Correspondent photos / Bill Koch Briella Paolucci, 4, of Austintown, pets some ducks at the inaugural Austintown Fun Day on Patriot Boulevard on Saturday.

AUSTINTOWN — Hundreds of adults and children of all ages flocked to Patriot Boulevard off state Route 46 on Saturday for what organizers are hoping was the first installment of Family Fun Day.

Brittney Koch is the vice chair of Austintown Community Events, an organization formed by the township trustees. She said they sought to “offer a safe, family-oriented environment to showcase local resources and organizations.”

In addition, all proceeds from the day go toward local non-profits such as veterans’ groups and youth sports.

Attractions included bounce houses, food vendors, information tables, the opportunity to sit in a firetruck, a petting zoo, and Little Miss and Little Mr. Austintown contests. Austintown resident Ruty Patterson said the contest for second graders wais not a beauty pageant.

“We want them to have fun and represent Austintown. If it’s a good experience, maybe they’ll bring their siblings next year. It’s all about having fun,” she said.

Among the judges was London Cofield of Niles, recent winner of the Miss Youngstown Harley Davidson pageant. She said her job was to “tell a few good jokes, smile, hug, sign autographs and show up.”

Debbie Moss of North Jackson is a public health nurse for Mahoning County Public Health and was trying her best to keep the breeze from blowing her pamphlets away. She handed out items such as sunscreen and medication disposal kits, as well as information about where to get help for various problems.

Austintown resident Kevin Wilhide, owner of Elevate Martial Arts, brought some of his young learners. He said this was a chance to “get the word out that we offer self-defense and want to be a part of the community.”

Austintown Fitch student Joselyn McKenney, 15, showed off a frisbee-throwing robot she helped design along with the rest of the Falcon robotics team. She said it’s “so much fun going to events” to familiarize people with the fruits of their labor.

Tori Paolucci of Austintown found out about Family Fun Day on Facebook and said to her 4-year old daughter Briella, “Let’s check it out.”

Austintown resident Junio Ciuba said he enjoyed being there with his family. He said his children especially liked seeing the firetruck and police cars.

Trustee Robert Santos is the head of Austintown Township Events but said he didn’t want to be described as in charge, since “this could not be done without everyone’s support.”

While Santos was happy the proceeds aid local organizations, he said what he wanted most from the day is “a lot of smiles and laughter.”

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