FIVE LOCAL STUDENTS WIN
DATES ARE GREAT ART CONTEST
Second to Fifth Graders presented
awards at Date Chef Competition
INDIO,
CA.
– (May 1, 2008) Second through fifth
grade elementary students across the valley
were invited to participate in the first
Dates Are Great Art Contest earlier this
year, sponsored by the California Date
Administrative Committee (CDAC).
Students competed for first place in
each grade and Date Growers Best of Show.
Winners and runners up artwork were
on display at the recent California Date
Chef Competition in the
Special
Events Center
at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino where some
450 attendees also voted for People’s Choice.
Art contest awards were presented at
the event.
The artwork depicted the children’s
experiences ranging from field trips to
local date gardens, visits to the Riverside
County Fair and National Date Festival, as
well as their understanding of date harvest,
packing house and shipping processes to the
simple pleasure of eating dates out of hand.
Winners’ work will be included in the
updates Fun Facts About California Dates
education brochure produced by the CDAC.
The brochures are distributed for
free to classrooms along with invitations to
visit local date gardens or samples dates in
the classroom as part of Agriculture
Education Programs sponsored by the CDAC.
First place winner for second grade
was Michelle Chavez, from Las Palmitas
Elementary School, Thermal.
Third grade winner was Travis Shartel
from Rancho
Mirage
Elementary School, Rancho
Mirage.
Fourth grade winner was Karlie
Gonzalez from Saul Martinez
Elementary School,
Mecca; and fifth grade winner was
Tony Overgaag, Christian School
of the Desert.
Overgaag also won Date Growers Best
of Show, and fifth grade runner up Donny
Roethler, also of
Christian
School of the Desert, won
People’s Choice.
The California Date Administrative
Committee represents California date growers and handlers. For
information about
California
dates, please call (760) 347-4510 or visit
online at
www.DatesAreGreat.com
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