A petting zoo, crafters and vendors, food trucks, first responder displays and live entertainment, as well as student performances and demonstrations, are just some of that activities that will be featured during the annual Octorara Agriculture, Business, Environmental Science & Technology (OABEST) Expo. The event, which is designed to showcase the best of Octorara, will take place on Saturday, May 18, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the school grounds at Octorara Junior-Senior High School, 228 Highland Road, Atglen.

Members of the Octorara Area Career and Technical Education Programs (OACTEP) student advisory board are helping to organize the event along with Mark Peticca, Octorara's director of career and technical education.

Peticca noted that between 1,000 and 1,500 people attend the event over the course of the day. "It's open to the entire community," he said. "We will have a Kids Zone, where they will have a lot of activities like an (inflatable) ax throwing station, and a community yard sale. We will have more than 60 vendors coming this year, including (people) representing their companies, arts and crafts vendors and a lot of food vendors."

Each area of study in the OACTEP will be represented at the event, including Business, Marketing and Entrepreneurship; Graphic Design and Illustration; Culinary; Home Security and Protective Service Academy; Diversified Occupations' Woodworking Technology; and Child Care Education.

"We will have a lathe, and we will be making crosses and cutting boards," noted Johan Torres, a student in the Woodworking Technology program. Photos of the cutting boards can be found on the newly created OABEST Expo Instagram page.

"We will be doing something with a robot. We might be racing CO2 cars," noted Gavin Boyer, a student in the Engineering and Drafting Technology program, explaining that CO2 cars are miniature race cars that are propelled by a carbon dioxide cartridge.

"We are running a milkshake truck alongside a petting zoo," added Daniel Rowe, a student in the Animal and Plant Science Technology program.

Home Security and Protective Service Academy students will be organizing the displays by local first responders, and students in the Child Care Education program will present children's crafts and pages for kids to color.

Also featured will be a dunk tank, where district administrators will volunteer to get dunked.

For the yard sale, residents of the Octorara Area School District are invited to set up a table in a 10-by-10-foot space and sell their gently used items. There is no fee to participate.

Peticca noted that this year's OABEST Expo will have a new layout and a new outdoor stage. Previously, acts performed in the school cafeteria. "We are moving some of the events and activities. We will have bagpipers, dancers and baton twirlers (performing) on the stage outside," he explained.

He added that the layout of the event is also being revamped. "We have redone the map completely to create more flow so that people see more of the activities," noted Peticca. "We are putting all our food vendors in the back parking lot, so (attendees) will see all the vendors and student tables as they walk to get their food."

For more information about the event, visit http://www.oabestexpo.com.

Local artists and crafters as well as yard sale vendors are asked to register on the website.