MONTAGUE — To continue the organization’s goal of community outreach and public service, the Montague Elks Lodge is revitalizing the town’s Community Safety Day tradition on Saturday, Oct. 4.
Exalted Ruler Allie Cooke said she did some research online about the previous Public Safety Day Open House at the Public Safety Complex that had fallen by the wayside.
At the previous open house, the Elks National Drug Awareness Program’s trailer was on site, and Cooke said she felt this could be an opportunity to collaborate again with the Montague Police Department, fire officials and other law enforcement agencies locally.
“When I saw that we were at that event in the past, I thought it’d be great to kind of host it again,” Cooke said. “Our law enforcement is important now more than ever, so I wanted to bring those two together.”
To foster this collaboration again, Cooke said the Montague Police Department will be participating in Saturday’s event, with Montague Police Officer Dan Miner and comfort dog Mack in attendance, along with the Turners Falls and Montague Center fire departments, Greenfield Police Department, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office with the Reentry Division and TRIAD, Community911 Training and Meals on Wheels.
The event will start at 10 a.m. and continue until 2 p.m. at the lodge, located at 1 Elks Ave. in Turners Falls. Food will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Children can participate in a touch-a-truck program with the public safety vehicles, and visit with comfort dogs Mack and Frank, of the Greenfield Police Department. Elroy the Elk, the Elks National Drug Awareness Program mascot, and Smokey Bear will also be present. The Montague Elks will also offer a free bike helmet giveaway.
Adult-oriented public safety activities will also be provided, including a hands-only CPR demonstration by Matt Wolkenbreit, executive director of Community911 Training, and training on the use of Narcan to help reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Both demonstrations are free. The Narcan training is a registered event offered at the top of each hour from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants, who must email savealife0716@gmail.com to register, will receive take-home Narcan kits.
Cooke said she hopes this becomes another annual tradition that the Montague Elks Lodge can foster, and that will connect the community with valuable information and resources.
“We want it to be fun and interactive, but also a little bit informative, where they can learn about different safety procedures, safety services, and also see the people that are behind these organizations every day,” she said. “It’s really special to me to be able to hold that at my lodge and hopefully that gets our name out into the community.”
