By Stacy Hutto
Managing Editor
Children of all ages and sizes filled the Visual and Performing Arts Center during the Bryan County Family Expo, hosted by Southeastern Child Care Resource and Referral, on March 2.
Stephanie Makke, coordinator at the Southeastern Child Care Resource and Referral said, “The expo got started several years ago through a partnership with the Health Department.”
Makke also mentioned the agencies felt there was a need to get information about community agencies relevant to young children and their families to the families.
Resource and Referral Specialist Janet Scribner said, “The expo is a service to the county, especially to children.”
According to Scribner, the attendance estimate for the expo was 360 people. Scribner said, “About 360 people signed in at the door. There might have been more that didn’t sign in.”
Makke said participation was lower by approximately 50 people less than previous years.
Makke felt the lower participation was lower due to other events and activities going on at the same time.
Many local vendors took part in the expo. The vendors had booths that were offering information for parents and fun activities and prizes for children.
There were more than 20 booths at the event, and Safe Kids was outside for parents who wanted to check that their car seats were installed properly.
If a family did not have a car seat, or the car seat they had did not meet safety regulations, car seats were available with a $10 co pay. According to Makke, Safe Kids and Smart Start Durant covered the rest of the cost for the car seats.
Periodically throughout the event, bikes and board games donated by local businesses were raffled off. One of the first winners of a new bike was 4-year-old Brody Cox.
His mother, Natalie Cox said, “I think it’s wonderful for the community. Businesses showcase what they offer for parents and kids have a wonderful time.”
Cox also mentioned that their family attended the expo last year as well.
Monona Dill was also at the expo with members of her family. Dill said, “It’s gotten bigger every year. It’s fun, educational and good for families. It’s a good thing.”
As parents looked at the information the booths had to offer and children ran around the VPAC, Dill added, “Kids don’t really pay attention to what’s going on in the booths. They just want to move to the next part of the action.”
Children at the expo had many activities to choose from. The OG&E booth demonstrated to children the dangers of going near downed electrical wires by using a diorama that mimicked downed lines.
The sparks that came off a doll when it touched the downed line created a powerful image for children as some children wrapped their arms around their parents’ legs when the doll was electrocuted.
There were games, face painting at the Youth Services of Bryan County booth and the Bryan County OSU Extension Service allowed children to plant a seed to take home.
In addition to letting children plant seeds, the extension service had examples of miniature gardens that families could plant.
The examples shown were a salad garden, an Italian garden and a pizza garden. The gardens showed families how to tailor a small garden for the types of food they cook the most.
Since the gardens were small, they could be grown at homes without much space.