Those stopping by Natchez Mall Saturday afternoon got a chance to browse more than just racks of clothing – they also got the opportunity to browse a wealth of child safety information.

On that afternoon, members of the Zeta Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority sponsored their first Child Safety Fair in the mall’s center court.

Slowly but steadily, mallgoers filed through a line of displays on topics ranging from child safety seats to fire and chemical safety to the importance of saying no to tobacco.

The idea for the event came from another of the chapter’s events, a health fair that was held in March.

&uot;This falls in line with our (mission): health education, economic development, the black family and the arts,&uot; said chapter President Brenda D. Jarvis.

As part of Saturday’s event, Natchez Police Department personnel inspected child safety seats, then gave free seats to three people whose seats were not safe.

Errol Pierce of the Mississippi Highway Patrol spoke to attendees about the importance of using child restraint devices – and using them correctly.

For example, children who are too big for car seats should not move directly to wearing seat belts but should sit in booster seats, instead.

&uot;If you’re going 55 miles per hour,&uot; he told one group, &uot;imagine what they could do to a child.&uot;

Another group from Phat Chat, a youth radio show aired weekly on 104.7 FM, passed out pamphlets and discussed the importance of staying away from cigarettes and other forms of tobacco.