Preparedness fair Saturday

An Emergency Preparedness Mini-Fair will held at the Hot Springs County Fair Building on Saturday, June 29 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

The fair is sponsored by Wyoming Are You Ready? with the goal of informing the public about the importance of emergency preparation.

The fair will feature workshops, presentations and Q & A opportunities with experts from Thermopolis, Worland, Greybull, Cody and Clark. Family-friendly activities will also be available.

According to event representative, MaeCile Eastin, one of the primary goals of the fair is to ensure that every child in Hot Springs County has an emergency 72-hour kit. The kits can be built in a backpack, bucket, pillowcase or other device to keep the items together.

With that goal in mind, the first 200 kids to arrive with a least a starter 72-hour kit will be treated to a free BBQ lunch, along with their accompanying adults.

When picking items for a kit, remember it will serve as a “If I need to leave the house right now” or “shelter in place” bag. At the fair, there will be plenty of free stuff available to add to the kits.

Another goal of the fair is to stress the importance of communication in an emergency. Bob Overton and Mike Kappus will be on hand to talk about amateur radio basics and NOAA all hazards radios.

Other featured presenters include: James Coates who will be presenting kid friendly fire facts, Josh Kirkman who will demonstrate how to stop a bleed, Danita Sayers will discuss the use of herbs for emergencies and Judy Harvey and Wendy Salzman will discuss the importance of water.

Cavalier the horse will be on scene from 10-noon and he really enjoys meeting children. Information will also be provided on how to make a pet 72-hour kit.

Raffle tickets are being sold to win a Harvest Right Freeze Dryer, with proceeds going to purchase items for the 72-hour kits. Tickets are available at Storyteller, Thermopolils Hardware and the Farmer’s Market.

Please see the ad on page 14 of this paper for a QR code you can scan to print or download a 72-hour emergency kit checklist.

Other booths at the fair will include Community Emergency Response Team training, solar power, sewing, self-defense basics, first aid, Internet security, cyber threats, freeze drying, honey, food storage basics, composting and more.

Visit wyomingareyouready.com for more information or email Eastin at emergencypreprep@gmail.com.