NEWBERRY — The Newberry Fire Department’s annual Kids Fun Day will be held Sunday, September 9 from 2-5 p.m. The event will take place in the parking lot of Lowes on Main Street.
Fire Chief Keith Minick said while the event will be fun and is called Fun Day, they really want to use the event to portray a safety message to children and families, but also encourage those interested to get involved with an agency such as the fire service.
“The future is our young generation and hopefully we can instill something in them to encourage them to get involved in their community whether that’s through the fire service, law enforcement, EMS or another agency,” Minick said.
The event, which has been held for over 25 years, originally started as a fishing rodeo for kids, but transitioned over time into the department’s Kids Fun Day. Minick said the fire department currently hosts an annual golf tournament in the spring and portions of the proceeds help support the Kids Fun Day event.
“We really want to encourage people to take the time to come out to this free event and to have a good time,” Minick said. “We thank those inside and outside of the community that supported our annual golf tournament and the Kids Fun Day in any way they could to make this a success,”
Minick said as the event continues to grow that it takes more support and partnerships from the community to make it happen.
Hot dogs will be provided by Sonic of Newberry, along with snow cones and popcorn from other community organizations. There will be games and giveaways to include stickers, coloring books and bags for children.
Several fire trucks will be on display for the community to visit and look inside as well as a station allowing children to flow water from a firetruck towards a target, simulating putting water on a fire. The Newberry Police Department and Newberry County Sheriff’s Office along with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Newberry County EMS and other agencies will be on site during the event.
The Newberry Fire and Police departments will also have staff on hand to discuss child safety seats for those interested in how those should be properly installed in a vehicle. Captain Gene Shealy with the fire department will also be on site to discuss recruitment for the fire service for those that are interested in learning more.
Inflatables will also be on site for children to enjoy. The City’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism department will have additional outdoor games available.
Engineer Chris Connelly said an event like this is a good way to get children out in the public, showing them what the fire service and other agencies do each and every day in the community.
“It’s about getting the message out there for children and families to be safe,” Connelly said. “We hope to see a lot of children and families there and to see them having a great time.”
Minick said the department had been fortunate in year’s past to have good weather for the event. However, if unforeseen circumstances arose, an announcement would be made on the City of Newberry’s social media pages, on WKDK radio as well as on the illuminated sign in front of the Newberry Fire Department on Wilson Road.
Minick said this was the second consecutive year that the department had partnered with Lowes for this event and they appreciated them allowing the event to take place in their parking lot.
“We look forward to many more community-involved partnerships,” he said.