Rural Life Center News Archive:

Kenyon College News Release, March 24, 2004

GAMBIER, Ohio- For more than two decades, documentary photographer and sociologist Douglas Harper has used photography and interviews to study the effects of mechanization on the family farm. He will bring his insider's perspective to Kenyon College on Thursday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m. in Higley Auditorium when he presents a lecture and slide show entitled "Changing Works: The Sweet and Sour of Agricultural Change."

The title of the lecture is taken in part from his latest book, which offers a glimpse into the life of dairy farmers in upstate New York in the 1940s. Changing Works: Visions of a Lost Agriculture examines how American farmers lived and worked half a century ago versus how they do so today.

Pictures new and old, combined with discussions with elderly farmers who experienced the upheavals, tell the story of the transformation of farming from small dairies based on animal power and cooperative work to industrialized agriculture. Changing Works blends Harper's pictures with classic images by photographers such as Gordon Parks, Sol Libsohn, and Charlotte Brooks-men and women whose work during the 1940s documented the mechanization and automation of agricultural practices.

"Harper conveys not just the changes in agricultural work, but also the resulting transformation of rural life," says Howard Sacks, director of Kenyon's Rural Life Center. "For example, as farmers depended more on machinery to do farm work, they relied less on their neighbors. Farmers became more isolated, and the sense of community began to erode."

Harper is a sociology professor and the chair of the sociology department at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is also co-director of the Graduate Center for Social and Public Policy. Harper earned a bachelor's degree from Macalester College and a Ph.D. from Brandeis University.

His visit to Kenyon is sponsored by the Rural Life Center, the Office of the Provost, and the Department of Sociology. The talk is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 740-427-5158.

Kenyon College News Release, April 13, 2001

Kenyon College's "Visits" series concludes with discussion about women and local farms

GAMBIER, OHIO--The 2001 "Visits" series, three one-hour public conversations with area residents on aspects of life in Knox County, concludes on Tuesday, April 24, at Kenyon College.

"Balancing Act: Farm Women in the Twenty-First Century" is scheduled for 11:10 a.m. in Kenyon's Peirce Hall Lounge. The forum will be hosted by Fredericktown, Ohio, native Chrissie Cunningham, a senior at the College who has conducted her honors research on the changing character of Knox County's family farms. She will be joined by local farm women to discuss their multiple roles in the twenty-first century.

In her research, Cunningham found that today's capital-intensive agricultural economy requires many family farmers to work additional jobs to supplement their incomes. In light of these conditions, the roles of farm women have been revised and expanded.

The guest panelists will included Yvonne Clutter, of Gambier, Ohio, who runs a grain and popcorn farm and teaches piano in the East Knox Local Schools; Colleen Gregg, of Fredericktown, Ohio, who runs a grain and livestock operation and works as a second-grade teacher; and Janet Hawk, of Danville, Ohio, who runs a grain and lamb-finishing farm and a hydroponic tomato greenhouse.

Admission to the event is free. The "Visits" series is sponsored by Kenyon's Faculty Lectureships Committee. For more information, contact the College's Office of Public Affairs at 740-427-5158.

Contact: Shawn Presley, news director, presleys@kenyon.edu

Written: April 13, 2001

Kenyon College News Release, March 6, 2001

Kenyon College's "Visits" series continues with discussion of sheep in Knox County

GAMBIER, OHIO--The 2001 "Visits" series, three one-hour public conversations with area residents on aspects of life in Knox County, continues on Thursday, March 22, at Kenyon College.

"Sheep for Keeps" is scheduled for 11:10 a.m. in Kenyon's Peirce Hall Lounge. The forum will explore the past, present, and future of sheep production in Ohio.

Shepherd Judy Sacks, an affiliated scholar at the College, will lead the discussion. While there are fewer sheep in Knox County today than in the past, farmers continue to raise lambs for sale at the weekly auction, and 4H members enjoy raising and training lambs for projects they show at the county fair.

The panelists, who will speak briefly before opening the discussion to questions and comments from the audience, will include a sheep farmer, a shearer, a 4H livestock-club advisor, and a stockyard auction manager.

The remaining "Visits" program for the spring semester is entitled "Balancing Act: Farm Women in the Twenty-first Century," with Kenyon senior Chrissie Cunningham, on Tuesday, April 24, at 11:10 a.m. in Peirce Hall Lounge. The forum will address the changing role of farm women. Cunningham will be joined by local farm women to discuss their multiple roles in the twenty-first century.

