Kidzfest Health Fair entertains area youth

    Washington youngsters were entertained Friday night by one activity after another at the annual ?Kidzfest? held in Central Park. The Washington County Hospital and Clinics organized the event, which is designed to teach kids about health, wellness and safety.

    Hospital marketing coordinator Carrie Garman said she was worried that attendance would be down because the event was held on Memorial Day weekend when many families hit the road.

    ?I bet there were 700 or 800 kids this year,? said Garman. ?We usually have Kidzfest on the first Friday in June, but our hospital foundation golf tournament is that day this year. I was worried that we wouldn?t have the numbers, but they were where they normally are. I think our attendance was the same as last year.?

    The event featured a number of fun activities for kids and their parents. The Iowa National Guard provided a rock climbing wall. The climbers wore a safety harness and climbed up to the top of the wall, which towered over the surrounding booths.

    The Washington Fire Department brought its burn trailer, which simulates a smoky house. Kids walk through the fake smoke and are instructed to move through the trailer on their hands and knees, just as they would in a real fire.

    ?I talked to one mother whose child went through the burn trailer 10 times,? said Garman.

    The Hospital Foundation sponsored an inflatable playpen known as a ?bouncy house? in which kids could safely jump around and release some energy. Another crowd-pleasing attraction was the pony rides courtesy of Windy Acres Stables and sponsored by hawk-i. 

    ?The kids are always looking for the pony rides when they come to Kidzfest,? said Garman.

    Garman said the hospital?s booth focused on teaching kids about ?stranger danger? and Internet and telephone safety.

    ?We had a role-playing station where we asked the children what they do when they?re home alone and someone is at the door that they don?t know,? said Garman. ?We also did a telephone role-play. We talked to them about what they should do if someone calls and they ask for your parents.?

For the full story, see the June 1 edition of The Washington Evening Journal