NATURAL TEXAS FIBERS FASHIONS TO HIGHLIGHT B.I.G. FAMILY FORUM

WACO– Models will parade thousands of dollars worth of wool, cotton and mohair garments at the Blacklands Income Growth (B.I.G.) Conference’s Natural Fiber Fashion Show.

Held Jan. 12-14 at the Waco Convention Center, the B.I.G. Conference is designed to inform farmers of the latest in agricultural technology and management practices. The Texas Family Forum, held Jan. 13, is designed to complement the beef, grain, horse, cotton, and special events sessions of the conference with programming for the farm spouse as well as the general consumer.

“The focus of this year’s Family Forum is to make consumers more aware of the wide variety of Texas agricultural products and their economic and social impact,” said Charlotte Talley, McLennan County Extension agent and coordinator of the forum.

Texas is the largest producer nationwide of cotton, mohair and wool, so a natural fibers fashion show is the perfect addition to the forum, Talley added.

The forum will begin at 9:30 with a keynote presentation by Bill Hammett, formerly of Texas Utilities. Hammett will give a multimedia show of Texas scenes, highlighting the beautiful architecture of old homes, churches, courthouses, railroad stations, and other historical points of interest.

After Hammett’s presentation, the forum will be divided into concurrent sessions. Robert Avant, Jr., executive director of the Texas Food and Fiber Commission, will give an overview of the importance of Texas cotton and other natural fibers to the state’s economy. Dr. George McEachern, Extension horticulturist in College Station, will give a talk entitled “Pecans: A True Taste of Texas.”

Arvel Boatner of Hamilton, will tell how her business turned goat soap into a marketing success story. Ken Mueller, a master gardener from McLennan County, will explain how to landscape with Texas wildflowers.

The fashion show, coordinated by Jeri Pool Marcus of the Texas Food and Fiber Commission, will utilize professional models, college students, and Blacklands family and consumer science agents. The show will feature business wear, casual wear, ballroom gowns and wedding gowns.

Marcus supplies training, curriculum and fabric to all the fashion design programs in all Texas universities and colleges. Many of the garments to be worn at the fashion show have been recognized by fashion designers at the state, national or international level. Some of the entries have won the prestigious Paris Fashion Institute Award.

“We’ve had some good family forum programs in past years, but I think this one is going to be the best we’ve ever had,” said Talley.

The B.I.G. 34-county region includes Bastrop, Bell, Bosque, Burleson, Caldwell, Collin, Coryell, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Dewitt, Ellis, Falls, Fannin, Fayette, Gonzales, Grayson, Guadalupe, Hill, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Lamar, Lavaca, Lee, Limestone, McLennan, Milam, Navarro, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis, Washington and Williamson counties.

For more information on the conference or Extension programs in general, those in the B.I.G. region should contact the local county Extension office. Otherwise, call Ronald Woolley at (254)968-4144, or visit the B.I.G. Internet site at http://stephenville.tamu.edu/BIG.

NOTICE TO EDITORS: If you have an Internet browser, you will be able to download a plain ASCII text version of this story at the B.I.G. web site. (http://stephenville.tamu.edu/BIG) You will also find mugshots of the speakers and other images in the form of a high- resolution JPEGs. If you have problems accessing the site or need further info, call Robert Burns at (903) 834-6191. Burns’ email address is rd- burns@tamu.edu.

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