Admission to all events is free. The "Visits" series is sponsored by the College's Faculty Lectureships Committee. For more information, contact Kenyon's Office of Public Affairs at 740-427-5158.

Kenyon College News Release, February 1, 2001

Kenyon College's "Visits" series begins with timely look at land use in Knox County

GAMBIER, OHIO--The 2001 "Visits" series, three one-hour public conversations with area residents on aspects of life in Knox County, will begin Thursday, February 15, at Kenyon College.

"Greenspace" is scheduled for 11:10 a.m. in Kenyon's Peirce Hall Lounge. The forum will explore how development is consuming much of the greenspace that has traditionally defined the rural landscape of Knox County.

Howard L. Sacks, director of the College's Rural Life Center and a professor of sociology, will lead a conversation with local farmer Dennis Shinaberry and representatives of two local organizations, Knox County's Owl Creek Conservancy and the Park District, which were formed in response to greenspace issues. E. Raymond Heithaus, Jordan Professor of Environmental Science at Kenyon, and Roger Hubbell will represent the conservancy. Mount Vernon attorney Dick Ritter will represent the Park District.

The panelists will speak briefly before opening the discussion to questions and comments from the audience. "This is a chance for members of our community to come forward and ask questions or express concern about greenspace issues," says Sacks. "Knox County is undergoing a tremendous change in regard to these issues. We want people to realize why the preservation of land is occurring." Sacks also says the first "Visits" session is an ideal forum for farmers and others who may be concerned about possible land-use restrictions associated with these efforts, including the designation of the Kokosing as a Scenic River.

The other "Visits" programs are:

*"Sheep for Keeps," featuring shepherd Judy Sacks, an affiliated scholar at the College, at 11:10 a.m. on Thursday, March 22, in Peirce Hall Lounge. For many years, Knox County was home to more sheep than people. The discussion, which will include a sheep farmer, a shearer, a 4H livestock advisor, and a stockyard manager, will look at the past, present, and future of sheep in central Ohio.

*"Balancing Act: Farm Women in the Twenty-first Century," with Kenyon senior Chrissie Cunningham, on Tuesday, April 24, at 11:10 a.m. in Peirce Hall Lounge. The forum will address the changing role of farm women. Cunningham will be joined by local farm women to discuss their multiple roles in the twenty-first century.

Admission to all events is free. The "Visits" series is sponsored by the College's Faculty Lectureships Committee. For more information, contact Kenyon's Office of Public Affairs at 740-427-5158.

Kenyon College News Release, September 11, 2000

Life Along the Kokosing honored by Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums

GAMBIER, OHIO--Life Along the Kokosing, a historical tour guide produced at Kenyon College to the corridors of Ohio's Kokosing and Mohican rivers, has received a 2000 Educational Excellence Award from the Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums.

The award was given in honor of the project's educational value, originality, creativity, and historical significance. One of only two Educational Excellence Awards given each year, the honor for Life Along the Kokosing was given in the category of an organization with a budget below $25,000.

Announced last spring by Kenyon's Rural Life Center, Life Along the Kokosing is a thirty-four-page booklet and audio recording featuring thirteen points of interest along the rivers. It is the culmination of a year's research and interviews conducted by students in the College's "Fieldwork" course, taught by Professor of Sociology Howard Sacks.

The booklet features historical and contemporary illustrations and a brief description for each site. The audio recording offers a series of programs devoted to each location. The materials may be used for a self-guided tour of the Kokosing and Mohican or simply for an imaginative trip along the rivers.

Since 1954, the Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums has led the state in recognizing excellent projects, programs, and publications produced by Ohio's historical organizations and the individuals who make them happen.

Life Along the Kokosing is available for $12 in such Ohio locations as Dale's Cardinal Market in Danville, the Kenyon Bookstore in Gambier, Foster's Pharmacy in Centerburg, and Mount Vernon locations including the Knox County Historical Society Museum, the Mount Vernon Visitor's Bureau, and the Woolson Company. The guide is also available by contacting Sacks at the Rural Life Center at 740-427-5850 or rurallife@kenyon.edu.

Kenyon College News Release, May 13, 2000

Guide to Ohio's Kokosing and Mohican rivers is now available

GAMBIER, OHIO--Life Along the Kokosing, a historical tour guide to the corridors of Ohio's Kokosing and Mohican rivers, is now available in Knox County. Announced last month by Kenyon College's Rural Life Center, the thirty-four-page booklet, with an accompanying map and audio recording, features thirteen points of interest along the rivers. The project made its debut on May 7 at Kenyon's Brown Family Environmental Center.

