Event aims to keep kids safe

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- In preparation for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend, Valley Children's Hospital and the Fresno Grizzlies welcomed 1,700 first and second graders for a safety fair at the Downtown Ballpark on Friday.

Its called "May Day" and it's perhaps the Valley's largest event of its kind.

Kids were taught how to have a safe and healthy summer through interactive lessons that included a live water safety demonstration at the ballpark's pool.

"The teaching is not for the mom or dad or even the teacher; it's on a first and second-grade level so the kids are learning things that are in their mind, what they should understand about that injury prevention," said Mary Jo Quintero of Valley Children's Hospital.

There was a whole lot here for young kids to see, from helicopters to puppies. These first and second graders picked up some valuable life lessons disguised as fun during the safety fair.

May Day was started back in 2005. Back then it consisted of mostly water safety, but the program has evolved over the years. Quintero explains that kids now learn, "How to be safe when I'm out walking, when I'm in a car, when I'm on a bike, and when I'm on a scooter. It is a critical lesson that we want these kids to understand."