Special to The Hays Daily News

Alcohol use among children and adolescents starts early and increases rapidly with age.

To help educate young people and caring adults about the risks associated with underage drinking, community members are invited to attend an upcoming town hall event, "A Discussion of Underage Drinking," from 6:30 to 8 p.m. March 22 at Fox Pavilion.

Panel members who will lend their expertise on the issue of underage drinking include: Hays Police Chief Jim Braun; Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees; Ellis County Sheriff Ed Harbin; Alan Honeyman, alcohol beverage control agent; Kammie Townley, Hays Med trauma service coordinator; Bob Duffy, Fort Hays State University Drug and Alcohol Wellness Network coordinator; and an individual in recovery.

Attendees will hear about strategies used to prevent and reduce underage drinking, current trends, and local data indicating the significance of the problem.

Informational material and brochures will be available for distribution, and participants will have the opportunity to undergo a simulation of alcohol impairment through a Fatal Vision Goggle demonstration.

Family gift sets will be given away as door prizes.

For more information on the event, call Jodi Sander, prevention specialist, Regional Prevention Center of NWKS-Hays, at (785) 625-5521.

The event is sponsored by the Ellis County Community Partnership with funds from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.