Knox County to host the 2014 FOB Conference and Barn Tour!

Mount Vernon will be the headquarters of Friends of Ohio Barns 15th annual Barn Conference and Tour, April 24th – 26th, 2014. The conference will explore adaptive re-use of barns as a viable way to save historic barns. Knox County is the Heart of It ALL. Within its borders lies the geographical center of Ohio and the colonial city of Mount Vernon, the county seat. Knox County where one finds brick streets, historic homes, recreational trails, camping, elegant bed and breakfast inns, two stunning College campuses, and notable museums. Not to mention the flora and fauna in the rolling hills and fields.

Knox County has always been and continues to be an agricultural community. Drive any rural road and one will find numerous examples of farm life and the age old icons of an agrarian society. The Barn, the behemoth that has stood out back of the farmhouse for well over a hundred years, built with skill, adapted out of necessity, and the center of family life and survival. Thursday will feature an afternoon workshop by the Junior Barn Detective (JBD) on moving and restoring a barn for adaptive reuse. On Friday the bus tour will include several unique barns and lunch along the way. Take a trip back in time and experience the heritage of Knox County at the Knox County Agricultural Museum. It began its historic collection in 1984. Devoted almost exclusively to farm and home lifestyles of the 1800s and early 1900s, the Museum houses more than 3,000 items, each depicting how our forefathers lived and worked.

Saturday is the annual conference with a slate of outstanding speakers, vendors, and displays.  To register for this outstanding conference go to http://www.friendsofohiobarns.org/. Come a day or two early or stay after and experience “Knox County, the Heart of It All.”