Staff Writer

TRACY — It's hard to believe how much its grown in a decade.

Sutter Tracy Community Hospital hosts the 10th annual Children's Health & Safety Fair, running from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.Saturday. The fair features more than 60 booths and exhibits this year and is expected to draw more than 6,000 people.

Kerry Miller, a registered nurse at the hospital who has helped coordinate the event every year, said she tis amazed at how the event has grown in popularity and size over the years.

"It took on a life of its own," Miller said. "When we started, we maybe had 20 booths and it was primarily the hospital. It grew every year to the point, four or five years ago, we were receiving more requests from people wanting to participate than we can hold.'"

One of the event's most popular attractions, the California Highway Patrol Bike Safety Rodeo, is returning. Children are encouraged to bring their bicycles to learn how to maintain and ride them safely. The first 500 participants will receive a free helmet.

Also back is the Teddy Bear Clinic, where children of all ages can bring a doll, teddy bear or other stuffed animal for a free exam. The children work alongside local doctors and provide care for their "patients" like an actual doctor.

There is also a sensory booth to challenge the senses, a karate booth teaching children self-defense moves if approached by a stranger, and a sports booth to practice

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baseball-throwing and swinging techniques.

What's really nice about the event, Miller said, is that the booths all provide something fun and entertaining for the children that's also related to health, fitness or safety.

"And they offer wonderful information for the parents," Miller said."It's an all-around good thing. We have so many resources in town that people don't know about, and at the same time, the children have something fun to do. It's a really good blend."

Central to the fair are free hearing, vision and dental screenings for the children — and there is a new wrinkle, this year, said Karen Mudd, a spokeswoman for the hospital.

"The new thing this year is we're actually going to track negative outcomes in the screenings,'" she said. "This way we can help with some kind of treatment plans, with the patient's consent, and provide them with some follow up with their screenings to get them the help they need."

Contact Mike Martinez at 209-832-3947, or by e-mail at mike.martinez@bayareanewsgroup.com.