The Dallas County Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Office is branching out with a new location in the Perry community.

According to Dallas County ISU Extension Marketing Manager Sarah Wood, the organization built a Learning Center at the Town Craft Center, 1122 Willis Avenue, and is celebrating with an open house tomorrow. She says the decision behind opening the Learning Center was due to the feedback given from residents in Perry and how that could help their Extension Office expand their services and programs outside of their main office in Adel. 

Wood illustrates that she would receive interest from people who wanted to participate in their programs, but couldn’t make the drive to Adel, so when given a chance, the Extension Office was ready to operate in Perry.

“We were very excited to be able to work with the City of Perry and the community up there, and be there on a more frequent basis. We have Rosa Gonzalez, who is there often and is a pillar in the community and as a specialist in Health and Human Sciences with Iowa State (University), she has just been such a great helpful person to connect us to the Perry community, and we wanted to be able to offer a location where people can come in and work with her more frequently and our other specialists as well. So, we are just thrilled to be able to be out there.”

During the open house, Wood outlines that there will be kids activities, pastries, coffee, ISU Extension’s own smoothie blender bike, merchandise, and Wood throws in that if you mention to any of the staff members that you heard about the event on Raccoon Valley Radio, then they’ll have a surprise for you. She concludes that the open house is free to the public and is taking place from 9am to noon tomorrow.