Merced County Courthouse Museum will open the “Land and Water: The Building of an Ag Empire” exhibit on Thursday, October 13, at 5:00 p.m. As a culmination of the exhibits of the last three years, this show provides a contemporary look at Merced County as an agricultural empire through the lens of Merced Camera Club, focusing on the interconnection of land, people, and water. In 2019, we explored the development of our current irrigation systems in the "MID Centennial Celebration" exhibit. We then studied the establishment of different communities in "Settlement of Merced County" in 2021 and the evolution of tractor and farm equipment in "Tractor Dealerships in Merced County" earlier this year. All these key “ingredients” have made Merced County a breadbasket of the world. However, forces such as climate change, legislation, and population growth have impacted farming practices and methods. In the exhibit, in addition to the Camera Club photos, you will be able to read about some of these changes in the excerpts from The Wisdom of Merced County Farmers and other literary works. At the opening reception, Merced Camera Club members Jim Cunningham, Doug Torres, and Susan Walsh will participate in a PowerPoint/video presentation about Merced County farm scenes. For more information about the exhibit, please contact the Museum office at (209) 723-2401.