Paula Pirnstill Memorial Health and Safety Fair Sees Good Turnout

By DIANNE ALWARD-BIERY

Cleaver Staff Writer

HARRISON – If it had anything to do with health and safety, it was on display at the Paula Pirnstill Memorial Health and Safety Fair held April 19 at the Farwell Area High School. From blood donations, to Veterans Services, to testing, to free COVID test kits, to any sort of information that might be desired from roughly 40 health services-providing organizations who offered information for just about any concern, from asthma to Alzheimer’s and everything in between. Politicians and local elected officials attended, as well, offering an ear and some valuable information on how to protect assets from fraud and the many natural and human-caused disasters that arise.

In the lobby, the Red Hat Strutters offered up a bit of steppin’ for the enjoyment of attendees.

Then, outdoors there were the many safety elements present, to include vehicles onsite courtesy of fire departments from Surrey and Garfield townships, MMR Ambulance Service, Clare County Sheriff [road patrol, Emergency Response Dive Team vehicle and boat], and the Prevention 1 smoke house experience provided by the Mount Pleasant Fire Department Prevention One unit that provided a smoking house experience. The kids really liked that one. When they came out of the building from the Kids Only Gym, their parents laden with oodles of pool noodles, there was no hesitation to drop any interest in those noodles and leap into the smoking trailer [under the guidance of Mount Pleasant Fire Department personnel, of course].

Another much anticipated part of the day was the med flight helicopter which was to be onsite around 10 a.m. Unfortunately, low cloud ceiling conditions caused multiple delays and the ultimate cancellation of its participation. Maybe next year the weather will cooperate.

Inside the main entrance, there was a silent auction of a huge number of wood shop projects: coffee/end tables, tables, fold-up chairs, side tables, bookcases, benches with backs comprised of pickup truck tailgates, patio chairs, Adirondack chairs, a gun rack, vanity/desk with shelving hutch, garden benches, and just a whole lot more. One eye-catcher was a large snazzy wooden dog kennel with twisted wrought iron spindles and a hinged, barrel-bolted access door. One wooden tray with painted leaves said it best, “Happiness Is Homemade.”

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