Mapleton holds first Health, Safety Fair followed by dance

MAPLETON -- Attendance to the first Mapleton Health and Safety Fair was high, drawing in over 70 people on Saturday, the fair's coordinators said.

The fair featured several booths, with information on health and safety, a St. John's MedFlight helicopter, a Drunk-Driving Course by the Kansas Highway Patrol, fire trucks from Fire District No. 3 and the FSCC EMS Training Ambulance. Attendants were provided with free child ID kits, from the Bourbon County Sheriff Department and also received a wide variety of information on services available to residents in the Bourbon County area.

Tod Hileman, Kansas Highway Patrol, Chanute, provided an obstacle course simulating drunk driving and also spoke to the crowd about the Highway Patrol. The course, where participators wore goggles on their faces that impaired their driving and vision much like alcohol does, allowed people to see how their ability to drive would be hindered by the effects of alcohol.

Free blood pressure checks and tours of the ambulance and helicopter were also made available.

St. John's MedFlight II crew answered questions about the helicopter and spoke about what their jobs are like. Flight Nurse Stacey Robertson said she enjoyed attending events such as this in the community. "It gives us a chance to speak with people around us and to help them understand more about the type of work we do. We enjoy seeing the kids and teaching them."

This was the first Mapleton Health and Safety Fair and the event's coordinators are hoping that the event can be continued, with Mapleton hosting a health and safety fair possibly once a year.

After the Health and Safety Fair, the city sponsored an ice cream social, where homemade ice-cream and cake was enjoyed by everyone. The evening finished with an old fashioned street dance, with music provided by DJ Brian and Gina Tenner, of Baldwin.

Mike Hueston, Mapleton mayor, said the city decided to host the health and safety fair, "because we wanted to be able to provide a large amount of information on health and safety to the community and to also bring an evening of enjoyment to Mapleton."