Boyertown Wellness Fair attracts visitors of all ages
Annual event provides health and fitness information
The Wellness Council of Boyertown’s 13th Annual Wellness Fair provided a morning of healthy fun, entertainment and education for more than 600 community members of all ages, from toddlers to seniors.
Held at the newly renovated Boyertown Area Senior High, the free event included nearly 70 vendors covering an array of healthrelated topics, the Kids’ Celebrity Chef Contest, Running of the Bears walking/running competition, senior walking bingo, wellness demonstrations, Max’s Moon Bounce, music by Pure Fun Entertainment DJ and door prizes.
Demonstrations included a mini CPR course with Ryan Billings of the Boyertown Ambulance, pound fit exercises with B.Fit Training Studio of Schwenksville, Master Kim Karate with Kurt Miller of Bechtelsville and CrossFit Fidelity exercises with Matt Chambers of Boyertown. Rita’s of Boyertown provided free water ice.
“We are delighted by the turnout from the community, the participation of the vendors and the support of our donors,” said Deborah Bertolet, who was recently appointed executive director. “The Wellness Fair offers residents an opportunity to learn about different ways they can improve their lifestyles while having an enjoyable time.”
For the Kids’ Celebrity Chef Competition, the six finalists shared food samples and recipes for their nutritious dishes. For this two-part competition, six
“celebrity” guest judges rate the finalists’ recipes on taste and presentation with the judges’ choice award going to the finalist receiving the highest score. For the second portion, visitors vote to determine the first, second and third place winners, and the first-place winner receives a bicycle. More than 270 visitors tasted the samples and casted their votes.
This year’s celebrity judges were Boyertown Mayor Marianne Deery, Pennsylvania State Representative Marcy Toepel, Center at Spring Street Executive Chef Chris Mest, Boyertown Area School District Assistant Superintendant Marybeth Torchia, New Hanover Township Manager Jamie Gwynn and Boyertown Area School District Communications Coordinator Emily Hibshman.
First place went to Camryn Urbassik, a fifth grader at New HanoverUpper Frederick Elementary School, for her strawberry frozen yogurt bites. Second place went to Maddigan Dryburgh, a second grader at Boyertown Elementary School, for her shredded sweet potato pancakes.
Honorable mentions went to Evan Holdefer, a homeschooled third grader, for his PB&J snack balls with blueberries and peanut butter, and Andrew Rizzo, a second grader at Gilbertsville Elementary School, for his chocolate oatmeal muffins. Fourth place went to Aiden Eckman, a fourth grader at New Hanover-Upper Frederick, for his cheesy cauliflower fritters.
The judges’ choice award went to Declan Larrimore, a second-grade student at Washington Elementary School, who made rainbow pizza using whole wheat pizza dough and an assortment of vegetables. He also came in third place for the people’s choice.
All of the recipes for the Kids’ Celebrity Chef Competition are listed on the Wellness Council of Boyertown’s website. Michelle Docchio plans and coordinates the annual cooking competition. Giant Foods and Schuylkill Valley Sports sponsored the competition.
For the Running of the Bears competition, Washington Elementary School students won the Healthy Bear trophy with the most laps. Earl and Boyertown Elementary Schools came in second and third place, respectively.
The Wellness Council of Boyertown is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that develops healthrelated programming and activities for the community, including a Wellness Fair, Community Field Day, Turkey Trot 5K race on Thanksgiving, CrossFit Fundraiser for Brendan’s Band and Senior Walking Bingo. The Wellness Council’s community track at the Boyertown Area Senior High’s Memorial Stadium will soon add the Jerry Karver Track gate. With your help and support, the Wellness Council of Boyertown will continue to bring programs to families and individuals in all areas of wellness.