Harrison County Health Department Fall Fest brings community together for health and fun

More than 200 people attended the Harrison County Health Department’s Fall Fest Sept. 30, an event that featured over 20 local organizations including the Senior Center, WVU Medicine, Tri-County Help Center, Building Bridges to Recovery and the Harrison County Wellness Coalition.

The family event included a Touch-A-Truck where children could explore heavy machinery, firetrucks, police cruisers and the Akron Children’s Hospital Air Bear helicopter.

“The purpose is public health and spreading community awareness about what the health department and our other community organizations bring to our public,” Deputy Health Commissioner Katie Norris said. “We are very excited for this opportunity to spread awareness that the health department is present in the community and we are here as a resource and we are more than willing to help.”

Along with food trucks and vendors, the festival hosted a blood drive that collected 34 donors and had five additional attempted donors.

Community Coordinator Cylene Woods spearheaded the event. “We wanted to bring the community together and we thought this was a good way to bring both adults and the children together. We wanted to provide free resources for the community,” she said.

Norris added that the health department plans to continue the effort. “Health has a purpose in our community,” she said. “It’s been a team effort and I’m proud to be part of the community. We’re going to try to do this two times a year. It’s absolutely free to everyone. Working together to make this happen is very rewarding.”