KENNETT SQUARE — The 4th annual ¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® event is expected to draw about 2,000 people to Anson B. Nixon Park on Saturday, September 27, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
“This is a wonderful event each year and it is growing in attendance,” said Margarita Queralt Mirkil, President and Chief Executive Officer of La Comunidad Hispana (LCH). “You can’t beat free family fun that promotes healthy living.”
¡Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving!® is open to the public and will be held rain or shine. The national sponsor is the National Alliance for Hispanic Health. The local partners are LCH, the YMCA of the Brandywine Valley and the Mexican Consulate.
Demonstrations and attractions will include Karate, Zumba, the Juggling Hoffmans, tennis, volleyball, soccer clinics, and a health walk challenge. Kids will enjoy YMCA inflatables, pony rides, crafts, and henna tattoos. Trio Crisol, Ballet Folklorico Yaretzi and Suspiro Flamenco will perform live on stage in the afternoon. Throughout the day, there will be free health screenings and flu shots. Over fifty exhibitors will provide information on community resources.
New in 2014 is the YMCA Latino dance workshop for all school-aged children. Also, representatives of the Kennett Square and New Garden police departments will give demonstrations and hand-out safety information, as well as provide a drop-off for the safe disposal of old prescription drugs.
In addition to healthy snacks from the Chester County Food Bank and other sponsors, the second annual salsa contest will take place. Competing restaurants are El Ranchero Mexican Restaurant, last year’s winner, La Peña Mexicana, Plaza Azteca, El Campamento, Red Sombrero, Taste of Puebla, El Rinconsito, and Tapatia Restaurant.
A raffle will be held for all attendees who fill out an event program passport by visiting sponsor and exhibitor tables. Raffle prizes include complimentary annual YMCA memberships, bikes and helmets, tickets to the Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra, and gift certificates to local restaurants, retail, and entertainment such as Longwood Gardens, Boomers Family Fun Center and Oasis.
Mirkil said, “This day would not be possible without the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, the YMCA, and our local sponsors. Many thanks to our Platinum sponsors: Chester County Food Bank; Christiana Health Care Systems; and GIANT Foods. Gold sponsors: Aetna. Silver sponsors: Advantage Building & Facility Services; Chester County Hospital and Health System; The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Comcast; Fulton Bank; Longwood Gardens; Mushroom Farmers of Pennsylvania; and Pennsylvania Hispano Magazine. Bronze sponsors: Bryn Mawr Trust; El Compadre; Countryside Consulting, Inc.; DNB First; Herr’s; Haggerty, Goldberg, Schleifer & Kupersmith, P.C.; Hogan & Vandenberg, LLC; National Penn Bank; Pegasus Technologies; TD Bank, and Walmart Pharmacy.”
Due to the high volume of participants, parking within the park will be closed to the public. To access the event, free parking in the Genesis Public Parking Garage and the surrounding city streets is just a five minute walk to the park using the trail entrance at the intersection of North Broad Street and East Linden Street. Parking is also available on the side streets next to the park’s main entrance (100 Waterworks Drive). A shuttle will run to the park from Eagle Energy Systems parking lot (500 North Walnut Road) every fifteen minutes from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
La Comunidad Hispana was established in 1973 as a community-based nonprofit organization to help low income residents of southern Chester County to stay healthy, build strong families and lead productive lives by providing high-quality, culturally welcoming services. For more information, go to www.lacomunidadhispana.org or call 610-444-7550, ext. 242.
