HANGING ROCK — It was the first time for Jaina Bailey, 7, of Pine Grove, to see the inside of a police car. And soon after she took off riding with one of Hanging Rock’s finest, she learned what it takes to make the lights and sirens go.

“They have a little switch and you turn it left or right,” Jaina said just before she started to sample more of the sights, sounds and activities of Hanging Rock’s Kids Fun Day Saturday afternoon.

For the past six years the village has thrown a party each fall for the children in the area. Those rides in police cars have the youngsters lining up. Also on tap were inflatables, hay rides, face painting and live music.

Nearby Cara DePriest, 10, of Pedro, was resting on one of the numbers set up on the field off from Veterans Way, the site for fun days, waiting for the cake walk to start up.

Soon youngsters were jumping from number and number hoping that when the music stopped, their number would bring them a homemade dessert.

“It’s a way to give back to the community,” Carol Goldcamp, village clerk, said about fun days.

This year Goldcamp had to forego working on organizing the event, leaving that to Kim Chinn, Debra Sanders and Susan Fatony, all on the village council. Goldcamp was in Charleston, S.C., awaiting the birth of a grandchild. She just made it back to watch all the fun.

“The kids have a really good time,” Fatony said. “It is something good for the parents to bring their kids to.”

Gabe Casey, 11, of Pedro, got a firsthand experience of what it’s like for a firefighter to go off to work as he donned the requisite suit and helmet.

“It’s hot and I feel heavy,” he said.

Across the way at one end of a table was Patti Mays twisting and pulling skinny balloons into weiner dogs while at the other end Bambie Davidson was twirling paints into fun designs on the faces of anyone brave enough for the new look.

“It’s going good,” Chinn said. “It is something for the kids.”