Grant on display at Festival Expo

By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Residents of Grant County have many opportunities to enhance their quality of life, but most people may not know about many things the county has to offer. To that end, organizers are planning for the first Grant County Traveling F.U.N. Festival & Expo.

This event will be held April 19 in Ashby and, in succeeding years, the F.U.N. Festival & Expo will be held in other communities in Grant County.

“We selected Ashby, this first year, simply because it starts with A and has a great facility,” said Tina Lindquist, a county employee who works in the Office of Land Management/Emergency Management.

In 2009 the Traveling F.U.N Festival & Expo will be held in Barrett. After that the event will be held at Elbow Lake, Herman, Hoffman, Norcross and Wendell.

“Our theme this first year is Creating a Culture of Preparedness and C.A.R.I.N.G. for Families,” Lindquist said.

The event on Saturday, April 19, will run from 9 a.m. to noon at Ashby Public School. Free transportation will be provided by Palmer Bus, from various locations within the county, in order to encourage families to get to the event in Ashby.

This year’s festival and expo is sponsored by Grant County Child and Youth Council and Grant County Emergency Management. One of the door prizes will be an overnight stay at Thumper Pond Water-Park Hotel in Ottertail City.

Those who utilize the free transportation will be eligible for the Thumper Pond water park stay. Others who attend the expo will be eligible for more door prizes. Examples are gift certificates.

Some booth displays on April 19 in Ashby will include Douglas County Red Cross, Grant County Humane Society, ELEAH Medical Center, Amundson Equipment, churches, county departments, Thorson Memorial Library, local businesses from various communities, civic organizations such as American Legions, insurance companies, banks, grocery stores and service stations, to name a few.

“We also want to promote recreational areas such as Elk Lake Heritage Preserve near Hoffman,” Lindquist said.

Booths will be in the main gym at Ashby school and entertainment for families, with an emphasis on kids’ activities, will be in the lower gym.

An outdoor safety house will be used for fire safety education. A Fun House, set up inside and designed for kids, is owned by the Fergus Falls Fire Department and will be run by fire departments from throughout Grant County.

A Salvation Army breakfast and 4-H activities will be held in the school cafeteria. Outside displays will include ambulances, fire trucks and snowplows.

“We look forward to having lots of county residents attend,” Lindquist said. “This will be a special morning in Ashby when people learn more about what Grant County has to offer.”