Centerton Gears Up for the 21st NWA Emergency Preparedness Fair

Northwest Arkansas gets a chance to trade worry for actual know-how this fall. The NWA Emergency Preparedness Fair sets up in Centerton for its 21st year, turning a Saturday morning into hands-on training your family will actually use.

THE DEETS

📅 Saturday, September 26, 2026
🕑 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
📍 950 Seba Rd, Centerton, AR 72719
🎟 Free family event, open to the public
🚌 Parking and shuttle service from Bentonville West High School
🔗 More info | Have a skill to share? RSVP to present at nwaemergencyprepfair@gmail.com

Choppers Touch Down and Experts Take the Mic

Look up at the northwest field and you’ll catch a Mercy Life Flight helicopter touching down right as gates open at 9 AM, with an Air Evac helicopter following at 10:30 AM. KNWA meteorologist Dan Skoff teaches a severe weather preparedness class at 10 AM in Room 100 at the Chapel building, where he walks you through reading the threats and building a family plan before storms hit. Ryan Hall, known online as “The Internet’s Weatherman,” closes out the keynote lineup at noon via video stream, with signed giveaways for fans.

A Class for Nearly Every Storm Scenario

Response Ready’s “Prepared Not Scared” team runs two free CPR sessions for you to work through, a full certification course at 9 AM and a basic skills refresher at 11 AM. Stop by Wheldon Fence & Outdoor’s outdoor booth from 10 to 11 AM, where owner Matthew Wheldon teaches you Skid Steer Safety During Storm Cleanup, and you’ll pick up equipment basics and best practices for cleanup work. At 10 AM, a free class on fire, water and mold damage recovery walks you through what comes after a storm tears up your roof, and a home canning session at 11 AM turns food preservation into a skill worth learning.

Face Paint, Foot Races and a Blood Drive That Needs You

Bring the kids for face painting and balloon animals, then let them race the clock at the Kid’s Corner booth. Foot races run at 10 AM and 11:30 AM. Head over to Cultural Hall 1’s gym, where the Red Cross runs a blood drive from 9 AM to 2 PM, and your donation counts toward their goal of 80 donors.

Pancakes First, Hot Dogs Later

Start your morning with a pancake breakfast, sausage and fruit included, served hot off the griddle from 9 to 10 AM. Grab shaved ice, snacks and water at the snack booth throughout the morning, then swing back for hot dogs and chips at the outdoor food station from 11 AM to 1 PM.

Organizers are still taking sign-ups from anyone who wants to present a skill at this year’s fair, so if you’ve got knowledge worth teaching, this is the group that put out the open call for volunteers to lead a session.

Come Saturday, you don’t need a class booked or a booth reserved to make it worth the trip. Wander the exhibits, sit in on whatever catches your eye, and head home with a family plan you didn’t have the day before.