Wheat Belt hosting their annual Safety Fair

Members of the Wheat Belt Public Power District are hosting their annual Safety Fair April 19 to give children fun interactive safety lessons that might save their life.

The safety fair will be at the Exhibit Building at the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds that Friday, and approximately 200 children will attend, according to Michelle Hodges, a Wheat Belt Public Power District representative.

“The purpose of the safety fair is to promote safety in a fun fair-type atmosphere,” she said. “Approximately 200 fourth and fifth graders from Sidney, Creek Valley and Leyton Schools will be participating and we would like to extend the invite to any home-schooled children of these grades as well.”

This year there will be nine presenters from various safety-determined professions around the Sidney area teaching the children.

Presenters from each of the following institutions will be present: the Natural Resources District, Sidney Police Department, City of Sidney, Union Pacific Railroad, Sidney Veterinary Hospital, Wheat Belt Public Power District, Source Gas, State Patrol and 21st Century Equipment.

“Everyone will have a chance to stop and visit the refreshment booth, receiving soda-pop from Pepsi Bottling and cotton candy complimentary of Wheat Belt,” Hodges said. “The cotton candy machine has become part of a learning booth in the past, and Barb Empfield demonstrates how cotton candy is made.”

Hodges said that the company holds the safety fair every three years, and to her knowledge, they have been teaching children via the fair since at least the year 2000.

“It’s a fun fair-type atmosphere for the kids,” said the representative.

She said some of the booths and presenters create a hands-on learning approach for the kids, while others show presentations and films.

“UP (Union Pacific) Railroad officials will be there with a film on safety, for example,” Hodges said.

To accompany the nine presenters, there will be approximately 15 different booths, she said.

Hodges said that this is solely for the kids and to help them learn some safety tools and hazards that they might be unaware of.

“With two working parents, after they get home and cook dinner and clean, sometimes teaching their children safety is overlooked,” she explained. “This teaches the kids things like farm, electrical and train safety and if we can help teach them those things that might be overlooked, it is so worth it.”

Hodges stressed that home-schooled children are invited too, and that the purpose of the fair is to educate all children between those ages and to prevent any accident that could possibly occur because of lack of knowledge.

The fair is a free program and any parent that would like their child to attend the fair on April 19, who is not currently scheduled to go with a school, can contact Hodges at 308-254-5871.