Haven's No Scare Fair draws a crowd for 21st edition

Nov. 1—Kids in costumes, a dunking booth, a petting zoo, many local exhibitors and more were part of what made the 2022 edition of Haven in Lee County's No Scare Fair a big success.

Crowds gathered at the rear of the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center for several hours Saturday to enjoy the fun and support Haven in Lee County, a non-profit organization committed to providing safety to victims and survivors of domestic violence and rape/sexual assault.

"We had about 100 volunteers total," Kym Smith, who helped organize the event, said. "This is the 21st annual No Scare Fair and Haven started taking responsibility and organizing it in 2015."

Smith, who started helping to organize the event in 2017, said it is Haven's largest fundraiser each year.

"Domestic violence and sexual assault are not easy — or fun subjects to talk about," she said. "Another way for us to be able to do outreach in the community is to do events like this. We do outreach, provide fun and entertainment for all of Lee County. It really does bring Lee County together."

Smith said 1,000 ticket went out to the community and the sponsors.

"We do a little less now because of Covid, but 1,000 kids and families go through — this is great," she said. "We had about 30 vendors and five or six non-profits that hung out with us. We had three food trucks and multiple performances going on throughout the day."

A COVID-19 vaccination clinic was also part of the event.

"They partnered with us," Smith said. "It was a great day and a great way to bring awareness to Haven in Lee County."