Harvest Fest combines fun and education
Published Tuesday October 6th, 2009
MINTO - People of all ages took part in the Grand Lake area's first Harvest Fest on Saturday at the Queens North Community Health Centre in Minto.
Activities included rides on a horse-drawn wagon, face-painting, pumpkin games and the opportunity to assemble pumpkin people from scratch. There was local entertainment, a magician and free food such as boiled corn on the cob, pumpkin soup and fresh apples.
The health centre's community co-ordinator, Sarah Zuidhof, organized the event. She said she couldn't have hoped for a better day.
The goal was to have people come to Queens North to have a great time celebrating the harvest season and learn about the programs and services available at the centre, she said.
A new program launched during Harvest Fest is called Footloose with Grand Lake Walking Club, with more than 50 people registered to take part in the activity until Dec. 1.
"The mayors of Minto and Chipman, eight of the villages' councillors, area MLA Eugene McGinley and 41 of the health centre staff have also registered for the walking program," Zuidhof said.
Heather Giroux is a respiratory therapist at the health centre and has been doing puffer education clinics in the community.
"I also deal with asthma education, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease education, breathing tests, sleep apnea aids and smoking cessation," she said.
"A lot of people don't realize how many programs are available here and that they can self-refer themselves to any of our programs."
Occupational therapist Trish Hirschkorn is planning to do a fall-awareness and prevention program in the new year, addressing safety in the home and in the community.
"I also do adaptive aids, home modifications, splinting, foot orthotics and other aids to daily living," she said.
Dietician Nicole LeBlanc promotes a heart program at the health centre.
"There are four sessions on how to prevent and manage heart disease," she said.
Topics include cholesterol, blood pressure and a grocery store tour, and the program ends with a potluck meal of healthy foods.
Many families were busy constructing pumpkin people from boards, corn stalks and pumpkins.
Among them were Ed Czerwinski and his daughters Emily and Megan, who came from Fredericton to support the event.
"It's a real nice community here," he said.
Isabel Camp, manager of the Queens North Community Health Centre, said she was amazed at the turnout for the event.
"It's a strong community feeling and fun, with everyone working together and pulling together. People are learning our programs here are good for all ages and deal with wellness and prevention, not just treatment," she said.
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