20th annual health fair focuses on family health, nutrition

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• Child ID program to participate in Mitchell health fair
• Lions club provides free vision screenings

The 20th annual Chamber Health and Wellness Fair will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Mitchell Christian School.

Janelle Thiesse, program and communications manager for the Mitchell Chamber of Commerce said this year’s focus for the event is family health, wellness and nutrition.

Each year, she said event organizers try to pick a focus that can engage and educate attendees on healthy lifestyle choices.

“We want all ages to come, not just a certain age group,” she said.

She said the Mitchell Area Chamber of Commerce Health Services Committee has been working on developing activities that can keep all ages entertained and active throughout the event.

New this year, she said, is the Frozen Foot 5K Fun Run, which she said will start at 10 a.m. and had about 20 people signed up on Tuesday. Thiesse said participants can run or walk, but either will depend on the weather.

“The committee just wanted to try something new,” she said. “We want it to be something fun.”

Other activities throughout the day will include healthy snack activities, groups performing on the school’s stage and a hula hoop contest.

Thiesse said the adult hula hoop contest will start at noon, followed by the children’s contests at 12:30 p.m. There will be three different age groups for the children, ages 5 and under, 6-9, and 10 and up. Thiesse said the first-place prize is a bike, but each participant will get a jump rope.

“There’s something for every participant,” she said.

There also will be booths and vendors at the event, which Thiesse said is free to attend.

She said vendor maps will be available in The Daily Republic’s Friday edition.

“There are a lot of different booths this year,” she said. “There’s something for everyone. There’s lots of kids’ events going on.”

From hearing and vision screening to finger printing, Thiesse said many of the day’s events are geared to prepare children for a lifetime of healthy habits.

“It starts when you’re young,” she said. “Know your family history and prevent anything, is kind of what we’ve been focusing on, and trying to get the kids active, so they can continue it for the future.”

Tags: health fair, life, updates, health, local, mitchell