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Henry “Bubba” Bass has a farm that he loves to transform into an outside school for children.

For almost 16 years, Bass and his wife, Hortense Bass, have done just that by inviting children to participate in National Resources Field Day. The 2017 day was Thursday.

Bass said this was one of the hardest years to have the field day because her husband has cancer, but they’re not going to stop teaching the outdoor life to kids.

“It’s educational. We’re teaching them about national resources,” Bass said. “We’re going to fight this [cancer]. God is so good, and God has blessed us so this is why we do it.”

God provides resources for the couple to host the free event with the help of many organizations — Mississippi Forestry Commission, Georgia Pacific, Mississippi State University Extension, Weyerhaeuser Pearl River Nursery, Mississippi Department of Transportation, GLB Farms, Natural Resources Conservation Service, wood crafts and Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks — who all participated with stations providing information about wildlife or showcasing trades to students.

“You can see the stations and how the children are learning,” Bass said. “You don’t see them misbehaving or running around. You see them learning.”

Many students, like Jerry King and Levi Dale from Rod Paige Middle School in Lawrence County, were living their dream during field day.

The boys said they like to read wildlife books during their free time, which helped them decide that they want to be a part of the outdoor life in the future.

“I really liked this day because I want to be a marine biologist,” King said. Dale said he wants to hunt when he gets older.

“We cater to all kids,” Bass said. “We have kids here from Texas, Gulfport, and even home-schoolers.”

Fifth graders from the Lawrence County School District and Enterprise Attendance Center were also in attendance.

Lauren Compere from Madison isn’t a student anymore, but she said she had to take advantage of experiencing her first field day.

“I love the outdoors. It’s God’s creation and nature, so I think that brings us closer to him,” Compere said.

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