Fair Photos

Dutch Oven Cooking - yum!

Door Prizes - Great Prizes, Great Winners!

Sherriff's Office Retina Scans

Girl Scouts with Identity Theft Protection in a Disaster

CERT

Church members and representatives from many community organizations all coming together to educate and inspire...What a terrific day!

Emergency Services Fan

While the 72 Hour Kit display was my responsibility at the 2010 Fair, I was relieved by none other than my mother for a few minutes so I could play "attendee." I took our children around to see the booths that interested them and you know exactly where we ended up...outside.

I'd like to take liberties now and express personal thanks to the Lapeer EMS team and the city fire department. They could not have been more accommodating to a mother of five small children if they'd passed out PB&J sandwiches.

Tim, with EMS, spent so much time taking the children through the ambulance and explaining all that happens inside. He even did a radio check to the hospital just to show them how it all works. The lights and sirens were lots of fun and he put on a good show. Such a treat for them! Yesterday as our oldest drove through Lapeer with her father she said, "Hey - there's the ambulance from the Preparedness Fair!" Great memories were made there. Thank you, Tim.

After our virtual ambulance ride, we mosied on over to the fire truck and Sparky the Remote Fire Dog. Yeah, OK, we RAN to the fire truck. And we stayed a long time. What a treat to get into the truck and have so many questions answered by a very knowledgeable fire fighter. The hoses, the axes, the chainsaws and all the tools were fun to see. The inside of the truck was really great! So great that we captured the moment forever. Many thanks to such a great crew. They made the Fair a great experience for our family.

- Anne Burns

Fair-ly Wonderful!

The 2010 Emergency Preparedness Fair was a phenomenal success. While specific crowd tallies are a little difficult to figure, a fair assessment is that about 150 people attended. (How many ways can we use that word???) We had amazing community involvement, an incredible amount of knowledge shared, and terrific resources were everywhere. No one walked away disappointed. Here are a few photos from the big day. If you missed it - you really missed out, so we'll look for you next year!

Fair held at the LDS Church on Oregon in Lapeer

Sparky the Remote Fire Dog

72 Hour Kits

Lapeer Master Gardeners

Nature's Better Way Herb Specialists

Door Prizes

The Fair is only 2 weeks away and it is going to be great! If you are thinking, "I need to be ready for an emergency, I'm just not sure where to start," this is for you. If you are already working on your preparedness, then you'll find information, resources and products at the fair to help you on your way. And if you are a preparedness freak (a loving term) like me then the Fair will be like Christmas morning!

Come early and plan to learn a lot. When you arrive, stop first at the door prize booth. (Start with the best stuff, right?) Door prizes include a 72 hour kit, freeze dried foods, a portable potty station and more.

Remember our Red Cross Blood Drive too. Did you know that only 38% of people are eligible to give blood and only 8% of them do? We hope you'll be generous with that extra pint you carry around and give it to the Red Cross. Send an email to lapeerwardprepared@gmail.com to make an appointment today. The cookies alone are worth the sacrifice.

-Anne Burns

"The government will take care of things..."

As we watch the world around us pummeled with natural disasters and economic crisis, we still hear people say things like, "the government will be there if anything happens." To prevent us from falling into complacency (and ignorance), we need to be aware of the reality of government help. This is just one article detailing the resources held by the government for emergency management.

A friend recently shared seeing a billboard in a major metropolitan area, purchased by the government, admonishing people to get a 72 hour supply of goods that would carry them through until help could arrive in a disaster. How much better would it be if we could take care of ourselves and not rely on anyone else for support?

Many months after the fact, few talk about the fun had in the New Orleans Saints' football stadium by thousands of misplaced Katrina victims. No one recalls the danger, the fear, the lack of resources to care for those people.

If we have a plan for our emergency, regardless of what shape it takes, we won't be fearful. We can avoid the danger, the panic - and the rush for bottled water.

Plan now to attend our Emergency Preparedness Fair. Get your family on the road to self sufficiency. It's not too late to begin.

-Anne Burns

Food Storage in 3 Easy Steps

Deals to Meals is a terrific resource for information on beginning your own food storage journey - or continuing in the effort with renewed vigor! This young, hip, Utah mom has turned her love of family and food storage into a business and she supplies the Utah valley with weekly updates as to what is on sale in their area. While this is of little use to those of us in Michigan, her site is packed with free downloads (food storage inventory sheets!), recipes (she posted MY wheat bread recipe, which I stole from a friend in Troy), and terrific how-to videos for so many different areas of preparedness. Check her out for sure. This one is my favorite because it's a terrific overview of what food storage is and what it looks like for a family. When you see the Best Wheat Bread Recipe (and it is!), scroll to the bottom of the page and watch the 3 Easy Steps video. It will breathe new life into you, I promise!

Side note on $aving money as you store up: CouponMom is a resource that lists the grocery deals for a long list of stores nationwide. It's FREE! They scour the ads, connect them with Sunday paper coupons and save you a ton of time. If coupons are not your thing, it's still much faster than going to each individual store to see what's on sale. Food storage is much easier if you buy only what is on sale and buy it in bulk. That way you never pay more than .59 for a can of tomatoes again.

- Anne Burns

Beef Jerky at the Fair

I'm just too excited to keep this to myself anymore. Inspired by so many others who are constantly adding to their family's preparedness, I have made beef jerky. I stopped at H&S Meat Market in Lapeer (where Saginaw Street meets M-24, behind the filling station) and purchased an eye of round. Big deal for me since I usually only talk to the butcher at Sam's Club to ask for a big roll of 90% lean ground beef.

Alton Brown of Food Network fame had what I think is the best recipe for homemade beef jerky, so I gave it a shot. There are lots of factors in the drying process and I've still not perfected that in my kitchen, but I'm telling you...it tastes really good!

First I tried the oven process (lowest setting, door propped open) and then I tried the dehydrator. My vote goes to the oven, but watch your time. It doesn't take nearly the 12 hours Mr. Brown suggests. Here is the recipe.

OR stop by my booth (72 Hour Kits) at the Preparedness Fair on May 22nd. I'll have samples of the jerky and recipes for you to take home and try yourself. Beef jerky is so expensive in the store; this is a great way to save money and learn a new skill all to benefit you and your family!

See you at the fair!

- Anne Burns