Flight simulators and scavenger hunts.

That's just a few of the things kids of military families can expect next week.

During the annual Military Kids Day at the state Capitol.

Last week, I spoke with Lebanon Republican State Senator Jimmy Higdon, who launched the program.

He knows a thing or two about what it's like to be a military kid.

We we started this back when I was chairman of Veterans Military affairs and Public Protection years ago.

And I had a constituent call me and she said, you know, you really need to do something to honor military kids and military kids Day was started and we started with probably 15 or 20 young people who showed up for it, didn't have the support of Katie and local media that we have now.

And but it was it was very rewarding.

And we started you know, it grew a little bit every year, but probably four or five years ago, we had kind of a little glitch.

We had a staff member we thought was getting the word out and it didn't get out.

And so through miscommunication, we had a very small crowd.

We probably only had 20 kids that year, but that still sounds impressive.

It was impressive.

But but my secretary, Melissa Salahi and Donna Holliday, and, you know, they they came in and said, we're not going to let this happen again.

And and so and a lot of the Kentucky National Guard folks have joined in Just it's amazing the folks that have joined in to make this possible.

And it's it's a there be a lot going on on February 27th when they're in town.

But it's a special day and it is for special kids.

And we honor them for their their service to the country by allowing their parents to be deployed and and to be in harm's way.

Yeah.

So how how does this work?

How do how do these people get here, the kids, and how does that work?

Well, we have an application in online and we've extended that application process to February 23rd so they can go online and they can apply.

We have great folks in the media like yourself.

Katie, and a lot of the local TV stations have have helped us get the word out from, you know, the Far East to the far west and northern Kentucky.

You know, we we have about 25,000 active duty soldiers in Kentucky right now at Fort Knox in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

National Guard has as a considerable number of of soldiers deployed that are technically on active duty.

So those those young people see a see it about it, hear about it.

And we have a lot of repeats.

A lot of kids come every year.

Last year, we exceeded 100, which we were.

Wow.

We were thrilled with that.

This year, you know, we're hoping to to exceed that.

So they they come in in the morning and they we have our V maps meeting veterans will take for public takes a meeting.

We invite them all there and we honor them and we have a they go on a tour of the capital and we have a capital scavenger hunt.

And, you know, the aviation museum is they have a lot of flight simulators and stuff, and they're sitting up next door and and the likes of the Army National Guard and all they're participating and they have a lot of different little, I guess, presents or trinkets for the kids.

And and then then, of course, when we get up closer to session time, some of them go to the house, some of them go to the Senate, and we recognize them there also.

So it makes for it makes for a special day for from very special young people.

Right.

Ages typically, you know, anywhere from, you know, third or fourth grade up to seniors in high school.

That's great.

And we probably even had some first graders and kids not in school that come with an older brother or sister.

And that's more the merrier.