Fentress County Has A New Agricultural Pavilion Center

Fentress County’s new Ag Pavilion has proved to be a blessing so far for the county’s Agricultural Extension Service.

Ag Fentress Extension Director John Gunter said he and his team have been very involved in the move, as well as the operations since. He said the move was much needed because the old hosting facilities were outdated and too small for many events they wanted to host.

“When we would have a gathering, a lot of times we would have to go to another building because we could never facilitate it,” Gunter said. “Now we can have up to a hundred folks in here pretty easily, they can be comfortable in our auditorium, and we actually did that a couple weeks back with one of our first master farm management classes.”

Gunter said having the new agricultural center is particularly important for Fentress County because its industry is predominantly rooted in agricultural businesses like small farms, industrial producers, farmers’ markets, and more. He said he is looking forward to the opportunity to show off what Fentress has to offer, as well as bring new experiences to the residents of the county.

Gunter said the new pavilion also gives the UT Extension better tools for instruction, including livestock pens and gardening spaces. He said they plan on adding more classes to their roster to fully make use of the new space.

“It’s really an asset to be able to show folks hands-on stuff,” Gunter said. “While we do go out and visit many farms, there’s nothing quite like having someone come in and ask a question like ‘How do I prune this tree?’ and being able to walk right out and show them how.”

Though there has not been a grand opening yet, Gunter said they are almost fully up and running, already hosting quite a few events at this time. He said he does not know when a grand opening may be held, but they are keeping busy in the meantime, with events booked every day for weeks out.

“We’ve just been really blessed with it, here in our community with our folks and everything,” Gunter said. “Everybody is eager to help and lend a hand, and everyone is excited about the delivery and stuff that’s going on.”