Health education is fun and games at Celebration on Central
Celebration on Central brings a day of free entertainment, games and healthy living information to Lodi’s Heritage District every year.
On Sunday, the years-long tradition will continue with live banda music, hot dogs, more than 40 vendors, arts, crafts and face painting for children, and more.
“Always a crowd favorite for the past couple years, we’ll have the clowns Sparkles and Ravioli,” said Lindsay Grant, manager of Lodi’s Family Resource Center, which organizes the annual festival.
Along with music from Nueva Herencia, the Arts and Culture Club of Lodi Middle School will perform throughout the day, she said. Usra Rani, a young Lodi resident, will speak about the importance of peace and community.
But the focus of the annual street fair is on health and well-being.
This year, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors declared Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 to be Binational Health Month, a spin on the Binational Health Week celebrated throughout North America.
Sunday’s event is one of a series of health fairs held in the area each year.
“Celebration on Central is the kick-off — it’s the first one,” Grant said.
Binational Health Week began in the U.S. and Canada to support community initiatives to improve public health. It has a special focus on those countries’ Latino communities, who are often underserved when it comes to health issues, according to the event’s website.
“It’s evolved into one of the largest mobilization efforts in the U.S.,” Grant said.
In recent years, the healthy living campaign has expanded to include Mexico and other countries.
Booths at Sunday’s event include hearing and optical screenings sponsored by Costco, two separate blood pressure screening stations hosted by Health Net and Adventist Health Lodi Memorial, and flu shots from Walgreens. HICAP will give an overview of how to sign up for Medi-Cal.
“Every vendor that’s coming has a different initiative,” Grant said.
California Human Development will be sharing information about the immigration process, and HEP will share resources for earning a GED.
The Lodi District Chamber of Commerce will have a booth promoting the city’s new Love Your Block program, which supports community improvement projects like Greening Lodi and the GRIP mural project.
“I believe Breakthrough Project provides some activities for the kids as well,” Grant said.
Celebration on Central’s organizers are grateful to all of their sponsors, especially community sponsors like Waste Management and the Lodi Police Department, Grant said. Farmers & Merchants Bank is one of the biggest local sponsors of the yearly event, she said.