FARMINGTON – Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District hosted the 16th annual Agricultural/Environmental Educational Day on Sept. 18 at the Farmington Fairgrounds.

More than 1,150 students and chaperones attended. The majority of students were from Franklin County, however there were students from Androscoggin, Kennebec, Oxford, Somerset and Penobscot counties.

Twenty stations manned by presenters included cider pressing, apple production, applesauce making, beekeeping, composting, hands-on milking and butter making, harvest blueberries and cranberries, live trout, organic beef and dairy.

New Page demonstrated how paper is made. The new maple sugar shack at the fairgrounds was a hit as well as the maple candy that was handed out.

The eighth-grade classes from Phillips volunteered, and some students demonstrated the life cycle of a pumpkin. Others helped at various stations. Smokey Bear was there with his friends at the forestry station to teach about forest fire protection.

Students toured the NorthStar Ambulance, the blacksmith shop, the museum and the exhibition hall. A groundwater display was set up to show what happens to the earth when it becomes polluted.

Educational games helped students learn about agriculture and the environment, and the 4-H students answered questions related to their projects.