Thousands of visitors to this year’s State Fair of West Virginia Aug. 8-16 will get a glimpse of some of the”sweet”things that West Virginia University offers the state’s citizens every day.
WVU departments plan many new and fun events at the WVU Mountaineer Country Tent following the fair’s theme of”It’s Summer! It’s Sweet! It’s Fair Time!”
More than 20 colleges, academic departments, and units will participate in the annual nine-day event. WVU ’s representatives will be wearing bright gold aprons that feature the University’s corresponding theme of”Sweet Home West Virginia.”
Adults will learn the most effective techniques for growing and canning the summer’s best vegetable width=100%s at the WVU Extension Service display. Children can”mine”for chocolate chip cookies and learn about hydrogen fuel cell technology at the WVU National Research Center for Coal and Energy exhibit. Kids can learn to identify the trees they see while camping or hiking in the woods, courtesy of the Appalachian Hardwood Center.
Fair-goers can learn about biometrics, longwall mining techniques, and view a model oil well rig at the College of Engineering display. Visitors will learn about the latest academic and student support programs at the Student Affairs exhibit. Attendees will have the chance to discuss timely health topics with faculty from the schools of medicine, pharmacy and dentistry.
Visitors will participate in a new, fast-paced game called”Mountaineer Spin.”Contestants will test their Mountaineer trivia knowledge in categories ranging from academics and identifying campus buildings to people and athletics. Winners earn exciting prizes including WVU football tickets, state fair concert tickets and WVU souvenirs.
Children and adults are invited to take a video ride through the WVU campus while sitting in a blue and gold PRT car. The WVU FairCam will provide a real-time view of what’s going on inside the WVU Mountaineer Country tent through the link on WVU Extension Service’s Web site (http://www.ext.wvu.edu/). The WVU Bookstore will again offer fair visitors the best WVU souvenirs, books and gifts.
The nine-day State Fair of West Virginia is the state’s largest annual event, which drew more than 220,000 people last year.