When it comes to fun social media feeds, government agencies aren't typically the first place you'd think to scroll. But for the past couple of years, in between advising on the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and when to schedule HPV tests, the Vermont Department of Health's Facebook and Instagram accounts have featured a steady stream of meme-friendly content that's both helpful and entertaining. One two-part post last week posed a provocative question framed by the eyeballs emoji and two hand emojis pointing downward: "Do you know what's going on ... down there?" Clicking through, curious users were reminded to check their basements for radon as part of Radon Action Month. (Why, what did you think "down there" referred to?) Other recent posts have used gags and memes to riff on the importance of getting enough sleep, keeping things light when it gets dark at 4 p.m. and figuring out how much money you spend on alcohol. During pandemic holidays, one particularly popular post localized the viral "Elf on the Shelf" meme with "Levine on the Vaccine," a reference to Health Commissioner Mark Levine. The architect of the health department's feed is public health communication officer Sadie Goldfarb. For the past two and half years, the 2019 Champlain College grad has upped the department's online game, transforming its social media feeds into fun and informative destination scrolling. When she was hired in 2022, Goldfarb said, the department was eager for its social media to be more engaging and relatable, which aligns with a broader trend among government agencies — follow the National Park Service on Insta for one lively example. While the health department's feed can be fun, the agency also has a serious mission: keeping Vermonters safe and healthy. Striking that balance is a critical and sometimes tricky aspect of Goldfarb's job. "We have to be really, really thoughtful about timing," she said of making jokier posts, "and really thoughtful about the topics that we're covering." Working in her favor: Most of the department's messaging isn't especially new, which gives her license to be creative and put a fresh spin on checking smoke alarm batteries or keeping your weed out of the reach of kids and pets. But even when things do get heavy, Goldfarb has discovered that sometimes a good gag can lighten the mood. Shortly after the devastating central Vermont flooding in summer 2023, Goldfarb…