STANDISH – The 10th Annual Standish Health and Safety Day will be held this year on Oct. 9, at the Standish Municipal Complex on Route 35. More than 200 community members are expected to visit the fair sponsored by the Standish Safe Community Coalition along with the Standish Fire Department and EMS.

“This is going to be a great event,” said Councilor and Safety Committee member Phil Pomerleau. “It is not just for the kids, this is for everyone in the community.”

To celebrate the 10th anniversary, there will be more giveaways, more events and more free ice cream.

“We wanted to celebrate in a big way,” said Pomerleau. “We usually spend $1,500 on this day but this year we are spending close to $4,000 to make sure there is something for everyone.”

Attendees can count on a variety of displays from the Maine Warden Service, Standish Animal Control and local businesses. The Southern Maine Red Cross will be conducting a blood drive in the building throughout the day.

Visitors will also be treated to a smoke demonstration by the Standish Fire Department, and perhaps the most interesting demonstration, the Fatal Experience conducted by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department. This experience involves a golf cart, an obstacle course, and a driver trying to complete the course while texting on their mobile phone. The Sheriff’s office hopes to educate drivers, especially younger drivers, on the dangers of texting and driving. The demonstration is safe and a deputy will be riding in the passenger side of the golf cart.

The local Masons chapter will be on hand again this year with the Child Identification Program. The identification program is designed to combat child abduction and assist in finding lost children. After registering, children are fingerprinted and have their iris scanned, both of which goes into a permanent record that authorities will use if the child is ever abducted.

Safety Day has always included a free pumpkin patch for the kids but this year is also incorporating trailer rides along the trails behind the municipal complex. Freebies for attendees include, T-shirts, Halloween candy bags, flashlights, and Frisbees, and as always there will be a pedal bike raffle with bikes for children ages 1-16. The bikes are donated by area merchants, town council members and private donations. This year 10 bikes to commemorate 10 years have been donated and will be raffled off at the end of the day.

The event ends with a free brownie and ice cream sundae social.

“We hope everyone will come out and enjoy a great day of fun and safety,” said Pomerleau.

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