Published: August 12, 2007 12:04 am         

Healthy crowd gathers at mall for activities fair

More than 250 prizes, each geared toward motivating children to stay more active and healthy, were given away at Youth Activities Fair at Oakwood Mall Saturday.

“We wanted to show kids and families how to in-crease their physical activity and make better eating choices,” said Tere-sa Bailey, Garfield County Health Department RN health educator.

“We tried to give away things that would make kids get outside and become more active,” Bailey said.

Although the event was supposed to last until 4 p.m., the prizes were given away fast.

“We didn’t realize how quickly everything would go,” Bailey said. “We were glad to get that kind of response.”

Information packets showing easy ways to get active and make better eating choices also were available at the event. The packets included a pedometer, which measures how far one has walked, and a guide showing what foods are best choices at restaurants.

Health department officials spent the morning demonstrating how to make healthier eating choices.

Fruits and vegetables, smoothies and whole-grain snacks were the featured items.

“We had cooking and food demonstrations trying to encourage people to make better eating choices,” Bailey said.

Simple exercises, including one mothers can do while walking with strollers, were demonstrated.

Several booths — set up by agencies, including the Girl and Boy Scouts, American Red Cross, Youth and Family Services — featured ways for families to be active in the community and at their homes.

One booth featured easy-to-prepare meals to help bring families to the dinner table.

“We put healthy food all together so it wouldn’t take so long to prepare a meal for a family,” said Cheryl Swanson, a distributor for Homemade Gourmet. “As our motto says, we are focused on bringing families back to the dinner table.”

A karate and a baton demonstration took place in the morning, both held to encourage children to get involved in a more active lifestyle.

United Way, Enid Area Metropolitan Human Services Commission and Turning Point helped sponsor the event.