ESCANABA - Some of them reached out to gingerly stroke the neck of a furry llama. Others cooed with delight as they nuzzled the face of a cuddly puppy against their wrinkled cheeks. Still others carefully cradled tiny baby chicks tenderly in their hands.

This was the scene on Friday afternoon as the residents of Bishop Noa Home for Senior Citizens gathered on the front lawn of the nursing home to view the "Fair On Wheels" exhibit.

In its fourth year, the Fair On Wheels program provides the opportunity for a selection of animals from the U.P. State Fair to be brought to the nursing home for the residents to view. In addition to Bishop Noa, the "live tour" also made a stop at North Woods Assisted Living.

"These residents can't come to the fair so we bring part of the fair to them," said Debbie Mulvaney, special event coordinator for the fair. This unique program, sponsored by Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan and Wade Shows, earned the U.P. State Fair a "Best Educational Display" Award from the International Fairs and Exhibitions Conference held in Las Vegas, Nev., in 1997. In addition, it won first-place honors in media coverage.

The project also netted Bishop Noa with the Linda Mlynarek Award from the Health Care Association of Michigan. The public relations award is named after the late past president of the association.

"I think this is just wonderful for the residents. All you have to do is look at their faces to see how much they're enjoying this," said Doug Heath, Bishop Noa administrator, as he walked around the lawn, smiling broadly at the delight he read on the faces of the patients in his charge. "Everybody loves animals and I think the majority of our residents have owned an animal or two in the past. It's unfortunate that they can no longer have them but that doesn't change their feelings about them."

Heath hailed the 4-H volunteers who assisted with the program, saying, "These kids deserve great credit for putting on this display."

According to Mulvaney, the animals were borrowed from the Children's Barnyard at the Fair. Coordinated by 4-H leader, Linda Bruce, the youngsters involved in various 4-H programs throughout the area volunteered to show the animals to the nursing home residents.

The animals were transported to the nursing homes in a livestock trailer provided by John Rapprett, and DATA offered a bus and driver to carry the volunteers.

When commenting on her involvement in the Fair On Wheels program, Jessica Roberts said, "I think this is such a great experience, not only for us but for the residents as well." Seventeen-year-old Jessica lives in Arnold and is a member of the 4-H Busy Bees from Marquette County.

Jessica's cousin, Whitney Roberts, 14, of Northland, also a member of Busy Bees, added, "It's so satisfying just seeing the expressions and smiles on the faces of these people."

Janet Charon of Oak Creek, Wis., just happened to stop in at Bishop Noa to visit her mother, Anna Pepin, just as the animals were being unloaded.

"This is so great!" she said as she shared her mother's delight in the program. "I came to visit my mother for the weekend and I noticed the people being brought out onto the lawn and the animals coming out of the trailers. I've never seen anything like this before. What a wonderful program!"

Mulvaney added, "When we first mentioned this program four years ago, some of the nurses said, `It's okay to come but don't feel badly if the patients with Alzheimer's disease don't respond to you.' But when the kids put a baby chick in their hands or a puppy against their cheeks, it immediately brought a smile to their faces."

From the Escanaba Daily Press
August, 23 2001
by DOROTHY McKNIGHT