By Kristen Morton – PSR Consulting
This past Saturday at City Park, roads were closed, medical gear was scattered all across the park, smoke was billowing up into the treetops and the search and rescue team was out in full force. No, there was not a missing person, there was no accident, no one got hurt and there were no out of control fires. It was the Weiser Preparedness Fair!
If you were not able to attend this one of a kind event, mark your calendars for next year. When you go, make sure you stop at every booth and learn things such as, what wild plants are in this area that can be used as medicine, how to purify water if you don’t have access to clean, drinkable water, what to do if you get lost in the woods, how to build a shelter out of tree branches, how to cook in a dutch oven, how to grind wheat to make bread and my personal favorite, how to make delicious chocolate fudge out of black beans!
As the world around us becomes increasingly chaotic, it gives great peace to know that you have the skills and abilities to sustain life for yourself and your family if times become hard. There is also great satisfaction and confidence that comes with knowing how to care for yourself and those you care about if you get lost in the woods or stuck in a snow bank in the dead of winter. That was the goal of the Weiser Preparedness Fair, to teach lifesaving skills to our wonderful community so that we are better prepared should an emergency arise.
This event was brought to you by Weiser resident Peggy Berquist and former resident Kristen Morton. Berquist is a preparedness Guru in her own right and has spent countless hours and many years studying and implementing her knowledge in this field. Berquist also gives freely of her time in teaching others by way of a monthly newsletter and an open door for preparedness education. Morton has also dedicated her life for over a decade to studying, educating and applying her knowledge in preparedness, survival and sustainability and is now the head of PSR Consulting, a preparedness education and consulting firm.
We connected with Kristen Morton Saturday and we were excited to learn that this was the first annual event, yep, that means this will be happening every year. So next year, get yourself down to the Weiser Preparedness Fair and learn some life saving skills, learn more about some extraordinary plants, learn how to make a delicious meal over an open fire and don’t forget to stop and learn how to make black bean chocolate fudge! It will be an afternoon well spent and may well save your life someday.
