Center impresses ag expo visitors
By Steve Herring
Published in News on March 2, 2018 5:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Jo Daniels takes a virtual reality farm tour at the North Carolina Pork Council booth at the Ag Expo Thursday following the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Maxwell Regional Agricultural and Convention Center.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Rosewood High School students Jacob Hinson, 16, and Chance Howard, 18, talk to Brient Stilley who works in sales at Aycock Tractor about a blower that is attached to a tractor during the Ag Expo Thursday at the Maxwell Regional Agricultural and Convention Center.
It is not uncommon to see tractors and feed bins in Wayne County.
It is not common to see them inside buildings, but they were on Thursday.
Tractors, grain bins, a beehive and landscaping were among the many exhibits for the Ag Expo -- the inaugural event for the Maxwell Regional Agricultural and Convention Center that opened that morning
Sponsored by the Carl Best Leadership Program, it also included cooking and gardening demonstrations while in breakout rooms local groups had information on what they do, such as Wayne County 4-H.
There was even a video room where visitors could watch agriculture-related videos.
The grand opening events will carry on through the weekend with an opening gala tonight followed by a family open house from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
The open house will feature family-friendly exhibits, games and health screenings, and the American Red Cross will host a community blood drive from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
On Sunday, an open house entertainment event will be held from 1:45 to 4:45 p.m. with choirs and bands from Wayne County Public Schools performing.
MAXOut The MAX!, from 5 to 7 p.m., will be a multi-denominational youth rally for middle and high school students.
MAXOut The MAX! will have games, food and prizes as well as a keynote speaker.
State Grange President Jimmy Gentry said he was highly impressed with the facility which is a great thing for the county and for the city of Goldsboro.
"When I first arrived I had no idea what kind of facility I was going to see, and I am so impressed with it," he said. "Of all of the ag centers across the state, this has to be one of the top ones that exists in any county in the state of North Carolina.
"I think it is going to be good for the economy here. It is going to generate a lot of interest in the building for different kinds of meetings, conferences, and it is going to bring people here. I think it will be great for not only agriculture, but for the rest of the community as well."
It has taken a long process to get to the opening, said Eddie Pitzer, manager of the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair.
"But I think it is going to be a great asset to Wayne County to have this convention center here and what it is going to bring," he said.
Pitzer said he is looking forward to the new facilities that the Extension Service has at the center.
It will provide a central focus point for agricultural programs, he said.
"Space was limited at the old Wayne Center, but here we have so many resources and just the technology that we will be able to utilize with these big screens and the way that we can broadcast things and do things from a distance.
"We are really looking forward to being a part of it out here."
Farmers Bryant and Debbie Worley said they were impressed by the center and what it will mean for future generations.
"I feel like many of us have worked for over 25 years trying to get this facility here," Debbie Worley said. "We have the top-notch, first-rate, and we are very proud that this is what has come from all of the hard work.
"And it all came because many, many people were willing to partner together. We just feel like that for agriculture it is going to be a place that from here many good things can happen."
People from across the state will be able to learn from events that will be held at the center, she said.
She also liked how large screens were used to display different scenes pertaining to agriculture and agribusiness.
"I just hope that everybody realizes that we want to showcase agriculture," she said. "It is the No. 1 industry in our state, and we need to have a place like this to celebrate it."
There has been talk about how long and drawn out the process has been, Bryant Worley said.
But there was a reason for it, he said.
That reason is that it is the center that is needed, he said. Had it been built 15 years ago that would not have been the case, he said.
"I'm not up to date on it, but I am told that the technology capabilities of this building is the best there is in eastern North Carolina," he said. "That's what the next generation is going to need in my book.
"The whole time that I was going to the Wayne Center I was thanking the families that come together to get the Wayne Center built. We are paying it forward. The next generation has a huge foothold."