Thousands Expected For Carnival Of Safety Popular Annual Event At Valley Hospital Features Food And Fun With Safety In Mind

Tents and balloons will fill the parking lot at Valley Hospital and Medical Center on Thursday for the Kids Carnival of Safety.

Valley Hospital and Medical Center, located at 12606 E. Mission, has been serving soft drinks and scooping popcorn for children and their parents for the last 10 years, while providing safety information to both.

“It is truly a carnival atmosphere, but it is done to promote safety,” said hospital spokeswoman Priscilla Gilkey.

Activities will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. More than 55 agencies will occupy booths in the employee parking lot behind the hospital. Gilkey said the Valley Fire Department and the Washington Poison Center will be among the agencies represented.

Members of the Valley Lions Club, who have been trained by the Spokane County Sheriff’s department, will be fingerprinting children for parents’ records. Videotape identification will also be available.

Highlights of the carnival include first aid information, puppet shows, a bicycle rodeo and tours of ambulances and fire trucks. Other activities include games such as “Musical Seat Belts” and “Wheel of Safety” and the opportunity for kids to experience wearing a cast. Safety videos will also be shown in hospital classrooms.

The carnival began as an internal hospital event. But the children of the employees had so much fun the first year, the staff decided to invite the public. It has since grown into an event run by more than 100 volunteers.

The hospital expects close to 4,000 people to attend the event and asked that all children be accompanied by an adult.

Gilkey said the carnival has won several safety awards because it provides children with a fun atmosphere to learn about safety.

She said the carnival has also proved valuable in teaching children about various city and county agencies and how to use them.

, DataTimes