Families hang out at new kidZone

About four months ago, the Dodge County kidZone was a dream.

But those attending this week’s Dodge County Fair can see just how far that dream has become reality.

When completed, kidZone will be a place where families can gather under a picnic shelter, where children can play on playground equipment or in a sandbox and where they can learn about the various aspects of agriculture.

Right now, the barn for educational activities is complete, as is the sandbox. There is a concrete slab where the picnic shelter will go - there are picnic tables under a tent there this year.

"The goal is to be completed by next year," said Tracy Behnken, a University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension educator in Dodge County.

Behnken and fellow Extension education Lisa Poppe worked to develop the idea in April. An 11-person committee is overseeing the proposed $150,000 project.

Members of the Dodge County Fair Board are heavily involved in the project, too.

"We really have to work with everyone in the community to make it work," Poppe said.

"The community is all of Dodge County, not just the town (of Scribner)," Behnken added.

The first order of business was to turn an old storage building into the educational center.

Within the last month, the old green metal exterior was removed and replaced with a rustic red one. An extension was added to the front to create a porch area, complete with benches, that feature a paved area with bricks honoring donors. The interior was redone and a concrete floor poured.

Dodge County Farm Bureau donated $25,000 toward the barn.

Volunteers have contributed hundreds of hours to create the barn and other areas that are completed, Behnken and Poppe said.

Inside the barn this year, kids can see dairy and beef calves, kittens, rabbits, chickens, piglets and donkeys. They can learn about dairy cattle and take a quiz about milk or learn how much and what types of foods families around the world eat in a given week.

There are volunteers at the barn throughout the day.

The kidZone continues the many improvements the Dodge County Fair Board has made to the fairgrounds over the past several years.

"The fair is continuing to grow," Poppe said. "There have been a lot of improvements."

Folks have a chance to see those improvements throughout the weekend. The Dodge County Fair runs through Sunday.

This weekend’s highlights include the demolition derby at 7 p.m. Saturday and the parade at 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Also, the parade’s grand marshal, Marine Sgt. Major Brad Kasal, will speak at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at Mohr Auditorium.