Celebrate Agriculture and Farmers at Wisconsin Rapids Rafters Baseball game Sunday

By: WSAW Chandler Ducker

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. (WSAW) - A Northwoods league baseball team in Wisconsin Rapids is celebrating agriculture and all who work hard to make sure you have food on your tables every night.

The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters are teaming up with the Food and Farm Exploration Center in Plover and Cranberry Learning Inc. out of Wisconsin Rapids for a fun educational day. The Rafters will sport themed jerseys at Witter Field, To honor the hardworking farmers who contribute so much to Wisconsin’s agricultural success. The Food and Farm Exploration Center, Cranberry Learning, and more sponsors will have booths set up with fun activities to showcase the importance of farming to kids and their families.

“To give some materials away about our summer programs and our summer camps, and as well as our adult education, classes and offerings, we’re going to have a sensory table; we can put your hands right into the table with floating cranberries and have the sensation of harvest. We’re also going to have a table with cranberries where you can use toothpicks structures and make 2D and 3D structures,” said Andy Reitz Executive Director for Food and Farm Exploration Center and Heidi Slinkman, Co-Founder of Cranberry Learning.

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Both organizations have a mission to share and educate the community about agricultural innovation and sustainability. The Food and Farm Exploration Center has on site programming at their museum. They also go into local schools to educate students where their food comes from, and the many career opportunities available to them in agriculture. Cranberry Learning does a lot, but one activity is showing students and anyone who wants to know how cranberries get from farm to table.

“So, it could be someone who is a scientist, for example, who might be helping us grow our crop, it could be someone who drives equipment, who helps us move our food around, it could be our hauling and truck hauling logistics companies who take our fruit to storage facilities, all of these career pathways are different ways where people can start identifying with agriculture,” said Slinkman.

If you want to participate, the activities are for all ages. If you’re a farmer, The Rafters want to say thank you. Thanks to sponsors, you will be able to get a combo package for 30% off which includes a ticket, hat, meal, and drink for $14 instead of regular pricing.

The game starts at around 1 p.m. on Sunday June 16. If you want one of those special-themed jerseys, they will be for sale. All proceeds from the shirts will help fund field trips to the Food and Farm Exploration Center in Plover for students.

Witter Field is located at 521 Lincoln St, Wisconsin Rapids.