With safety information flowing and area families having a good time, Gilliland-Howe Funeral Home’s first annual Safety Fair was a hit with the community.

According to funeral director and event organizer Leslie Thackery, the Safety Fair saw a great turnout of families interested in safeguarding their young ones from the potential injuries that can occur during every day life. Gathering all of the safety information in one place made it convenient for families to absorb the data and implement the findings into their lives.

Gilliland-Howe manager Don Ziegenfus explained that the fair had been a real success, noting that the response to the blood drive sponsored by the Indiana Blood Center had been great. Still, for Ziegenfus, the most important thing was prevention.

“Like we said, if it stops one kid from getting hurt, it’s a success,” he said.

Thackery was also pleased with how things went.

“We haven’t had an empty chair since it started,” she said about the blood drive.

As kids darted around from booth to booth grasping balloons and goodies that gave them both fun and a little information, parents were often dragged behind while the children excitedly hurried to the next station or demonstration.

One popular stop was the bicycle rodeo, put together by the Decatur County Memorial Hospital, Oakley Monuments and the Riley Safety Store. Kids who stopped by the bicycle safety station learned about general bike safety, traffic rules and injury prevention gear. They were shown how to properly use hand signals when making turns as well as what kind of clothing to wear to ensure a safe trip.

Once equipped and ready to go, the kids were shuttled through a course complete with road signs and lanes while volunteers helped direct the bikers through. One lucky rider even came away from the Safety Fair with a brand new bike of their own.

The Greensburg Fire Department was also on hand, giving families a demonstration of the proper ways to leave a building in the event of a fire inside the Fire Safety House. Harmless smoke filled the trailer, designed to look like the inside of a home, as firemen ushered the families through while explaining what to do.

Crews from the Greensburg Police Department, the Decatur County Sheriff’s Department, area churches, the Decatur County Family YMCA, New Directions and others came together to help make Gilliland-Howe’s first Safety Fair a treat for both kids and parents.

The success of the event had spurred Thackery’s and Ziegenfus’ hopes to make the Safety Fair a yearly occurrence.

“It’s definitely going to happen again,” Ziegenfus said.