Johnny Appleseed visits GMREC
By PEGGY SCHNEIDER, GMREC

Rev. Eddie Herring plays Johnny Appleseed each fall.

In the fall, a Johnny Appleseed program for all kindergarten students in Union, Towns, and Fannin Counties is offered at the Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center.

This year proved to be the largest Johnny Appleseed that has ever been staged at the Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center. Approximately 200 students came from Union County Primary School, and 100 kindergartners from Towns County Elementary.

Also entertained were 25 students from Mountain Area Christian Academy in Morganton as well as 100 from Hayesville Elementary. Fannin County was also represented by 100+ students from Blue Ridge Elementary and 100 students from West Fannin Elementary. This event held presentations for 34 classes this year.

Reverend Eddie Herring, formerly of The First Methodist Church in Blairsville, portrayed John Chapman, the real Johnny Appleseed. He came all the way from his new ministry assignment in Carrollton, Ga., to interact with the children.

Students rotated through classes involving storytelling, apple interactive games, meeting Johnny Appleseed, learning how to care for apples and a wagon ride through the apple orchards at the Center.

The Kindergarten plot which occupies 4/10 of an acre was planted in 1990. There are four different cultivars of apples: 'Golden Delicious', 'Jonagold', 'Empire' and 'Rome Beauty'. There were six replications of the four cultivars on five different rootstocks.

It takes 40 volunteers per day to make this experience become a reality. If you are interested in volunteering for any volunteer opportunities at the Center, just call 706-745-2655.or our website (www.gmrec.uga.edu Johnny Apple-seed (Kindergarten).

The Johnny Appleseed objectives are to: +explain how apples grow, +explain the importance of the apple industry to the North Georgia Mountains, +provide an opportunity for children to travel through an apple orchard and learn about Johnny Appleseed.

The Education Committee is a division of the Community Council. They are charged with the task of establishing youth field experiences that would supplement existing programs at the Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center. They provide educational programs for most grades K-8 and plan to expand in the near future.

The Education Committee served 2,100 students last year in kindergarten as well as grades 3,4,and 5. This committee will assist Mickey Cummings Union County Extension Agent, with his programs for grades 6, 7 and 8.