Douglas County Discovery Day to showcase services, touch-a-truck fun

Families heading to the Douglas County Fairgrounds on Tuesday evening will find more than a row of trucks. Discovery Day will put county services on display at the Open Pavilion from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., giving residents a close look at the people, equipment and programs that keep daily life moving in Douglas County.

The event is part of National County Government Month, which the National Association of Counties has encouraged counties to observe since 1991. Douglas County will mark the month with a proclamation from the Board of County Commissioners at its April 8 meeting, then open the fairgrounds at 2120 Harper Street in Lawrence for an evening built around hands-on access and easy-to-understand public service.

The biggest draw for children and adults alike will be the touch-a-truck area, where vehicles and equipment from Public Works, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Management, Emergency Communications, Consolidated Fire District No. 1, Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical and Maintenance will be on site. The setup gives families a chance to see the machinery behind road repair, emergency response and facility work, and to meet the employees who use it every day.

Discovery Day will also highlight the less visible work county government does behind the scenes. Interactive games will be led by Criminal Justice Youth Services, Administration, Clerk and Elections, GIS and Sustainability, while information and resources will be available from Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, the Treatment and Recovery Center, Engage Douglas County and LiveWell Douglas County. County officials said the departments on display help maintain roads, parks and bridges, provide public safety and court services, keep land records, preserve local history, conduct elections, advance sustainability and support behavioral health and human services.

Douglas County Administrator Sarah Plinsky said the event is meant to give residents a chance to meet the people behind county services and see how the county works every day to support the community. That message fits a night designed for families deciding whether to stop by: there will be prizes, activities for all ages and food trucks on site, including Barbwire Barbecue, JB’s Tacos and Pretzelly, with food available for purchase. The Lawrence Times and the Lawrence Journal-World both helped spread the word about the county’s family-friendly showcase, which aims to make local government easier to recognize and easier to navigate.