By Carol South
TRAVERSE CITY -- Too old to hang with their families, not yet adults on their own.
Older teens attending the National Cherry Festival now have an event all their own, thanks to some collaboration and creativity in the community. The "Where There's Smoke, There's Heat" party Wednesday, July 8, at the Inside Out Gallery in Traverse City features live sound by JTX as well as a featured DJ and a boatload of fun for attendees.
A conversation between Tim Hinkley, executive director of the festival, and Meredith Hawes, Fire/Life Safety Public Educator for the Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department, sparked the event.
In just a month, the Metro Fire Department and the festival office, as well as local radio station Modern Rock the Zone and Pepsi, pulled everything together. Other community partners include One Up Web, Mt. Holiday, Third Level and Hybra Advance Technology.
Their mission: create a fun and enticing event with a purpose. In this case, some fire safety education thanks to support and chaperoning by firefighters from the Metro Fire Department, who will bring a truck to the event.
"The festival has been really great about it, such a short time frame to put it together," said Hawes. "And we've had great community partnerships."
Hawes turned to Niki Dunwiddie, program counselor with Third Level for help creating an evening for young adults that will feature music, food, CDs, giveaway bags, booths and a grand prize drawing.
"It made sense to ask Niki what teens want instead of guessing what they want," Hawes said. "Typically you see every year that demographic hanging around, they're not old enough to drink in the tents but are too old to hold hands and walk around with their families."
Dunwiddie, noting that Third Level staff will also be on hand for outreach and support, appreciates the connection for an under served population in the region.
"There's not a lot for teens to do," she said. "I think teens get left out of so many things, they're stuck in this limbo."
The Metro Fire Department includes four stations in Acme, East Bay and Garfield Townships with a fifth in the works. East Bay Captain Tony Posey of Station 9 believes the party is a great opportunity to let this younger segment of the population know who firefighters are and what they do.
Which, by the way, is not all about fires.
"Seventy percent of calls are medical related, as first responders for all kinds of unintentional injuries," said Hawes, citing national statistics.
Typically, fire education programs stop after elementary school so Heat party attendees may or may not have attended or remember prior outreach events. Other high-risk demographics typically targeted for fire safety education programs include seniors and the disabled.
"We've always been focused on younger kids, been in elementary schools a lot," noted Posey, whose enthusiasm for the event has enrolled many of his firefighters into also chaperoning.
The "Where There's Smoke, There's Heat" party will be held from 8 to 11 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8 at the Inside Out Gallery; doors open at 7:30. Tickets are $5 and the event is open to attendees 16-20 years old with a valid ID.
For more information, e-mail heatzone@rocketmail.com or see www.myspace.com/479578634.
