Garrettsville – Last Saturday, the 900 Coalition presented their second Tools of the Trades. The event was held in the side parking lot of Sky Plaza IGA. It offered many vehicles and large equipment used everyday in various trades. The Tools of the Trades gave one a chance to get an up close view of the vehicles and some of them they could even get their hands on.
They had fire trucks, a police cruiser, an ambulance a tow truck, an earth mover, a semi tractor, a dump truck, tractors, and a hearse. DJ Kenny Brigham kept folks hopping with his music selections. There were even a few who did a little dancing while there as well. Those who were brave enough could also do karaoke since Kenny brought all his equipment out for the event.
Besides the vehicles, they even had a few vendors there promoting their wares. The 900 Coalition also sold beverages, snacks, and hot dogs. The even had 50/50 raffle and baskets available to bid on. For the kids to burn off some energy, they had a bounce house and later in the day Magic Mark wowed them with his magic tricks.
Cornhole was available to play and then the donated cornhole sets became part of the bid auction. The 900 Coalition also gave away $300 in school supplies to the kids. It was a fun day to get out and see what all the equipment was used for and how it helps the various trades.
The 900 coalition is an alliance of the public safety forces in Garrettsville including police, fire and EMS. The mission of their organization is to foster a partnership between local service agencies and the community they serve. They are working for the future, with the past as their guide.
The name for the organization originates from the area that is served. The associates are primarily employed by agencies that originate in the Village of Garrettsville. In the nomenclature of safety services in Portage County, the Garrettsville area is given the identity of “900”. The Garrettsville Police Department is known as “900” when identified by other agencies on the police radio. The term “coalition” was chosen because it represents the alliance, or union, between groups for a common goal. The 900 Coalition represents the alliance of multiple agencies with a common purpose to serve the Garrettsville community.
Proceeds from the Tools of the Trade will go toward developing a fitness center for EMS, Police and fire personnel. The fitness center will be housed at Community Ambulance. Once they have reached the goal for this project, they are planning on having a statue of John Garrett, the founder of Garrettsville erected within the village. Currently the only memorial / tribute to the founding father is his grave marker at the Baptist Cemetery on Maple Avenue.
At the end of the day the coalition made many children happy when they handed out school supplies and ice cream and bowling coupons. Look for more community events in the future.
For more information on the 900 Coalition one may contact GPD Sgt. Eric Dunn at edunn904@aol.com.
