Each Thursday afternoon of the summer, Ag Heritage Park on Auburn’s campus comes alive with gleaming vegetables, blooming flowers and eager customers.

Last week, I taste-tested my way through the 24 vendors, who offered me everything from creamed honey to pecan pancakes to peach ginger ice cream.

“The Market” is an outreach for the local community, keeping in connection with Auburn’s college of agriculture. Since it’s a growers and producers market, every tent has a grower or producer standing behind the counter, said Laura Herring, market manager.

“The education that comes with having the grower here is huge,” Herring said. “Plus, it’s a chance to get fresher produce than you can out of the grocery store and just an opportunity to support the local community.”

So as I quickly learned, it wasn’t just squash and zucchinis and sweet tooth cravings that I was picking up. I was also getting personal stories and little sprouts of information about Alabama’s farming community.

I met Ben McGehee, an 82-year-old former carpenter, turned beekeeper. His hobby started 11 years ago, although he said his dad kept bees when he was a young boy, just to keep something sweet on the table for their family. McGehee now has 35 hives spread out over six locations in Lee County.

Healthy hives have 55,000 – 60,000 bees, but according to McGehee, it’s hard to keep bees healthy these days. He explained that non-native bee species have been brought into the country with mites, beetles and a disease unofficially known as “colony collapse.” And a weakened hive means—you guessed it—no honey.

For MeGehee, his busy bees are doing alright. He sells his honey at The Market and from his home, occasionally stopping by the Lee County flea market if he’s feeling up for it.

I also met the Whorton family, who was up for its biggest challenge yet. With a wide array of 18 sorts of fruits and vegetables spread out before them, I asked them how long they had been farming.

“Two months,” Andy and Renee, both 1997 Auburn graduates, replied chuckling.

Andy explained that they had previously spent 11 years living amid the hustle and bustle of Atlanta. As an environmental consultant, he said he traveled often and couldn’t be there for his wife and three kids—Joshua, Jackson and Lydia Joy—nearly as much as he’d like.

When an opportunity came to buy some family land in Coosa County, the Whortons took it. Andy and Renee are both Alabama natives, so the name of their farm, Back Home Farms, seemed fitting.

“Everything is hard at the beginning, but I love doing it,” said Andy, who is selling his produce at five farmers markets and through community supported agriculture. “I think there’s almost something sacred to being able to produce something off of a plot of land.”

The hardest thing for Renee? Living an hour from Target.

While Target is admittedly hard to live with out these days, one place I won’t be frequenting this summer is the grocer’s produce section. One visit to The Market, and I bet you won’t be either.

The Market at Ag Heritage Park is in its 6^th summer and is open from 3 to 6 p.m. through the end of August. Come early for the best selection. Bring cash, a reusable shopping bag, a bottle of water and an open mind to learn all that the buyers and producers have to offer!

I am now a proud member of the Camp War Eagle Parent’s Runner’s Club. I even have the T-shirt to prove it. Lovers of that extra hour of sleep, flat runs and 65-degree weather, beware. It was not a morning for the faint of heart.

Fourteen summers ago, Doug Hankes, director of student counseling services at Auburn, approached the CWE staff about starting a morning run for parents of new incoming students. A walking tour was already in place, but being a 35-year running veteran, he was envisioning something a little more upbeat. He was met with laughter. They were sure he was joking.

Now, after 105 runs with anywhere from two to 40 parents participating each time, “Dr. Doug” is having the last laugh.

It was a few minutes before 6:30 a.m. and already a balmy 83 degrees when we met in front of the Starbucks in the Student Center on campus. There were 13 runners in all—eight parents, a Camp War Eagle parent counselor, Dr. Doug, U.S. Army Maj. Paul West from Auburn’s ROTC program, Eric Smith, director of health and wellness services, and me.

After introductions, we hit the old dusty, following a course from Haley and Thach concourses past Samford Hall, Toomer’s Corner and Lowder Business building. We ran through The Village dorms, completed in 2009, then paid homage to the new Auburn Arena, Jordan-Hare Stadium and Plainsman Park. A recently paved running trail took us down Donahue Drive, passing Ag Heritage Park, before taking a turn to pass by the student medical clinic. We saw the $24 million Forestry and Wildlife Sciences building, the Hill dorms and the Telfair B. Peet theater. When we finally saw the tailgating green space, I knew the end was in sight.

