Friday Focus: See you at the fair, and much more!
July 24, 2026
— By Jenn Wagaman, UAF Extension Service director
Despite the unseasonably cool temperatures we’ve had lately, summer is in full swing in Fairbanks and across the state. This means it’s fair time! UAF’s Cooperative Extension Service has a deep history with fair time in 91ÊÓƵ, but we’re so much more than that.
Cooperative Extension has been a part of our university since 1930. We are members of a larger Extension system that spans the country, in every state and territory, and has been in existence for over 150 years. Extension was created to provide a bridge between our nation’s public universities and the communities in which we live and serve. In 91ÊÓƵ, although our home office is in Fairbanks on the Troth Yeddha’ campus, we literally extend across the state with offices in Fairbanks, Juneau, Sitka, Delta Junction, Nome, Dillingham, Kodiak, Kenai/Soldotna, Mat-Su Copper River and Anchorage.
Most folks probably know us the best for our work in food systems and agriculture. Our Extension faculty and staff maintain a database of publications on everything from growing tomatoes to preserving your fish catch. We support the 91ÊÓƵ Master Gardener Program (which we are working hard to redesign for a launch next spring), and we teach canning, food preservation and gardening classes online and all over the state.
What many folks don’t know is that Extension also supports nutrition education for 91ÊÓƵns through our Extension Food and Nutrition Education Program, or EFNEP. Our faculty also teach strength classes using the Strong People curriculum in Fairbanks and Mat-Su; we teach a Better Bones and Balance program in Juneau; and we provide consultations for farmers who experience disabilities to help prolong their ability to participate in the work they love. We are making steps to build on the mental health outreach work we do in hopes of launching a family resilience program that will respond to the unique mental health needs of all of our communities. This is work that is grown here in our state, but is supported by our national network.
Extension is also 4-H. Through this youth development program, we reached over 6,000 youth last year in classrooms, after-school programs and community clubs. Our youth in Nome started a dog mushing club. In Dillingham, kids are learning about wild and gathered foods and their cultural connections, while in Fairbanks, kids are learning how to grill delicious food and practice public speaking. In Sitka, you’ll find 4-Hers sea kayaking and in Haines you’ll find them at a traditional fun-filled overnight camp. Of course, you’ll also find 4-Hers raising livestock and learning how to raise animals for market sale. Our Kenai/Soldotna club raises thousands of dollars each year and you will find the meat from their animal sales at Three Bears Markets across the road system.
It’s our fairs where 4-H and Extension really shine. We hope you will come see us wherever you are in the state. Be it Haines, Fairbanks, Palmer or Delta Junction, you are certain to find Extension this fair season. If you miss us, you can find reliable, research-based information on our Cooperative Extension Service website.
Friday Focus is a column written by a different member of UAF's leadership team every week. On occasion, a guest writer is invited to contribute a column.