OKEECHOBEE – The 19th Annual Okeechobee Family Health and Safety Expo/Touch-A-Truck Event wrapped up another great year.
Chuck Akers, who organizes the event each year, said the day was full of health and safety information along with numerous activities for the entire family.
The event was attended by 2,052 attendees who found themselves leaving with a good understanding of the services available to them. "I want to thank all attendees for still coming out to enjoy the day. Yes, it was a little cool in the morning but as the day went on it was a beautiful day for the event," said Akers.
Alex Tijerina once again took charge of the TOUCH-A-TRUCK event. This event is dear to her heart as she wants to make sure Okeechobee youth understand what is available to them in the workplace. "Alex does an outstanding job, and we look forward to seeing what she does next year," said Akers.
Tijerina has also taken charge of all outside activities and has expanded the activities to include items such as the trackless train, bounce houses, face painting and fire department and law enforcement demonstrations. Our children really enjoyed themselves, which made the event a successful day for mom and dad.
Akers complimented Our Village, who took charge of the green room again for the vendors and provided them with a fantastic hot breakfast and lunch. The vendors once again enjoyed another great lunch which was provided by Megan and her super staff from Nutmeg’s Café.
As they do every year, the Okeechobee County Community Emergency Response Team did an excellent job in assisting Akers throughout the event. The CERT team started in the early morning hours, assisting the vendors to assure them that they could find parking in the vendor parking area.
As usual, our Okeechobee County Fire Rescue Volunteers, led by Donny Arnold, who commanded the concession stand, assured that every attendee was fed, and the team did an outstanding job as usual.
Ken and Johanna Kenworthy, as they do every year, had the privilege of handling the door prizes, which are sponsored by the Children’s Services Council. Akers stated that this event would not be possible if it were not for the Council, which has been the main sponsor of the door prizes all these years.
Akers and his entire staff want to thank everyone who participated this year, and they are looking forward to another great event next year on January 30, 2027.
