansas Sustainability, Network, Churches, Libraries, Master Gardeners, Garden Coalitions, the Ozark Folk Center State Park, the Southern Seed Legacy, and any interested farmers and gardeners

WHY: Arkansas farmers and gardeners have a legacy of heirloom seeds that are in danger of being lost, and sharing of seeds will encourage production of diverse varieties for posterity and sustainable food production.



HOW IT WORKS: Anyone can bring seeds to swap or share. If you do not have seeds, you could bring envelopes or garden implements, anything to share or trade with other gardeners.

COST: None.





Got Whippoorwills? Razorbacks? Red Rippers? Pencil Cob? Hickory King? Creasebacks? Turkey Craws? Want some? Come to the Old-Timey Ozark Seed Swap

The CAAH! project establishes a master collection of endangered seeds and related cultural and agronomic information, and distributes such seeds at annual Seed Swaps. University of Central Arkansas students document the seeds, grow them out in CAAH! gardens to distribute the next season, and catalogue them in a database of local varieties. For more information on the CAAH! project, our website address is: www.arkansasagro.wordpress.com/

# # #

[deanriowa]

I plan on being in Branson Mo during that time period. Might be worth a drive over. If I could I would be trying to attend the Eureka Springs March 12th.

Johno have you attended anyone of these events in the past? Many people attend?

thanks,


Dean

[woodsygardener]

Thanks for the heads up Johno.
I made it to the Fayetteville swap and had a great time, met some good people, and enjoyed giving away my Chinese Red Noodle beans, Razorback Cowpeas, and Texas Hill Country Okra. I had plenty and enjoyed telling people about them.
Good karma doesn't come any easier.