SKANEATELES FALLS -- Betsy Rinehart was the most popular person at Hand Held Products Thursday morning.

Yet the 22-year veteran wasn't getting pats on the back from her fellow employees. Rather, it was her colleagues' children, ages 8 to 17, who thought that Rinehart had the coolest job in the world.

"Drop it! Drop it!" one boy chanted, imploring Rinehart to activate a machine that would send a hand-held scanner crashing to the ground five feet below.

They practically knocked the petite Rinehart over after the first time, flooding her with shouts of "Again!" and "Can I try?"

"How many want my job?" Rinehart asked.

She barely had time to get the words out before hands shot up.

Rinehart, a qualifications senior technician with Hand Held Products in Skaneateles Falls, was one of many presenters Thursday at Camp Hand Held, the company's version of the national Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.

About 119 children attended the event, where they were greeted by employee volunteers wearing "counselor" T-shirts and given navy blue knapsacks.

Rinehart's qualification lab, where products are put through heat, cold, water and the famous drop test, was a favorite stop on a tour the children went on in age-separated groups.

For the full report, see Friday's edition of The Citizen.