Greensburg Daily News, Greensburg, IN

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October 5, 2012

Gilliland Howe holding yearly children’s safety fair

Tess Rowing Greensburg Daily News

Greensburg — Gilliland Howe Funeral Home will be hosting its fifth annual safety fair Saturday, Oct. 6.

Starting from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the safety fair will have booths and displays for children, activities in which kids are free to partake.

Free chili, hot dogs and hot chocolate will be available, and also free T-shirts for the first 300 people to arrive.

Leslie Asche-Thackery, coordinator and funeral home director, said this year’s new attraction will be a rock-climbing wall brought by the National Guard. Many participants from last year will be present with different themes, Asche-Thackery said.

The Blood Mobile will be available for anyone who wants to give a donation. There will be vision screenings, and the Health Department will be giving flu shots for anyone nine years and older. Available will be information from organizations such as New Directions, the YMCA, and United Families about subjects such as athletics, health, safety, abuse, and advocacy for children. Some businesses will be present to speak about topics related to families, such as Lincoln Reality which will be available to speak about disaster relief.

There will also be a pedal tractor pull at 2 p.m. with sign-ups beginning at 1 p.m. The winner will receive a trophy. Children will have the opportunity to win prizes such as an iPad 2, 32 inch television, laptop, Furbies, four different bicycles and more. The fire department will have a “smoke house” set up - a house built to replicate the experience of being in a building of smoke.

“It’s growing every year,” said Don Ziegenfus, funeral home manager. He estimated around 400 people attended last year’s fair. Ziegenfus commended Leslie Asche-Thackery and Braiden Ryle for the effort they put into organizing this year’s fair, “The work that they’ve put in is phenomenal. It’s a lot of hard work that the staff has put in.”

Ziegenfus said the fair was started when the director was brainstorming for an event to involve the community. There had been no events specifically aimed at children at the time, “It’s just blossomed,” Ziegenfus said.

Asche-Thackery said the event is strictly for the community and Gilliland Howe makes no profit. What makes the fair so successful, Asche-Thackery said, is that the organizations that can participate can vary, and is not closed to anyone. The schools have been willing to share information about the fair, and Mayor Gary Herbert will be attending also, “When the city (of Greensburg) supports you, word of mouth travels.” said Asche-Thackery.

Asche-Thackery wanted to remind anyone planning on attending to “bundle up” for typical Indiana Fall weather. This year’s sponsors are the Decatur County Memorial Hospital, Aspen Place, the Community Action Coalition, Ivy Tech, Batesville and Greensburg Urgent Care and First Federal.

Outside spaces are still available for anyone wanted to request a booth. Please call the Gilliland Howe Funeral Home at 812-663-8341. The funeral home is located at 110 East North Street.

In the event of rain, the location will be moved to the Decatur County Family YMCA.



Contact: Tess Rowing 812-663-3111 x7004

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