A caravan of up to 50 police, fire and emergency vehicles will inch its way north on High Street just after 10 a.m. on Saturday.
That fleet, with sirens blaring, will be carrying up to 80 children. Of those children, 22 will be from Wadsworth and the remainder will be from other communities including Rittman, Orville and Medina, according to Wadsworth Police Chief Randy Reinke.
The destination of the caravan will be Walmart, where the 80 children and their hosts will do some Christmas shopping with the help of and under the supervision of the safety forces.
This is the seventh time the Wadsworth Police Department has participated in the “Shop with a Cop” program, which provides each child with $100 to spend. Reinke said many of the children will want to purchase presents for their parents or brothers and sisters as well as for themselves.
Reinke said his department works with the local Salvation Army to select the children who will participate in the program. The money comes from donations, and each community is responsible for raising the money for its participants, Reinke noted.
Before the parade begins, the children will have dined at the downtown Wadsworth Fire Station on a breakfast made and served by volunteers, according to Acting Fire Chief Ron Likley.
Likley said 50 vehicles were involved last year and that many are expected this year.