The guide is the culmination of a year's research and interviews conducted by students in the College's "Fieldwork" course, offered by Professor of Sociology Howard Sacks. The booklet features historical and contemporary illustrations and a brief description for each site. The audio recording offers a series of programs devoted to each location. The materials may be used for a self-guided tour of the Kokosing and Mohican or simply for an imaginary trip along the rivers.

Life Along the Kokosing begins in the northern part of Knox County with Amish communities in Waterford, Ohio. It then meanders to a point near the confluence of the two rivers in Greer, Ohio. Along the way, it explores, through stories told by local residents, such topics as canoe culture, the social importance of a local mill, the significance of river recreation in Howard, Ohio, and the dynamics of family settlement patterns along the Mohican River at Greer.

Anne Crosby, a Kenyon senior who conducted research in Millwood, Ohio, sees her work as something of lasting value. "This project will allow the voices of history to be preserved," she says. "The people of Knox County have interesting stories to tell. During my research, they shared their family histories, stories of the river, the caves, and the history of the town Millwood once was."

Sacks says the guide will create a permanent record to educate, entertain, and benefit the citizens of Knox County. "As Knox County grows larger and becomes more diverse, the river continues to serve as a unifying symbol of our community. Nearly everyone relates to the Kokosing in some way---through work, recreation, or appreciation of its beauty," says Sacks.

The project furthers a goal of the long-range comprehensive plan "Focus 2100," which is responsible for detailing such endeavors as the Scenic River Project, headed by E. Raymond Heithaus, Jordan Professor of Environmental Science at the College. The Rural Life Center established the "Life Along the Kokosing" project to research, document, and preserve the local culture along the river corridors.

Life Along the Kokosing is available for $12 in such Ohio locations as Dale's Cardinal Market in Danville, the Kenyon College Bookstore in Gambier, Foster's Pharmacy in Centerburg, Montenery's Pharmacy in Fredericktown, and Mount Vernon locations including the Knox County Historical Society Museum, the Mount Vernon Visitor's Bureau, and the Woolson Company. The guide is also available by contacting Sacks at the Rural Life Center at 740-427-5850.

Funding for the $17,000 project was provided in part by the Ohio Humanities Council, the Rural Sociological Society, Kenyon's Office of the Provost, the Mount Vernon Community Trust, and First-Knox National Bank.

Kenyon College News Release, January 25, 2000

Kenyon College’s “Visits” series provides community forum for residents of Knox County

GAMBIER, OHIO--The 2000 “Visits” series, three one-hour public conversations with area residents on aspects of life in Knox County, will begin Tuesday, February 15, at Kenyon College.

“Home Schooling” will begin at 11:10 a.m. in Kenyon’s Peirce Hall Lounge. The forum will explore how home schooling offers an alternative to the public and private schools of Knox County. Howard L, Sacks, director of the College’s Rural Life Center and a professor of sociology, will lead a conversation with home-schooled children and their parents and a home-schooling administrator about the advantages and challenges of this alternative educational practice.

The panelists will speak briefly before opening the discussion to questions and comments from the audience.

The other “Visits” programs are:

*“Old-Time Fiddling,” featuring Ohio state fiddle champion Lisa Wagner, at 11:10 a.m. on Thursday, March 23, in Peirce Hall Lounge. According to Sacks, central Ohio has been home to excellent fiddle players for some two hundred years. Wagner and friends will lead with a “tune session” exploring the bluegrass, country, and jazz genres that have traditionally featured the violin as a lead instrument.

*“Rural Homelessness,” with Kenyon senior Anne Smetak, on Thursday, April 20, at 11:10 a.m. in Peirce Hall Lounge. Often associated with the “mean streets” of America’s largest cities, homelessness plays a less visible but still troubling role in the rural landscape. Smetak, who has conducted an independent study of Knox County homelessness, will be joined by social-service administrators and homeless people to explore this local social problem.

Admission to all events is free. The “Visits” series is sponsored by the College’s Faculty Lectureships Committee. For more information, contact Kenyon’s Office of Public Affairs at 740-427-5158.

Kenyon College News Release, November 8, 1999

Guide to local food producers debuts in Knox County

GAMBIER, OHIO--Do you know where your food comes from? If not, you aren't alone.

