Preparedness Expo 2008

The 2008 Preparedness Expo originated with the idea of renting St. Martin's Pavilion and inviting such celebrities as Al Gore, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Leonardo DiCaprio, Cheryl Crowe and JZ Knight. We were quick to acknowledge the opportunity in joining the Yelm Home, Garden and Trade Show after learning that Al Gore cost $120,000, and among us we collectively had little experience let alone a budget for such a production. But this sweet little event helped us get our feet in the water.

As founder of Babes inBelts, producing the Expo was an opportunity to engage the an unknown potential. All but a few of those who helped originate the idea fell away before we could get started...but planning was still in the works. When Nancy Popielarczyk grabbed hold as coordinator we were all blessed. With her organizational skills and the professional graphics Shelley Lucas of Meta Design Co. has always delivered to Babes, the Expo event came to life. To highlight that brilliance was "The Bone Mama" - Mary McCann. She brought her professionalism and levity, as a long time DJ to the stage on Saturday. Thank you Bone Mama for a wonderful performance! And many thanks to Wolfgang Gerard and Thomas Mani for their knowledge and assistance with the stage equipment.

"Every moment was my favorite moment because not one was wasted. The impact of this event is like a pebble in the ocean. We will all be blessed by the ripple effect in continued benefits that will come from each of these precious moments." -Nancy Popielarczyk

Filling the booths was a bumpy ride, but eventually all of our vendors self selected right up until the Friday before we opened, and what a grand opening! No electricity, a sun washed video screen on the outdoor stage, no remote control for the DVD player and no keys to the cash box! Minor hurdles soon remedied to bring Yelm its first Preparedness Expo event.

Of course, none of this could have happened without our "invisible" volunteer Babes. Thanks to Ingrid Plattmann, Sue Collins, and David Rafael whose electrical wisdom brought power to the tent and Kali's crock pots. Thanks to Liz and Ashley Nauman and Miro for all around assistance. The raffle ticket sales soared when Sherry Milczewski and Pam Roberts arrived on the scene. We couldn't have done it without you! Liz Nauman added $100 to the pot for a grand finale in the raffle event.

The treasure hunt was truely enjoyed by all. The energy of the kids searching for the answers to the riddles left narry a dull moment for our vendors who had to gave the kids a sticker on their treasure hunt card when the answer was found. Of course, that sticker often had to be earned with an explanation of what exactly it was they had found! Micro-organisms? Miracle minerals? Superconsciousness what?

Many thanks to Leah and her three children and my grandaughter Taya and her friend Carina for handing out the Treasure Hunt cards. And a special thanks to Fire Chief Rita Hutchison for helping us gather the prizes for all the children in the Treasure Hunt.

"My favorite moment was when Sean and Lisa's youngest girl came and dragged me over to have some lemonade. She just grabbed my arm and pulled me down to her level and asked if I wanted some lemonade -- upon which I realized I was indeed very thirsty.

"I also loved seeing the boy scouts making their way through the crowds for the treasure hunt. They were just on it!" -Shelley Lucas

The Vendors filled our 30 x 60 tent - 19 in all! There was just the right amount of room for all to mingle and move with ease. The displays were wonderful, packed with all kinds of goods from Happy Hovel Foods, Dried Food Storage and Nature's Sweet Harvest - to specialty Indian sauces at Kali's Table.

Generator Safety is important too when it comes to power outages and Prestige Electric can help with the assistance of S.E. Thurston Fire & EMS of Yelm.

The Raffles caught every-ones eye. Especially Chandra's who won  the $100 donated by Liz Nauman just to spice up the fun.

You can tell by the look on Chandra's face (pictured left) that she was happy about that.

Shane (pictured right) really wanted that case of vacuum sealed cheese donated by Happy Hovel. He was grinning from ear to ear when he arrived to collect his prize. All he could say was that he wanted that cheese!

Out of all the possible winners at the entire Preparedness Expo and the Yelm Home, Garden and Trade Show none was more astonished than Chuck Folkerth. He won two of the Expo raffles in a row, the second including a $160 collection of tools needed for ICF construction (donated by LogixICF), just what he could use! And a potted plant from the Home, Garden and Trade Show!

"Looking up into the honey glow of the tent in mid afternoon, as the joyous buzz of activity filled the air. It was like a beehive alive with a frequency I can only describe as love.

"And sitting on the concrete wall surrounding the outdoor stage listening to the report on disappearing honey bees provided by 60 Minutes echoing out over the plaza coupled with all the speakers sharing a message of preparedness satisfied some long felt desire to share what we know with the world." -Diane Dondero

Many thanks to Our Speakers Thomas Mani, Sean Porsche, Lee Montalvo, Pam Paiz, Vivian Eason, Paulette Aleana, Bruce Smith, Sheri Badger, Linda Waterhouse Hall, Diane Dondero and Larry Martin for their courage to bring their knowledge and wisdom about safety and preparedness to the outdoor stage at the Preparedness Expo and the Yelm Home, Garden and Trade Show.

A special thanks to Cecelia Jenkins and her Home Show Team at Yelm Chamber of Commerce, including DJ Scott Mills (our Sunday MC), for their support and warm welcome.

"My favorite moment was that the stage ran on time and that the tent was always buzzin'. -Mary McCahn "The Bone Mama"

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