Office of the Mayor

Proclamation

Lawrence, Kansas

WHEREAS:   The sweet potato is a nutritious, healthy, affordable and accessible vegetable; and

WHEREAS:   The citizens of Lawrence are invited to celebrate locally grown sweet potatoes during the month of October by participating in activities such as taking a cooking class, telling the history of sweet potato production in Lawrence, and sharing sweet potato recipes on social media; and

WHEREAS:   Local restaurants will feature sweet potato dishes on “Tuber Tuesday’s” during the month of October; and

WHEREAS:   Lawrence has a long history of producing sweet potatoes and many of the early settlers on farms surrounding the town planted sweet potatoes as part of a diverse crop system; and

WHEREAS:   Charles Langston, the grandfather of writer Langston Hughes, grew sweet potatoes on his farm by the Kansas River; and

WHEREAS:   Sweet potato celebration events are planned for October including the Sweet Potato Community Potluck on November 8^th at the Carnegie building, to encourage everyone to grow, sell and eat more sweet potatoes;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Mike Amyx, Mayor of the City of Lawrence, Kansas, do hereby proclaim the month of October 2015 to be

“SWEET POTATO MONTH”

                                                                    Mike Amyx, Mayor

October 6, 2015