The 13th annual Farm, Home and Wildlife Expo will provide a more “in-depth and hands-on” experience than ever before.

Sponsored by the Chilton Research and Extension Center, this year’s expo will be held on Aug. 8 from 12-5 p.m. at the Extension Center, located at 120 County Road 756 in Clanton, just off of County Road 29.

The expo was started as an effort to educate locals about farming, cooking, caring for animals and other skills that prove helpful in a rural area, according to CREC Director Jim Pitts.

Held rain or shine, the expo will include cooking demonstrations such as preserving, canning and baking with ripe fruits.

“We’ll have all of the ripe fruits we’ve got out there,” Pitts said. “There will even be a lady showing people how to grill peaches and prepare spices. We’ll have a little bit of everything.”

Peaches, pears, apples, kiwi, blackberries, squash and zucchinis are just a few of the fruits and vegetables involved in the demonstrations.

Samples will be available of all cooked goods and local products such as honey and homemade ice cream.

There will be several animals on site, including an FFA goat show, an eagle display, chickens, honeybees, a miniature heifer and farm dogs.

Animal caretakers will be present to share advice, along with representatives of 4-H and the Extension Center.

This year’s expo will have more to offer in that the Beginning Farmers will hold their weekly meeting during the expo at 1 p.m.

In previous weeks, the Beginning Farmers have held meetings concerning soil and raising cattle, and this meeting will focus on fruit and vegetable production.

“They can go listen to a lecture in the meeting and get more specific training,” Pitts said. “It’s going to be more hands-on, and hopefully people can get more in-depth information with the new addition of the meeting.”

In recent years, the expo has seen roughly 1,500 people attend the event, held each August.

The five-hour event is free to the public, and the community is invited to attend.

“It’s a family event. Folks can come and go as they like,” Pitts said. “We’ll have plenty of fans and as much shade as we can.”

For more information on the event, contact CREC at 205-646-3610.