Barring the heat, it was a pleasant run. Every few minutes a new conversation would crop up, whether it was about the parents’ CWE experience or where I was in my studies. Maj. West made some connections with fathers who were ROTC veterans, and a pair of moms compared where their students would be living. With about 500 parents attending each freshman orientation session, it was nice to see personal relationships being formed.

As a student who is still discovering just how much parents sacrifice for their children, I know it is a difficult task to send us to college. Camp War Eagle helps our No. 1 worriers and protectors rest a little easier, guiding them gently into what, for many, is a new role— parenting a college student.

Thank you, parents, for helping us through our college years. And for all of you who can also run three miles in the Alabama heat, thanks for the encouragement to keep pounding the pavement.

Have you ever had a personal invitation to visit the White House?

While I’m sure mine (and yours, too) is lost in the mail, Auburn’s 2010 National Championship football team will get to take President Barack Obama up on his offer. The team will be honored at 2 p.m. CST today in a White House Rose Garden ceremony during which the president will give a brief speech before posing for photos with the players. The team also is scheduled to meet with Washington, D.C., area students.

The visit originally was supposed to happen on April 29 but was postponed after several devastating tornadoes hit Alabama and other states two days earlier

For a live stream of the White House celebration, go to: http://www.whitehouse.gov/live

Does it matter when I take World History?

How do I get tickets to a baseball game?

And, the library closes … when?

All of these questions and more are being answered right now at Camp War Eagle, Auburn’s summer orientation program for incoming freshmen. The third of 10 sessions starts today, with an estimated 380 students and their parents flocking to the Plains for each session. Students are separated into groups of 10-12, each led by a Camp War Eagle counselor. At the two-day session, the students will receive a campus tour, register for fall classes, participate in a pep rally in the stadium and visit breakout sessions on things to get involved with on campus. They will listen to talks and skits on study habits, finagling with roommates who refuse to clean and dealing with awkward situations. No stone is left unturned.

These incoming freshmen will lean heavily on their Camp War Eagle counselors, not only during these two days but into the school year as well. Essentially, the counselors become personal Foy information lines for the students they guide into life at Auburn. The 35 counselors are all Auburn students, typically entering their junior or senior years, who have gone through a rigorous interview and training process on all things Auburn. Ask the counselors to recite the Auburn Creed. They’ll know it by heart. Ask them to tell you about the late dean of students Jim Foy; they’ll give you a touching glimpse of his legacy. Ask them when the library closes, and they might just know from experience that, from Sunday to Friday, the lights in the Ralph Brown Draughon Library never go off.

Naturally, counselors will teach the class of 2015 how to greet each other and Auburn fans around the world with a hearty “War Eagle”!

Dr. William Powell and his wife Dr. Rosephanye Powell recently directed the College of Liberal Arts music department’s annual Spring Gospel Choir Concert at The City Church on April 17. The first half of the concert was a tribute to Dr. Edwin & Bishop Walter Hawkins, two of Gospel’s most profound recording artists of all time. Dr. Edwin Hawkins recorded the biggest Gospel record of all time, “Oh Happy Day”, in 1969. Together, the brothers have won numerous awards, nominations, and other achievements throughout their career. Bishop Walter Hawkins died last year from pancreatic cancer, and the Powells decided it was only right to have a dedication. Songs included: “Worship the Lord”, “Goin’ Up Yonder”, “Be Grateful”, “Changed”, and “Thank You Lord”. The atmosphere in The City Church was absolutely amazing and it was great to see everyone be on one accord. The Gospel Choir did justice to the Hawkins tribute.

The second half of the concert was praise and worship with songs from Donald Lawrence, Estee Bullock and Nathan McNair, Daniel Moore, Sr. and Daniel E. Moore II. Songs included: “Vuma”(Traditional South African song), “Encourage Yourself”, “Souled Out”, “Rain on Us”, and the closing song was Edwin Hawkins “Oh Happy Day”. The praise dancers danced throughout the concert to different songs, and the Powells even allowed the audience to come on stage to sing and dance with the Choir. The concert was truly phenomenal.

I have been a member of the AU Gospel Choir every semester except for this one. The choir is truly a family that has stuck together, and it felt so weird not performing with my family. I was even more surprised when the Powells presented me with my very own Gospel Choir plaque that was acknowledging my hard work and dedication to the choir. This brought tears to my eyes because it showed that even though I was not in choir this semester, that I was still a part of the “family”. Five other graduating Seniors were awarded as well. The AU Gospel Choir will always remain close to my heart, and I will be there for them whenever I can.

