Elementary school children from two States flocked to the fair. Eugene Gillespie, the Portsmouth site manager, attributed part of the fair's success to the rural location of the schools served and their budget constraints. Many schools can no longer afford to take students to a large science museum like the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, Ohio, and many are limited to one field trip a year. We are providing an opportunity for these students to be exposed to a science and environmental education that they may not have received otherwise.
Students use computers to access the Internet and look up environmental information.
Fair activity sponsors included the plant, university, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Ohio State University Research Center, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Geoprobe Systems, Inc. of Salina, Kansas and Ohio Valley area libraries, Ohio Department of Development's Office of Energy Efficiency, Ohio Division of Forestry and Shawnee State Forest, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, and area soil and water conservation district offices.