Kids can ‘Touch A Truck’
CARIBOU — Cary Medical Center’s 36th Annual Health Fair will take place Saturday, Sept. 24, and will feature a special attraction for children, along with free flu shots, health screenings and exhibits.
“Touch A Truck” is a fun family event that offers hands-on opportunities for children to explore, climb and touch trucks, emergency response vehicles, heavy machinery and other equipment. The activity is being offered as a way to encourage more families to attend the Health Fair.
Mark Shea, Project Director for the ASAP Drug Free Communities program at Cary, is organizing the ‘Touch A Truck’ event and has been pleased with local response.
“Children find emergency vehicles, fire trucks, ambulances, and other construction equipment, like dump trucks, bulldozers, to be fascinating,” he said. “We hope to have a variety of trucks and other interesting vehicles for children to explore and we are grateful for the cooperation of local organizations.”
Some of the agencies that will be represented at this year’s Health Fair include the Aroostook Agency on Aging, Power of Prevention, Pines Health Services and ASAP Drug Free Communities.
“We offer a variety of health screenings that can alert individuals about potential health issues and multiple organizations present information regarding services that are available to families,” said Bill Flagg, director of community relations and development at Cary Medical Center. “The information is free and representatives of programs are available talk with Health Fair attendees and answer questions.
“The Caribou Police Department will also be on hand to collect unused or expired medications,” Flagg said. “They have been a leader in the state of Maine’s drug return program.”
“Chief Mike Gahagan and his department have really championed this effort over the years,” added Bethany Zell of Cary. “We encourage people to bring their unused or expired medications to the health fair and give them to the police for proper disposal. By doing so they help to make homes safer.”
Zell, who directs Cary’s award-winning “Healthy You” program, is coordinating this year’s health fair. She said the theme of the event will be “Growing Healthy Communities.”
“We have used this theme throughout the year at our parades and other events with a focus on healthy local foods and supporting our local growers,” said Zell, who also coordinates Cary’s Pink Aroostook breast cancer awareness and support program. “The addition of a farmers market will help to carry this theme and we hope this will be an additional draw to the health fair.”
The 36th annual Health Fair will also include free flu shots and vegan ice-cream samplings, and 50 fairgoers will win $5 Healthy Heart Bucks. These coupons will be good at the health fair farmers market.
Health-related organizations and programs are invited to exhibit at the event, free of charge. Local farmers who would like to participate in the market can register online at carymedicalcenter.org or call Cary’s office of community relations at 498-1112.
