Hundreds of families braved the rain for an evening filled with music, food, giveaways and fun at Ferguson Township’s open house. The bi-annual event was held under stormy skies, Thursday evening at the township’s municipal building.
Residents were able to tour the municipal building, interact with local officials and enjoy free hotdogs, hamburgers and Penn State creamery ice cream.
Visitors could watch a live band, jump on a trampoline and a watch a clown show in the municipal building’s garage. The brave at heart took a ride in a basket attached to an Alpha fire truck, which lifted them above the garage.
“I put my name in for the raffle drawing,“ said Jake Allegar, who works in Ferguson Township. “My favorite part is the band. There’s just so much to like here.”
“It’s like being at a little carnival,” said township staff assistant Faye Drawl. “Everyone has been enjoying themselves this evening.”
One highlight for many in the crowd was the chance to tour the police department, located in the municipal building. Officers were on hand to interact with local families and answer questions. Sgt. Robert Glenny said that it’s always important to participate in community outreach.
“I think the open house is always well received and everyone is having a pretty good time,” said Glenny. “It gives people a chance to see the police cars and some of our equipment. We talk to the kids and show them that they should like us and come to us if there’s a problem.”
Representatives from Centre Region agencies were on hand to answer questions and interact with the community. Organizations taking part in the open house included Centre Region Parks and Recreation, Centre Region Council of Governments, Schlow Library, Alpha Fire Company, CATA, State College Water Authority, Solid Waste Authority, Centre Regional Planning Agency, Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry, State College Health Department and Clearwater Conservatory.
“There’s a lot of great people out here taking a look at our buses,” said Jaqueline Sheader, the marketing manager for CATA, who was flanked by a New Flyer Excelsior 40 foot CNG bus and a miniature bus that children seemed to love. “We got 28 of these new buses this year. We’re all having a lot of fun.”
