OGDEN, Utah — Some 3,000 people showed up Saturday, Sept. 8, at the city park here for a fall festival centered on personal and family preparedness and well-being. After a day that included downing some 3,000 hamburgers and 1,500 hot dogs, residents of many faiths learned not only about 72-hour kits, but also about how to use fire extinguishers, why seat belts are important and how literacy blesses lives.

The festival made the community "more aware of what you need to do in an emergency and what Weber County has available for emergency preparedness," said Jan Miekle, a member of the planning committee from the Ogden Utah East Stake, which spearheaded the event.

Sister Miekle was especially pleased with the cooperation of various faiths and civic organizations in the festival. Sponsoring groups included not only the Ogden East and Ogden stakes, but also the First Presbyterian, First United Methodist, First Baptist, Ogden Buddhist and St. Joseph Catholic churches. Civic groups included police, sheriff's department, highway patrol, University of Utah AirMed, IHC Life Flight and Ogden City departments.

"We were all together on one day," Sister Miekle added.

The festival, which is an annual event for the Ogden East stake, also included special features for children, including booths depicting various children's books, such as Peter Pan and the Wizard of Oz. At the end of the day, each child went home with a free book.

Sister Miekle related, "One little girl said, 'This is the first book I've ever owned."'

Lance Petersen, director of emergency management for Weber County, said such activities help officials teach people the simple, inexpensive things they can do to prepare for emergencies.

"Our first line of defense is personal and family preparedness," he added. — Julie Dockstader Heaps

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEnJ%2BuqpOdu6bD0meaqKVfZ31xg45yZmtqX2eAc3%2BRb2xtZ5aWuqq4yJ6qZp6VqMGqwsCl