22nd annual Community Health Fair

Fair focuses on hot topics in safety, health and fitness

[March 23, 2007]  Score big with good health! This year's edition of the Community Health Fair will focus on what's hot in safety, health and fitness.

The fair will be March 31 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lincoln Park District's Indoor Sports Center. Admission is free. Everyone is invited to attend.

More than 60 organizations will have displays or offer health screenings. Guests at the fair will learn new and innovative approaches to wellness.

Health screenings are always popular at the fair, and more than a dozen will be offered this year. Screenings will be available for blood pressure, blood sugar and diabetes, body mass index, bone density, child developmental, cholesterol, hearing, hemoglobin, pulse oximetry, and child vision. All screenings except the hemoglobin ($1) and the cholesterol ($5) will be free of charge.

Cooking demos at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. by ALMH Dietary will feature healthy and easy dishes to snack on while watching the big game.

The American Red Cross will conduct a blood bank from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in conjunction with the health fair. Your gift of blood can help save someone's life, so please make plans to give at the Red Cross blood bank. First-time donors are welcome. No experience needed!

Coming attractions

Making a return visit is the Child Identification Program. The Lincoln Police Department is bringing this popular program to the fair. Parents will have the opportunity to have children fingerprinted at no charge. Pictures will also be taken. Both forms of identification have been very beneficial to the police in locating missing children. Parents are urged to take advantage of the program, starting at 9 a.m.

Saturday's entertainment

At 9:30 a.m. Dan Dugan will demonstrate yoshukai karate with his spirited group of students. Dugan has been teaching this ancient art throughout central Illinois for over 27 years.

At 10:30 a.m. Deputy Robert Spickard will exhibit the skills of the Logan County drug dog. He will demonstrate how these dogs are able to successfully conduct their searches. Spickard will be available for questions as well.

Also at 10:30 a.m. the granny basketball warm-ups will begin in preparation for the big game at 11 a.m. The Iowa Phantoms will take on Abe's Babes, a group of local Lincoln women, in an old-school, 1920s-style basketball game, where there is no running, no jumping and no flesh!

At noon Lincoln Tae Kwon Do will take center stage. Led by Scott Brown, this high-energy performance is always a popular segment and sure to entertain all ages.

Concluding the day's entertainment at 1 p.m. will be Ronald McDonald leading a "Get Moving" program for all ages.

Closing credits

Nutritious foods prepared by Cookie's Bakery will be available for purchase at the fair throughout the day.

The Community Health Fair is co-sponsored by the Lincoln Park District and the Logan County Health Department.

Questions about the health fair should be directed to Marcia Greenslate at the Lincoln Park District, 217-732-8770, or Marcia Dowling at the Logan County Health Department, 217-735-2317.

Children's Health Fair

Leading up to the fair for the public, the 21st annual Children's Health Fair will be at the Lincoln Park District's Indoor Sports Center, 1400 Primm Road, on March 30 from 8:45 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.

Fifth-grade students from Lincoln and Logan County schools will be brought to the Indoor Sports Center for two-hour-long segments during the day. Home-schooled fifth-grade students are also invited to attend. The goal of the Children's Health Fair is to encourage children to learn about health in a way that allows them to play an active part in the learning process. More than 30 agencies will be represented at the fair.

The children will receive information about such topics as cancer prevention, exercise, nutrition, hospitals, dental health, disabilities, drugs and alcohol, emergency services, safety, personal hygiene, and posture.

The students will once again be going through a Heart Adventure Challenge Course. Research studies have supported the notion that children learn best through play experiences. The Elementary Heart Adventure Challenge Course does just that. What better way to learn about the most important muscle in the body than to experience going through it. Students are physically involved while navigating the blood's pathway through the body.

This years' competition among the schools focused on the healthy aspects of walking. A distance walking challenge was given to each of the participating schools. Classes walking the farthest will win prizes. D.A.R.E., the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, has awarded the first-place class a large bag of sports equipment.

Questions about the health fair in general or about involving home-schooled children should be directed to Marcia Dowling at the Logan County Health Department, 735-2317, or Marcia Greenslate at the Lincoln Park District, 732-8770, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

[Text from news release received]