NIOBRARA - Some traditions just fade away while other receive a new lease on life. The latter proved to be the case for Community Health and Safety Day, which was resuscitated on June 6 at the Niobrara County Fairgrounds. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Lusk residents were treated to a series of exhibits from the Niobrara Electric Association (NEA), the Wyoming Highway State Patrol, the Lusk Police Department, the Niobrara Community Hospital and Clinic, the Life Flight crew and many other organizations. The last time that the town experienced such an assortment of safety and health exhibitors was in 2017. A confluence of factors forced the event into a seven-year hiatus. Then, Cent$ible Nutrition Program Educator Crystal Zerbe decided to pull the event off the shelf, wipe the dust away, and reintroduce it to Lusk in 2024.

“When I came to the Extension Office, I began thinking about how I could bring that [the Community Health and Safety Day] back,” Zerbe said. “I spoke with Kellie Chichester, our Youth Development Extension Educator. She thought bringing it back was a fantastic plan. So, I began contacting different folks.”

According to Zerbe, the process of contacting potential participants allowed her to build a robust network of future collaborators.

“We made really good connections with each other and partnerships as well,” said Zerbe. “I was able to put faces to the resources I invited. I was able to make that personal connection rather than communicating through email or over the phone. So, it was fantastic to make those connections and to know who to reach out to.” 

According to Zerbe, the responsiveness of the event participants reaffirmed her passion for health and safety.

“A lot of these folks are volunteers, and they are giving their free, personal time to services,” Zerbe said. “It does my heart good to see folks want to give back and serve others. That’s really encouraging.”

Among those who participated was Niobrara County Public Health, which recently procured both a new building and new signage. Manning the agency’s exhibit was Kassidy Miller, who characterized the event as an opportunity to provide Lusk with valuable information.

“Any time we can get out into the community and make people aware of what we want to offer is something we’re going to jump on,” Miller said.

For Miller’s colleague, Public Health Nurse Michelle Kremers, spreading the word at Community Health and Safety Day proved to be a fruitful effort.   

“I would consider it successful,” said Kremers. “We were able to let people know what we are offering through public health.”

Public Health’s services include smoking cessation support, STD infection testing and education, adult and child vaccinations, chronic disease education, and tuberculosis skin testing. A $15 nurse fee is requested for most services.

There was no shortage of fun and interesting activities at the Community Health and Safety Day. There were presentations concerning tractor and gun safety. The Highway State Patrol gave a viscerally intense, yet informative demonstration of vehicle seatbelts. The Life Flight crew even had their specially equipped helicopter on display. This stimulating collection of sights and sounds drew an eclectic crowd, which included 65 youths and House District 2 Representative Allen Slagle. Needless to say, the turnout was sizable enough to justify plans for future health and safety events. While attendance numbers left Zerbe visibly, her deepest sense of satisfaction is rooted in her message of personal maintenance and bodily well-being.

“These are our bodies, and we need to take care of them,” Zerbe said.

Zerbe can be reached at cjorda20@uwyo.edu or via phone at 307-334-3534.