Keweenaw County Undersheriff Tanya Stefanich (center) talks with a group of kids during the 2021 Public Safety Day.

MOHAWK — The Keweenaw County Sheriff’s Office will once again be hosting the Keweenaw Public Safety Day, which will be this Sat., July 23, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the Mohawk Park, according to Sheriff Curt Pennala.

Pennala said this will be the fifth year for the event and every year it has grown in attendance, attractions and displays.

“We’re thinking this year, we’re going to continue the trend,” he said.

To celebrate the fifth year of the event, said Pennala, Saturday will have a balloon artist who will be tying balloons for the kids. There will also be face painters, and also the newest member of the Sheriff’s Department, Mascot Deputy Paws.

Pennala said that from the initial planning of the first event, the focus has been on kids.

“We kind of center around children,” he said. “It’s one of those things where we’ve always had a great relationship with our community. That’s something we don’t take for granted here, and we work very hard to keep it. So, this is, a little bit, more part of that, by bringing the community together, and everyone has fun for a day.”

Pennala said it has always been nice for the deputies to interact with the kids. It also makes the kids feel more comfortable seeing uniforms, whether the uniforms are those of deputies, fire fighters, paramedics, and other agencies.

Another aspect of focusing on children, Pennala said, is that they never know if they might inspire some little boy or girl to want to have a future in law enforcement, fire fighting, or as an EMF.

As in the past, there will be the jaws-of-life demonstration, as well as personnel and equipment from the various fire departments; law enforcement and paramedics from Mercy Ambulance will be there as well as the Keweenaw County Road Commission.

“New this year,” Pennala said, “are members of our newly formed Keweenaw Search and Rescue Team.”

Pennala said that as of this week, the team consists of 35 members. Although he does not know what equipment they will have, Pennala said they will have some of their rescue equipment on display this weekend.

“We hope the community will turn out,” he said. “The weather should be nice and we’re looking forward to it.”

Free hot dogs, chips, ice cream cones and pop will be available, with kid’s games, prizes, and a bouncy house.

The event is free and open to the whole community.