SummerFESTT Makes Big Splash With Kids

by David Croyle

Last Saturday was filled with the splashes from hundreds of kids at the Belmont Complex Pool who enjoyed temperatures in the mid-80s.

Free admission to the pool was just one part of an event that drew children and parents from all of Armstrong County as well as neighboring towns to experience a day of activities designed specifically for them.

Jennifer McCroskey, Prevention Specialist & Project Coordinator for the Armstrong-Indiana Drug Free Communities Coalition, explained the idea behind the annual event.

“SummerFESTT (Families Enjoying Safe Times Together) is a children’s fair. It is an event that we ask organizations, agencies, and businesses to come together for a free day, where they come in, set up a table, and advertise their services to families of Armstrong County to let parents know what are some things out there and available for themselves and for their kids in the county.”

The event has been held for more than ten years on the first Saturday of June.

“It hasn’t always been here. In the last few years, we transferred it. It used to be at the Kittanning Riverfront Park, and now it has transferred to the Belmont.”

“Our goal is to reach as many parents and families as possible trying to get information out to them so they know some of the programs that are available, learning about services that are available that otherwise they may have not learned about, so it’s getting people out to see what is available.”

McCroskey said the response was overwhelming this year.

“They seem very happy. It seems like the kids are excited. They get a free day at the pool and they get a chance to go around and do a lot of activities, get a chance to talk to people, get free give-a-ways, play some games… we’re getting thanked for having this event. It seems a lot of people are happy to be able to come out and do this.”

The event is a collaboration between the Armstrong County Federal Employees Credit Union, Belmont Complex, and the Armstrong-Indiana-Clarion Drug and Alcohol Commission.

Funding for the event comes from various grants including the Drug-Free Communities allocation as well as others.

“It’s a lot of work. We work together. We meet for several months ahead of time and get a game plan with whom we want to get involved, decide where we want to get information out, good resources to build on… We try to meet several times before the event and we have it down from doing it year after year. Each one of us does different things. It does take a lot of time, a lot of effort to organize everything, especially contacting everybody. A lot of our prevention specialists go and distribute stuff. We use the schools. They allow us to send information out too. So we are very thankful for that. We get it to the school before the end of the school year so the kids can take it home and (tell parents) this is coming up.”

11-year-old Dermot Salyers from Pittsburgh visited most of the booths and found out some things he didn’t know about under-age alcohol abuse.

“If you take alcohol when you are younger, your brain gets messed up even more than when you are an adult because it hasn’t fully learned everything.”

UPMC for Kids Community Outreach Coordinator Elizabeth Dillon was one of the many organizations that manned a table for the event. Her organization reaches into 35 counties in western Pennsylvania including Armstrong. She explained the purpose of wanting to be a part of SummerFESTT.

“We have an activity wheel. They can go ahead and spin it. We will ask them questions about nutrition or activities. Then they get a prize for participating. Then we have information on the CHIP program. Unfortunately, there are a lot of parents that don’t realize there are insurance options for their children in Pennsylvania. There is no reason their children should be uninsured, whether through medical assistance or the CHIP program. There is free, low-cost and at-cost programs based on your total household size and income.”

Wildlife Conservation Officer Gary M. Fujak with the Pennsylvania Game Commission enforces hunting and trapping laws, and protect the mammals and birds. He explained his position.

“I am a police officer. There are approximately 140 full time officers that work for the Pennsylvania Game Commission (an independent state agency). We are the law enforcement arm for that agency. We are the ones who walk the woods and check hunters and trappers and make sure they are following all the laws and regulations. As a state officer, my authority not only extends to Armstrong County, but all the other 66 counties in Pennsylvania in the same way a state trooper does. We also have authority with the vehicle and crimes code. Our law enforcement ability is far-reaching.”

Fujak had some suggestions for young children to begin to experience wildlife in their own backyard.

“Put up a nesting box, a bird house. Build it to dimensions that might attract a specific bird, such as the blue bird. Blue birds are beautiful birds. They are actually blue - not blue jays. They eat a lot of insects. If you have a pair nesting in a box you put up at your house, they will do alot to control some of the insects around your house and they are beautiful to watch. It’s a native bird that has special protection here in PA.”

McCroskey encouraged families to mark their calendar for next year.

“We encourage people to come out every year if they can. It’s a great opportunity and free day to spend with your family. It’s a great time to go swimming in the pool and learn about stuff that is available for them. “