The College of Liberal Arts Music Department hosted its annual Spring Choral Concert on April 3, 2011 at the Auburn United Methodist Church. The concert was conducted by Dr. William Powell and his wife Dr. Rosephanye Powell, who have been a part of the Music Department for more than 10 years.

The choirs consisted of the Women’s, Men’s, Concert and Chamber, who sung pieces from Z. Randall Stroope, Antonio Vivaldi, Johannes Brahms, Eric Whitacre, Dr. Rosephanye Powell, as well as many others. The choirs performed 4-5 songs each, and performed the Star Spangeled Banner, America, the Beautiful, and the Alma Mater as one unit. I was a part of the Women’s and Concert Choirs for all 4 years, and it was weird sitting in the audience as a “Choir Alum”. I was proud of my fellow classmates, and wish them all the best in their future performances.

To find out more information about upcoming performances, make sure to check out the Music Department’s event page. To see the rest of the photos, check out our Flickr album.

A contestant helps prepare her team's dish at Auburn's Iron Chef competition

Have you ever pictured yourself in “kitchen stadium” competing on the Food Network’s Iron Chef? At Wednesday night’s event, put on by Auburn University’s U.P.C, students got the chance to live out that dream Auburn style. Six groups competed in Spidle’s  very own kitchen stadium Wednesday night for the chance to win a cash prize of $100 and the title of Auburn University’s Iron Chef. Like the famed show, students had to create dishes that incorporated a secret ingredient which in this case turned out to be sweet and jalapeno peppers. Students had 15 minutes before time started to organize and research recipes. Unlike the original Iron Chef which requires chefs to prepare 5 dishes, students were only expected to create 2, an entrée and a side item.In addition to the secret ingredient, contestants were required to use chicken breasts and potatoes in their entirety for their dishes.

Excitement filled the air as time started and contestants ran to gather ingredients. The students looked like real chefs as they chopped and sliced their way one step closer to the grand prize. Contestants were so focused that they barely blinked when a cold glass pot exploded after being placed on a hot burner. The panel of judges set to critique the food included Miss Auburn University, members of Auburn University’s food science department, and representatives of Auburn. Dishes were graded on six different criteria which included: originality, flavors, taste, texture, overall appearance, and overall impression. At the end of the night it was Stephen Pierce, Eddie Grafton, Sam Fonte, and Brandon Burleson who wowed the judges.  Their mouthwatering dishes included an appetizer of succoatash and balsamic glaze with mozzarella stuffed sweet peppers and an entree of bacon-wrapped chicken stuffed with spicy cream cheese, spinach and jalapeno peppers. The winning team also provided a side item of potato hash and mushroom pan sauce. Congratulations Stephen, Eddie, Sam, and Brandon on being named Auburn University’s Iron Chefs!

  For more pictures of Auburn University’s Iron Chef click here

The fresh scent of beautiful flowers and trees has finally filled the Donald E. Davis Arboretum. I must honestly say, my first time going to the arboretum was this semester, which is my last semester as an Auburn undergraduate. Mrs. Dee Smith, Arboretum Curator, gave me a tour of this amazing place. She told me that most people don’t even know about the arboretum until they get ready to graduate.

The arboretum has all types of native flowers and trees from the Alabama Azalea, Silky Camellia, and Coral Bean to the Flowering Dogwood, Japanese Maple, and Black Walnut. There is also a walking trail throughout the arboretum where visitors can exercise while observing the wonderful scenery. Earthfest (which is this Saturday, April 2) and weddings, are two of the many events that take place in the arboretum throughout the year.

The arboretum is open 365 days from dusk to dawn with free admission. For more information, call 334-844-5770. To check out the rest of our photos from the arboretum, click here to see our album on Flickr.

As Auburn officials try everything possible to save the trees, the Auburn University Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives Department is preserving the Auburn Family’s tribute to the Toomer’s oaks by treating the items placed at the base of trees as artifacts in a special collection of Auburn history.

The items include personal articles, signs, get-well wishes from small children and moving tributes from current and former students. This collection will be the first of its kind in the archiving of the toilet paper rolls.

The Auburn Family is invited to view the collection in a special exhibit at Ralph Brown Draughon Library during A-Day on Saturday, April 16. Stay tuned for more details on the exhibition.

For more information, visit http://wireeagle.auburn.edu/news/2333.