In an effort to raise the profile of local food producers and encourage people to buy food produced in Knox County, the Kenyon College Rural Life Center, the Ohio State University (OSU) Extension, and the Knox County Farm Bureau announce the creation of Home Grown: A Resource Guide to Local Food Products in Knox County.

"Most people don't know where their food comes from," says Howard Sacks, a Kenyon professor of sociology and director of the Rural Life Center. "We want to put consumers in touch with the vast number of people in Knox County who produce food. It will give people a source for fresh, flavorful, healthy food and put money in the pockets of local farmers."

Slated for publication in the spring of 2000, Home Grown is now soliciting the names of local food producers for listing in the guide, which will be made available to the public through a variety of outlets, including local merchants, for a small fee. Home Grown will also feature the names of businesses that sell local goods. Sacks hopes to include more than two hundred listings for products such as eggs, fruits, meat, preserves, syrup, vegetables, and wine, to name just a few.

Bruce Rickard of Fredericktown, Ohio, will be an eager participant in Home Grown. A producer of lamb and beef, Rickard says that Knox County has needed such a listing for years, but it has lacked the funding to produce one. He hopes that Home Grown will help local producers overcome marketing obstacles. "Production is not a problem," Rickard says of the hundreds of animals he raises. "It's always the marketing that's the problem. If this catches on, we might even diversify some of the products we offer."

According to Sacks, people in Knox County spent approximately $70 million on food last year. If even a small fraction of that money can be put in the pockets of farmers, he believes it will have a significant impact on the economy.

In addition to putting money back into Knox County's farming community, which has dominated the economy and shaped the county's character for nearly two centuries, Home Grown is intended to serve as a vehicle to change the way people think about their food. According to Sacks, people are too accustomed to shopping at one place for all of their food and getting anything they want, regardless of whether it's in season. "If people can realize that they pass a local producer each day, they may be more apt to make seasonal purchases," says Sacks. "We're not trying to completely change the way people eat; we're talking about minor changes that will complement existing patterns of food buying."

Lisa Dilts, secretary-technician in the College's art department, who produces Double D maple syrup with her husband, Eric Dilts, says they plan to use Home Grown to promote their syrup. While they sell almost as much syrup as they can produce each year, Dilts says the business is always eager to expand. "We offer a much better product than what you'll find in most stores," she says of the advantages to buying locally. "It's 100-percent pure."

Those who advocate buying locally grown foods will tell you that maple syrup isn't the only product that is superior to what you find in stores. "One of the problems with selling lamb is simply getting people to taste it," says Rickard. "Our lamb tastes nothing like what you buy at the store. They are completely different animals."

In addition to taste and issues of freshness, there are safety issues involved in purchasing locally grown products. According to Troy Cooper, an agriculture and natural resource agent at the OSU Extension in Knox County, being able to buy directly from the person who produces your food allows you to find out exactly how it was grown. "If you're able to meet the person who sells you your food, you really know where it's coming from," says Cooper, who initiated the Home Grown project along with Sacks. "While being produced locally doesn't always mean it's chemical free, it does mean you're able to find out precisely what went into it."

Sacks believes Home Grown will also contribute to greater understanding between the county's farm and non-farm populations. He notes that today, even in agricultural communities like Knox County, few people are actively involved in food production. Sacks hopes that putting consumers in direct contact with farmers will build appreciation for the important role agriculture plays in everyone's lives and the challenges facing today's farmers.

Sponsored by a $10,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Home Grown is step one of a three-part agricultural initiative included in "Focus 2100," a long-rang plan for Knox County addressing economic development, education, quality of life, and transportation issues. The second part of the plan is the creation of a central farmers' market in Mount Vernon, followed by the development of a system to encourage local hospitals, restaurants, and colleges, such as Kenyon and Mount Vernon Nazarene College, to purchase directly from area farmers.

In addition to product listings, Home Grown will include a chart indicating the seasonal availability of various agricultural products, a list of advantages in buying local farm products, and an essay on the county's farming history. The three-color, illustrated publication will be designed to fit in the glove box of an automobile. A version of Home Grown will also be available on the World Wide Web.

For more information, contact Cooper at 740-397-0401 or Sacks at 740-427-5850.

Kenyon College News Release, November 3, 1998

Establishment of Rural Life Center unites Kenyon College with surrounding communities

GAMBIER, OHIO--Rural life? We already know all about it, don’t we?

