BE HAPPY — The annual Be Happy, Be Healthy Celebration was well attended last Saturday. In the photo above, Patti Cox and her son David take a ride on a miniature train.

Wellness celebration is a big hit

More than 300 people attended the third annual Be Happy, Be Healthy Celebration at Sparta United Methodist Church Saturday.

The event featured information on healthy habits, food and drinks, games for youth, a climbing wall, inflatable play stations and a miniature train. Other features included displays of a fire truck, fire helmet giveaways, fire extinguisher training, free backpacks and smoking cessation information from ASSIST, displays by Domestic Abuse is Not Acceptable (DANA) and live music.

"It, to me, was the best one yet," said Wellness Center spokesperson Carolyn Sprinkle. "We had at least twice as many participants as we had last year."

Last year's estimate was about 150 in attendance.

"We also had a wider variety of age groups," Sprinkle reflected. "I think we had a more diverse group and we had more younger children this year."

The weather was cooperative as well, she noted, despite earlier forecasts to the contrary.

In the photo at left, Worth Smith tries his hand at a climbing wall during the festivities. More than 300 people attended the event, which lasted from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

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