First Responders Honored At The State Fair Of Texas
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – There are a lot of reminders throughout the fairgrounds like banners and even a badge on Big Tex that honor the fallen officers from the July 7th attacks, and this was an entire day to let all first responders feel appreciated.
Honoring those who put their lives on the line every day, the State Fair hosted First Responders Day. In the middle of all the fanfare occasionally you see first responders wearing t-shirts that identify their agency. It gives people an opportunity to say thank you. But for most like Decatur Police Officer Amy Blankenship this was a day for plain clothes and a relaxing day at the Fair. She says after a difficult year for law enforcement, support from the public has meant a lot.
"I work in a small town, and we've had a lot of our citizens come up and offer a lot of appreciation to us: cards, food, things like that," Blankenship said.
In that same spirit the State Fair of Texas declared Friday First Responders Day offering free admission to active and retired emergency service workers and their families. DeSoto Firefighter Alan Harris says the tribute is humbling.
"We always have people come up to us and they give us a handshake, we appreciate your service. You never really quite know how to respond to that 'cause we always feel like, hey we're just doing our job, but it is nice," Harris said.
The day is shared with DISD students like 9-year-old Gracie Thompson who says she knows what it's like to need a day off. "I'm in third grade, and I mean it's kind of hard for me, and I just, I'm just glad to get out of school for a day," Thompson said.
But for some older students, the tribute was not lost as they took time to reflect on the sacrifices first responders make for all of us. "I think it's cool. They get a day off to spend time with their families and just have fun," high school sophomore Angel Grimaldo said.
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