Ross Exceptional Citizens Expo brings out the kid in everyone

Elise Terry’s three children were thrilled to see the big trucks, but she saw another benefit to bringing them to the Exceptional Citizens Expo in Ross on Saturday, May 31.

“It’s important for them to know the people that keep us safe and the safety rules,” said Terry of Ross, who was with her 3-year-old son and daughters, 4 and 6.

This was the second year for the expo, a touch-a-truck style event at the township’s public works facility on Cemetery Lane. It was the idea of Ross police Chief Cristyn Zett, the mother of a special-needs son who wanted to craft an event welcoming those with sensory issues such as autism or Down syndrome.

The first hour of the three-hour event was sensory friendly, with lights and sirens turned off.

“The idea was to try to serve as many people as we can,” Zett said. “It’s open to everybody.”

While it was a cool day, most of the things to see were inside. Attendance was better than last year, but not so much that they couldn’t provide specialized attention to those needing it.

“We’ve had lots of people come through. We’ve had vendors show up to help that we didn’t know were coming,” Zett said. “Everyone is smiling. I consider it a huge success.”

The expo featured fire trucks and police from Ross and West View, Ross-West View Emergency Medical Services, a North Hills Special Response Team vehicle, Mazur’s Towing and Ross public works vehicles. Outside, attendees were able to use a fire hose with help from Perrysville firefighters to knock down a simulated fire.

Mel Streb brought her sons, Andy, 15, and Dean, 13, from their Penn Hills home for the event.

Streb said it can be hard to find such activities for her sons, who both have autism. She also wanted to be part of it because she admired seeing Zett advocate for her son and other children with special needs.

“I think it’s really cool, probably one of the best I’ve seen,” she said. “It’s very interactive and hands-on. I see a lot of effort put into it.”

For some of the firefighters, getting the chance to show their trucks was just as exciting as it was for those seeing them.

“It makes me feel like a little kid again,” said Steve Ferguson, a firefighter with Laurel Gardens. “It reminds me of why I do it.”

Hannah Sundermann of Ross brought her 3-year-old son, Brigham. He found a sledgehammer displayed with a massive North Hills Special Response Team vehicle to be a bit too heavy to pick up.

“This is a great little event,” Sundermann said. “It’s really nice that they pulled all this together. It’s nice whenever you make emergency services approachable.”