The Covington Fire Department is pulling out all the stops for Thursday's Public Safety Family Fun Night and will have several safety demonstrations - including a smoke house and sprinkler house - along with inflatables, a carnival game, dunking booth and lots of pizza.

The annual event will take place from 6 to 9 p.m., Thursday in the parking lot of the Covington Walmart; Fire Engineer Jody Roberson said the event will have twice as many vendors as normal and the department is hoping 4,000 residents will turn out. The event will take place rain or shine.

Other purely recreational activities will include a jumpy castle and three clowns, all of whom are Newton County firefighters.

Several public safety agencies will be on hand to conduct demonstrations, which they hope will be both fun and informative.
Roberson said the smoke house is always a popular option. A building is filled with non-toxic, non-staining smoke and adults and children are taught how to properly exit a house, namely by staying as low to the ground as possible.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will bring its bomb truck to the event, and the city of Covington electric department will brings its electricity model, which shows how a downed power line can extend electricity further than the line itself and potentially cause injuries.

There will also be several safety booths for smoke detectors, helmets, elderly drivers and child seats. There will also be a hiring booth.

Mountain Motor Sports will be on hand with a booth about rider safety and is expected to bring out some of its all-terrain vehicles. Blockbuster will also be out and may offer good deals on videos.

Several community and nonprofit groups will also be in attendance including the Burn Foundation, Red Cross, Salvation Army and the county's animal control and recreation departments.

Everything will be free except for pizza, which will cost around $2 a slice and will be provided by Johnny's Pizza, Papa Johns and Pizza Hut.