Festival to Honor, Help Public Servants

On Saturday, the Paulding Northwest Atlanta Airport will play host to the third-annual Public Safety & Family Appreciation Day Festival. 

Micah Gravley, president of Paulding Public Safety Appreciation Inc., which is putting on the event, spoke to Dallas-Hiram Patch about Saturday’s event and how it will benefit those who have served and who continue to serve Paulding. See the attached videos for more details on the event and how proceeds from it will help those in need.

Attendees of the event, which will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., will be able to join supporters of public safety from across Georgia to honor and show appreciation for the men and women who serve and protect the community.  

Special guests, dignitaries and live performances will be featured from the GLOCK Stage, while the free Family Savings Credit Union Kid Zone will feature moonwalks, slides, jumpies and more for the kids to enjoy throughout the day. Other attractions include airplane rides, K-9 demonstrations, SWAT demonstrations, fire and rescue demonstrations and more. There will be raffles throughout the day to include a new 2011 Jeep Wrangler and a GLOCK handgun. 

Agencies expected to participate in the event include the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office, Paulding County Fire Department, Paulding County Marshal’s Office, Paulding County Health Department, Paulding County E-911, Hiram Police Department, Dallas Police Department, Dallas Marshal’s Bureau, Georgia State Patrol, Air Life Georgia, Clark Ambulance and the National Guard. Attendees will be able to meet and greet members of law enforcement, fire, rescue, EMTs, emergency dispatchers and many more. The Paulding County Sheriff’s Office Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (H.E.A.T.) unit will be conducting free inspections of your child safety seats; parents also will be able to have their children fingerprinted. 

Paulding Public Safety Appreciation Inc. is a non-profit 501-c3 organization created to "Honor Those Who Protect Us." The goal of the organization is to help provide financial support to community protectors during their time of need, with the support it raises going to public safety personnel residing and/or working in Paulding County. 

Through this annual event, the organization hopes to assist in the well being of those who have experienced life-changing and/or life-threatening circumstances in the line of duty or an unexpected incident. Officials also hope to provide assistance to the families of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the community’s safety.