[Vision2020] Safety fair to draw large crowd

[Moscow Cares]

Courtesy of today’s (May 31, 2018) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

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Safety fair to draw large crowd
14th annual event honoring fallen police officer focuses on children, marks beginning of summer

A Life Flight helicopter will land in the parking lot Saturday at the Eastside Marketplace, but there won't be any emergency.

Rather, the landing will be part of the 14th annual Officer Newbill Kids Safety Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The annual fair recognizes Moscow Police Officer Lee Newbill, a 17-year veteran who was shot and killed in the line of duty in May 2007.

The fair's founder, Jon Kimberling, said the event is always hosted on the first Saturday in June to serve as a reminder to parents and children that summer vacation is right around the corner - the perfect time to make an extra effort in keeping children safe.

"With that increase in unstructured time (in the summer), there is more potential for an accident or a problem," Kimberling said.

In addition to children climbing through the Life Flight helicopter, the safety fair will include booths and attractions Palouse residents have learned to look forward to every year, and parents will have the opportunity to get their car seats checked by certified child passenger safety technicians.

Kimberling said one of the largest attractions at the event every year are the free bike helmets and fittings. He said they give away about 500 helmets to children annually and, for the past several years, the fair has also offered a decoration table, where children can personalize their helmets.

“The idea is if they are able to make them their own they will wear them,” Kimberling said.

Elizabeth Prasil, who has been on the safety fair board for six years, said free bicycle tune-ups will be available to children who bring their own bikes to the fair.

Prasil said the safety fair also highlights the importance of first responders and gives children a positive environment to interact with emergency personnel.

“It is not your everyday interaction with first responders,” she said.

Kimberling said one of his favorite parts about the fair is seeing all of the firefighters in their gear.

“That can be a little intimidating to a child, so the fact that (the firefighters) come up to them and talk to them it shows ‘Oh it’s just a person,’ so if they were in a situation with an emergency, they might not necessarily be scared,” Kimberling said.

He said the safety fair was renamed after Newbill after he was shot and killed by a gunman in 2007. Kimberling said up until his death, Newbill attended the safety fair and participated in the car seat checks every year, so the board reached out to Newbill’s widow and asked to rename the event in his memory.

Kimberling said everything at the fair is free — including the food — and several thousand people are expected to attend.

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In memory of Moscow Police Officer Lee Newbill . . .

http://www.moscowcares.com/In_Memory/In_Memory_LeeNewbill.htm

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Seeya there, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares" 
http://www.MoscowCares.com
  
Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
 
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