Community celebrates youth through health and safety fair

"Our Community Celebrates Youth" was a fitting title for the second annual children’s health and safety festival conducted at Juan Bautista de Anza Park on Saturday.

The festival was sponsored by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department STAR (Success Through Awareness and Resistance) program, the Kiwanis Club of Calabasas-Agoura and the Las Virgenes Optimist Club. Actor Beau Bridges served as master of ceremonies, and music was provided by country band Purple Sage.

The festival combined an old- fashioned picnic with games and activities for children, a silent auction, pie-eating contests, live music and lots of food, with demonstrations that stressed safety and health.

The FBI sponsored a booth that focused on Internet safety, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department gave participants an opportunity to dunk Dep. Richard Curry in a tank of water. Curry has the distinction of writing the most traffic tickets last year (3,200).

A K-9 unit gave a presentation and a "Stranger Danger" program was presented.

Family activities included a rock-climbing wall, sack races, face painting, hay rides, an egg toss game and an old fashioned "hit the bell" game. There was even a teepee in which children could play.

A sheriff’s department helicopter flew in for the day and toy cars were sold. Kameron Johnson, president of the Optimist Club, said that all proceeds would go to child safety programs.

Mike Dixon, who heads the steering committee for the Optimist Club, said the goal was to teach kids about programs and resources that keep them safe.

Cole Berweiter, a 9-year-old Oak Park youngster who also attended last year’s picnic, said the bike stunt show was a highlight. "Last year a lot of people came because of the bike stunts." The back flip demonstration, he said, was really impressive.

Other booths included "Abduction Busters" (which provided emergency identification kits for children), the Agoura Animal Shelter and the American Red Cross. The latter emphasized the need for emergency preparedness.

Las Virgenes Municipal Water District sponsored a booth and the sheriff’s department’s "Mounted Reserves" rode their horses throughout the day.

Gena Ryan, 6, a student at Our Lady of Malibu, won the first sack race. "I like jumping," she said. It wasn’t her first sack race, she said.