AAfter a year of absence due to Covid-19, the annual Health Wellness & Lifestyle Expo returns to Stamford. And while the Covid threat has not yet fully subsided, this year’s event – scheduled for September 11th and 12th at the Harbor Point Boardwalk – will be conducted with the primary objective of public health.
“We are very excited that the event is taking place outdoors, which makes it much more accessible to people, given everything that is happening with Covid-19 and the Delta variant,” said Tammi Ketler, owner of TMK Event Marketing, the producer the fair. “We expect around 2,500 people per day, a total of 5,000 people for the weekend.”
Billy Blanks Jr., center, flanked by exercise enthusiasts at the 2019 show. Photo courtesy of TMK Marketing.
Visitors to the Expo, which is being presented for the 10th time in collaboration with Stamford Health, are advised to get vaccinated. As of this writing, the event does not have a mask mandate, although Ketler acknowledged that “if guidelines adjust, we will follow all of Stanford’s State and City of Covid-19 and BLT Harbor Point guidelines.”
Ketler defines the expo as an opportunity for people to “learn more about their health, make good decisions and live healthier lives”.
This year’s event includes CPR training and blood pressure screenings conducted by members of Stamford Health and Stamford EMS, free nutritional counseling and flu vaccinations from Healthcare Professionals in the Pharmaceuticals of ShopRite Grade A, as well as 85 exhibitors offering discounted services and products as well as an only – Event membership offer deals on items including fitness equipment, healthy foods and beverages, and wellness-oriented professional services.
“We’re very excited to have Billy Blanks Jr. return,” said Ketler, referring to the fitness celebrity. “He always brings so much energy and excitement to the event. He will teach his dance classes on both Saturday and Sunday.
“We also have yoga, sponsored by Sacred Heart University, which is on the lawn,” she said. “This is a very exciting event – we want people to experience health and wellness and maybe try a yoga class they have never experienced before or a fitness class. We have such a great variety and it’s really exciting. “
A new addition to this year’s expo will be the work of artist Ian Sullivan creating original works that pay tribute to health professionals, public safety officers and the key workers who served on the front lines during the pandemic.
“We have two art murals, 6 by 7 feet, that will be unveiled by Mayor David Martin on Saturday morning, September 11th, at 11:15 am,” said Ketler. “The public will have the opportunity to sign the scope of both art murals – one for Stanford Health, one for Grade A ShopRite – and thank them for everything they have done. It’s a really special opportunity for the community to come up and write thank you and appreciation notes for all of these different murals. “
Ketler said one mural will be on display in the lobby of Stamford Hospital while the other will be on display in one of the ShopRite Class A stores after the display.
This year’s expo also coincides with the 20th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, and the event will include a brief ceremony observing events two decades ago.
“Mayor Martin will also chair this ceremony and we are honored that Sergeant Joe Cala Vito is singing the ‘national anthem’,” said Ketler. “He is the official singer for the Connecticut Army National Guard and the Stamford Police Honor Guard will be with us at this ceremony.”
Westfair Communications, publisher of Westchester and Fairfield County Business Journal and WAG Magazine, is a premium media sponsor of this year’s expo.
