KAYSVILLE—It was a day of celebration for the 4-H and equestrian community as the ribbon was cut on the new Davis Agricultural Heritage Center in Kaysville. Officials from the county, USU Botanical Center, members of 4-H and the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Club came together for the event. When the Legacy Events Center stopped hosting those activities the County Commission started looking for a new home.

“In 2017 people started asking us to bring back equestrian and 4-H,” said Commissioner Randy Elliott. “We wanted a place where the 4-H and equestrians could go. We partnered with the USU Botanical Center to support the past and make an investment in the future.”

Commissioners Randy Elliott and Lorene Kamalu hold the ribbon after it’s cut to open the new Heritage Center. Photos by Becky Ginos

Davis County is a proud supporter of 4-H, he said. “This honors the heritage of the past and you will have a future forever home here.”

“This is a dream come true for me,” said Justen Smith, director Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Department. “We started this conversation at the old Legacy Center. We never felt settled. We never thought we’d have a permanent location.”

The commission had the foresight to look for a potential facility in Davis County, he said. “They built something they could fund and never get rid of.”

Thanks to Ken White (Vice President Utah State University Extension and USU College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) and Kaysville City who has been an amazing supporter, said Smith. “The amount of in-kind work that has been done behind the scenes thanks to Kaysville and the mayor is mind boggling. 4-H finally has a home of their own.”

“When the commission and Justen approached us about this I thought it was a no brainer,” said White. “We’ve gotten 150% from the city and 150% from the county. You need that level of partnership to get this done.”

USU doing things like this with the commission is what it’s all about, he said. “Now the youth have a place to have fun and ride horses.”