By Mary Jester
Asst. Campus Editor

A cotton candy-making demonstration, garden plants from around the world and therapeutic horseback and Polo Club demonstrations will be additions to this year's Springfest, which takes place Saturday and Sunday.

Dana Neary, events coordinator for Purdue extension, said the participation of the Biochemistry Club and 4-H Youth Development are also new this year.

• Department of food science — The cotton-candy demonstration will teach observers the process of making cotton candy, the ingredients and the science involved in it.

"Cotton candy doesn't have much more to it than sugar," said Jennifer Lawrence, academic coordinator for the department of food science. The demonstration will show the physical changes needed to create a floss rather than a granule.

"We're making millennium time capsules," said Lawrence. The time capsule will be made out of a metal can using the canning process. Participants will need to use a can opener to open it.

"After the can is closed, the can will have a die-cut slot — like a bank," she said. They will be handing out information for participants to put in their time capsule, and participants will be writing predictions for themselves of future events. Participants will also try to match four different types of food with a picture of a microscopic view of each food.

• Department of animal sciences' Boiler Barnyard — Both the therapeutic horseback riding program and the Polo Club will present demonstrations on horses and on the activities they can do in these programs.

• Bug Bowl — Attendees will be able to watch cockroaches race and practice spitting crickets.

• Agricultural & biological engineering department — People will be able to see old and new tractors and participate in a tractor obstacle course.

• Departments of agronomy, botany, plant pathology — Neary said people can learn about corn by going through a maze set up by this department. They can also shell, grind and eat corn.

• School of Veterinary Medicine's Open House — People will be able to learn about oxen and take oxen-driven wagon rides, as well as learn about seeing-eye dogs, the sheriff K-9 unit and search and rescue dogs.

A Frisbee demonstration with dogs will also be presented, and attendants can watch an equine treadmill, which is used to exercise horses.

• Purdue Horticulture Society — Cory Hannon, assistant chairman of the Horticulture Show and a senior in the School of Technology, said the show will allow people to learn about plants from different cultures. For instance, they will be able to see different kinds of bulbs and tulips in the Dutch garden.

In the Chinese garden, water plants will be on display. He said it is hard to find plants from other cultures, and many of the plants that will be on display have been donated from companies in the area. Hannon said people can also get ideas for landscaping from the show.

• School of Consumer and Family Sciences — Teresa Eloff, director of undergraduate recruitment for the School of Consumer and Family Sciences, said, "Children can learn about earning money and how to make decisions on how to spend money."

They will play a game called Financial Fitness, and they will be able to buy tattoos and glow-in-the-dark bugs.

The restaurant, hospitality and tourism department will have a geography game to help people learn about tourism and geography. People will also learn from the foods and nutrition department how to keep their food safe.

• Landscape architecture Boiler Brick Bowl — Teams of students present their designs to the Mortar Board. A bricklaying demonstration and contest will also be held.

• Department of forestry and natural resources — Attendees can learn how to identify woods and leaves and see how a sawmill works.

• 4-H Youth Development — Neary said people will be able to see rabbits, llamas and goats and learn how to identify animal tracks and leaves.

• School of Science — Attendees can learn how scientists study life in plants.

• Agricultural economics Marketing Madness — Attendees will be able to race a remote control vehicle through the Agricultural Obstacle Course.

• Arts and Crafts Show — Arts and crafts vendors will present their creations.