Touchstone Energy™ and Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative, a Touchstone Energy™ cooperative, are proud to be sponsors of the second annual Safety Adventures Day, a program aimed at reducing mishaps on farms, in homes, and along roads in the Tri-State Region.

Planned for the last weekend of this month, Safety Adventures Day offers presentations and informational booths on how to avoid accident, injury, and illness. Its purpose is to reduce accident rates in Southeast Ohio by promoting education and awareness at all age levels: from children to senior citizens.

Multiple agencies and businesses have joined together to convey safety and health messages during the two-day event. Prizes will be awarded, thanks to generous contributions by local merchants, clubs, and individuals.

A matching grant obtained by BREC from the statewide Touchstone Energy™ Committee, composed of rural electric cooperatives from across Ohio, has enabled Safety Adventures Day organizers to expand this year’s event.

A students-only day on March 30, with an agenda aimed at fifth graders, will launch the weekend of safety-oriented programs. Kids will be bused to the Lawrence County Fairgrounds at Proctorville for sessions on fire and electrical safety, safe bike and all-terrain vehicle operation, household and farmstead threats, anti-drug awareness, hunter safety education, and other lessons. “Risk Watch,” a program emphasizing eight areas of injury prevention for pre-school through eighth-grade students, will also be unveiled.

Students will compete in five poster-judging contests, with $250 in prizes on the line. The poster categories and sponsors include:

Home firearms safety, sponsored by the South Hills Longbeards Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation;

All-terrain vehicle (ATV) safety, sponsored by Southeastern Ohio Emergency Medical Services;

Lawn equipment safety, sponsored by the Ohio State University Extension Service and Farm Bureau;

Electrical and fire safety, sponsored by Rome Volunteer Fire Department and BREC;

Environmental safety and litter prevention, sponsored by the Soil and Water Conservation District and the Solid Waste Management District.

On Saturday, March 31, the Safety Adventures Day program expands to all ages. Added topics include tractor-farm equipment operation and implement attachment, poison dangers in the home and on the farm, pre-driving vehicle mechanical check lists, electrical and fire safety, animal handling, boating and water safety, litter control, hunting safety, wild fire prevention, ATV safety, emergency services, senior citizen health issues, and railroad crossing safety.

Door prizes include lawn and garden tools, home and recreational safety equipment, and a bicycle with helmet and safety pads. Booths and information stations will feature handouts and favors.

At Country Living magazine’s press time, presenters scheduled to take part in Safety Adventures Day were Symmes Valley High School FFA, Solid Waste Management District, Farm Bureau, Soil and Water Conservation District, Ohio State University Extension Service, Rome Volunteer Fire Department, Southeastern Ohio Emergency medical Service, National Wild Turkey Federation, Cabell-Huntington Hospital, and Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative.

Watch for ads in The Ironton Tribune this month for a complete list of participating agencies, clubs, and contributing businesses.