That might be true for some, but with acres of blacktop paving over grain fields every day, and the region’s population increasing as never before, change is a force that must be recognized. Making sense of our community's future, as well as its past and present, is the mission of Kenyon College’s new Rural Life Center (RLC), which has established itself as a permanent center to promote education, scholarship, and public projects about rural life.

According to RLC director Howard L. Sacks, who in 1994 was awarded Kenyon’s first National Endowment for the Humanities Distinguished Teaching Professorship, education about the natural and social life of Knox County is essential to the College’s mission. Building on the success of Sacks’s Family Farm Project (1994-97), in which Kenyon students interacted with local farm families and presented their research in prizewinning public exhibitions and publications, the RLC provides a unique opportunity for students and faculty to engage with area residents in a way that enriches all parties.

Sacks sees rural study as a way of enhancing the lives of all citizens, not only college students. “In a globalizing world in which we connect through the Internet to everywhere, how do we develop a sense of place and relationships to others in ‘real-time’ communities?” asks Sacks. “This has profoundly important psychological, social, and moral implications: it means not being simply an isolated person who could be anywhere."

The center debuts at a critical time for Knox County. Facing enormous development pressures as Columbus expands to the north, residents recently joined in a long-term planning initiative, “Focus 2100,” to determine how to preserve rural life while accommodating growth.

"One of the things we need to do as a community is take greater advantage of Kenyon's resources,” Tom Heine, president of the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce, remarks on the valuable contribution the RLC will make to such discussions. “This opens an avenue for us to access the outstanding quality of Kenyon’s faculty, administration, and staff. It really ties us all together.”

Likewise, former county extension agent Mark Bennett sees the RLC as playing a crucial role in future planning. “Kenyon has always been viewed as an institution that is good, but also as one that wasn’t that willing to associate with the community,” says Bennett. “The Family Farm Project really put a dent in that kind of thinking. People now see Kenyon is a part of the community and more of a friend.”

Currently, the RLC is a set of projects documenting and interpreting Knox County life, not a tangible gathering place. Coursework and extracurricular activities will provide opportunities for original research and creative work for students and faculty in the arts, sciences, and humanities. As was true in the Family Farm Project, students’ work will be shared broadly by way of exhibitions, lectures, and publications about rural life.

The first project, “Living Together,” part of Sack’s fall 1998 “Fieldwork” course, focuses on the many different groups that contribute to Knox County’s makeup. Students will present their research in a series of articles titled “Living Together,” to be published in the Mount Vernon News. Also ongoing is a student photography competition, “Envision Knox County,” in collaboration with Gregory Spaid, a professor of art at the College. Until February 1, students may submit photographs accompanied by brief narratives on Knox County life.

In early 1999, the RLC will host “Visits,” a series of public conversations with area residents on aspects of county life. Topics will include defining identity in a rural setting, the healing arts (including lay practices), and land-use planning, among others.

Beyond the academic year, the RLC will host a summer “field school” in collaboration with the Library of Congress, to take place on the Kenyon campus June 13-July 3, 1999. Open (with an enrollment fee) to county residents, teachers, local historians, and others interested in documenting their communities, the school will feature nationally recognized experts in all aspects of fieldwork: documentary photography, interviewing techniques, media for field use, and handling of archival materials. Participants will work on a project entitled “Life Along the Kokosing,” examining the natural and social history of the river. A proposed activity named in the final “Focus 2100" plan, this project promises to become a long-term effort.

Finally, the RLC is in the process of building partnerships with institutions concerned about rural life. The Bailey Scholars Program at Michigan State University’s College of Agricultural and Natural Resources, a group of students and faculty members learning together as peers, plans to visit the RLC and has invited Kenyon students to visit and examine the Michigan program. Another partnership has emerged based on common interests. The Kellogg Foundation-funded Rural Sociological Society, which seeks to mainstream the study of rural issues in the college curriculum, is enthusiastic about the innovative teaching methods and mission of the RLC. “Getting out and about” is a good thing, Howard Sacks says; it enables students “to see the broader significance of their work at Kenyon.”

For Christina Le Stage, a student involved in the “Fieldwork” course, perhaps nothing shapes students’ experiences at the College more than its embeddedness in country life. In her view, "The value of the RLC goes two ways: it’s great to learn about Knox County, and it’s a great way for the community to get to know Kenyon students and to improve the relationship with the College."

If you would like to become involved in RLC projects, contact Sacks at 740-427-5850 or via e-mail at rurallife@kenyon.edu.