6A ◆ NEWS Thursday, October 3, 2019 Mustang News Plans finalized for annual Czech Fest

By LARISSA COPELAND The food, she said, is [email protected] special – an authentic Czech meal of Klobase, The 54th annual sauerkraut and kolach- Czech es will be served under Festival is scheduled a tent at the Oklahoma for Saturday, promising Czech Building, 25 N. attendants food, fun 5th. and plenty of Czech The kolaches, espe- atmosphere. cially, are popular fare, In October 1966, the Jezek said. For weeks, lodges of Yukon Czech volunteers and mem- Hall, WFLA Lodge No. bers have baked more 67 and Sokol Lodge than 2,400 dozen of the Karel Havlicek joined sweet patries. forces to celebrate “People have to come Yukon’s 75th birthday. early, because those sell That festival was so out fast,” she said. successful, according Jezek said about 150 to festival coordinator craft vendors will also be in attendance, sell- Marjorie Jezek, that it ing items that will became a yearly event. include Czech souve- “That’s how nirs. Oklahoma Czechs, Inc. The festival, Jezek began,” Jezek said. said, also helps pre- Beginning at 10 a.m., serve and promote a parade will kick off Czech heritage. at Garth Brooks and Main Street. Jezek said Schedule of Events this year’s parade boasts 107 entries, with The 54th annual everything from carol- Oklahoma Czech ers to motorcyclists. Festival in Yukon will Every year, on the get underway Saturday first Saturday in with a variety of activ- October, thousands ities. flock to Yukon to cele- Below is the schedule brate Czech culture of events. and heritage, including 9 a.m. — The Magic London Lippencott, 6, strolls down the catwalk during Sunday’s pageant. London, of Mustang, is the daughter of traditional dances, Music Man Machine, Cody and Sarah Lippencott. She is sponsored by Yukon Tag Agency. Photo / Larissa Copeland clothing, recipes and which will be under music. the tent at the “People come to the Oklahoma Czech Inc. Masopust Polka Band guests. ditional Bohemian and 4 p.m. — festival to celebrate Building until 11 a.m. performs. 12:30 p.m. — The Moravian songs and Announcement of their heritage,” Jezek 10 a.m. — The Czech Noon — U.S. Czech Masopust Polka Band dances; parade winners and said. “People come Fest Parade begins at and Slovak National performs. 2:15 p.m. — The crowning of 2019-2020 back year after year for Garth Brooks Anthems are per- 1:15 p.m. — Czech Bohemian Knights per- Chezh-Slovak Royalty; the food, and to see peo- Boulevard and Main formed, a welcome Folk Dancing; form; 5:30 p.m. to midnight ple that they haven’t Street. More than 100 from Oklahoma Czechs 1:30 p.m. — 3:15 p.m. — — Royalty Coronation seen. It’s like a entries are expected. Inc. president and an Ceskabeseda; Bohemian and Ball to be held at reunion.” 11 a.m. — The introduction of special 1:45 p.m. — Tra- Moravian folk dances; Yukon’s Czech Hall.

Splash pad progressing

Workers install parts for the new splash pad at Wild Horse Park Saturday. The projected, which is funded by a sales tax extension that voters approved in 2016, is scheduled for completion in early November, Assistant City Manager Justin Battles said. Photo / Chris Eversole

County STEM program awarded grant

By RAY DYER school was awarded uses easily program- and fully automated ponent parts, connect will be held, and El Reno Tribune close to $9 million for mable software to from the sowing of to the Internet, pro- BlueSTEM's grant Five years ago, a its role in the research. improve sustainable seeds to harvest," gram the system, col- funds will purchase a partnership launched a In turn, it chose agriculture." Ehlers said. "The hard- lect data, and produce FarmBot for the lucky program that would BlueSTEM to partner Ehlers said students ware enables planting food more effectively school." give El Reno High with, which means the will learn how to in a more space effi- and efficiently." Keri Conley, who School students the local program will design and schedule cient layout that mini- She said by spring serves as president of receive more than soil testing, seed plant- mizes the distance 2020, "the FarmBot is opportunity to work the BlueSTEM board of $625,000 over the next ing, specialized water- between plants. Robotic expected to be up and alongside USDA scien- directors, said she is five years. ing, and weed elimina- arms gliding along running fully, and tists and researchers proud of the accom- Kristy Ehlers, El tion within raised beds rails can pinpoint ready for a hearty plishments of the stu- stationed at the Reno Public Schools under the FarmBot. where seeds should be growing season." Grazinglands Research dents who have been a director of school part- BlueSTEM not only planted, the quantity of BlueSTEM's existing part of the personal- Center at . nerships, and Ann has El Reno students water required for each garden, now in its third Earlier this month, it ized learning options at Marshall, BlueSTEM's involved with it, but plant, the elimination year, will be planted, the center. was announced that education director, now Yukon and of weeds, and the watered, weeded, and the program, known as Conley said the have worked for the Ninnekah schools also prime harvest time." harvested using tradi- FarmBot “will further the BlueSTEM past year with New send students to take The process will tional methods. enhance the 21st AgriLearning Center, Mexico State part in the program. expose students to criti- Students will be able to will be part of a nation- University, USDA, the Ehlers said the stu- cal thinking in areas compare and contrast Century skills the stu- al research effort orga- Southern Plains dents will benefit from such as technology, the two agriculture dents will need for jobs nized by the National Climate Hub and oth- the "collaborative part- engineering and mathe- sites to draw economic, that may not even be Institute of Food and ers to find “unique, nerships" within the matics. Ehlers said the efficiency, and produc- created yet.” Agriculture (NIFA). advanced and innova- grant program. In FarmBots will "inspire tion conclusion. Ehlers Ehlers said there is New Mexico State tive” STEM projects. return, the students students and teachers said BlueSTEM will no way to measure University was one of What they came up will present their to think outside the box pay the education for- what the FarmBot col- eight research univer- with was something research findings and and develop strategies ward by helping train labroative effort will sities chosen to partner known as a FarmBot. the FarmBot technolo- to contribute to the other school districts in mean in terms of dol- with NIFA on the more In announcing the gy to "community global problem of ade- the use of the FarmBot. lars to the students. than $77 million proj- project, Ehlers wrote: stakeholders, colleges quate food production." She said BlueSTEM “Not bad for a five- ect, designed to focus "Known as humani- and universities, as The first FarmBot is will "train educators year-old STEM pro- on "sustaining a more ty's only open-source well as the scientists expected to arrive at who are interested in gram housed in a 19th abundant, nutritious automated precision they work with on a BlueSTEM in late investing in the future Century restored offi- and accessible food farming machine, the regular basis. November. of efficient food pro- cers quarters just west supply." FarmBot is a scalable "The entire system is Ehlers said students duction. A lottery of of El Reno, Oklahoma,” The New Mexico robotic system which numerically controlled will assemble the com- those trained districts she said.