For those looking beyond palm trees and white sandy beaches to experience the more rural side of what Southwest Florida has to offer, look no further than the Lee County Agricultural Exposition (Ag Expo). The SWFL Ag Expo is a fair-style exposition that aims to showcase Lee County’s agricultural roots with livestock shows, rides, food, and live entertainment; it opens Feb. 26 and runs through March 8 at the Mike Greenwell Convention Center (formerly known as the Lee County Civic Center).
“People think of Southwest Florida as beaches, and you know, that it’s just a coastline or something like that, which, great, yes, everybody wants to come to the beach. But when you go into North Fort Myers, I mean, people do not realize all that Southwest Florida is and how important that agriculture is to everybody,” said Miriam Dotson, Lee County communications coordinator.
To help exhibit this unrealized agricultural aspect, the Ag Expo will host hundreds of show animals and creative living demonstrations. Spearheading these is the 4-H, a youth organization with the objective of teaching young people life skills through a learn-by-doing approach. Those involved with the 4-H have the opportunity to raise livestock to show and create living showings, which are educational displays created based on what 4-H members have learned about agriculture and the world around them. All sorts of livestock will be on show, from chickens to goats, and from rabbits to horses.
“It’s really rewarding to watch the youth just thrive,” said Arielle Pierce, 4-H Agent. “They really get to thrive in the community, and they really get to thrive with their peers, within 4-H, so the other 4-H members all, for the most part, champion each other.”…