NMC’s most popular event of the year is coming up on February 10 and this year even Vermont’s Governor will attend! Healthy Hearts draws big crowds for family-friendly, health-focused fun and Governor Phil Scott is coming this year at 10 a.m. to support RiseVT’s Active Play campaign and sign a proclamation emphasizing the importance of such play.

The free-of-charge event takes place from 9 a.m. to noon at the St. Albans City Elementary School. This year, RiseVT hosts an Active Play space in the small gym with Playscriptions from Dr. Elisabeth Fontaine, hula hooping, dance parties, a photo booth and family plank station! The Family Center of Northwestern Counseling provides high energy family fun in the large gymnasium including a bounce house, tunnel station, crafts, face painters and more!

In addition to activities designed to get you moving, NMC will provide free health screenings, free massages and as well as interactive booths on a variety of health related topics. Some of those include food prep demos on make-at-home salad dressings, sun protection recommendations, and avoiding issues caused by our use of computers, cell phones and other technology. Some of the day’s games will include Flavorland, Hollywood Squares, a Cup Challenge, Beanbag Toss, Frog Hop and many more.

“We want to help make it easy for people to embrace healthy lifestyles. Having fun, learning, and playing in an environment like Healthy Hearts is a great chance for people to jump in whole-heartedly,” says Jonathan Billings, Vice President of Planning & Community Relations. “It is wonderful to see so many people enjoy an event like Healthy Hearts as it shows the culture of our community is shifting to focus on wellness through small, achievable steps.”

On top of all the active fun, healthy food, free health screenings, and useful health information, you can also be entered to win one of three Vermont State Parks Family Passes as well as many other raffles during the event. Pick up a theme-park-style map at registration, collect stamps as you visit each attraction and show your completed map as you leave to be entered to win.

Download a copy of the event map here. For more information about Healthy Hearts, visit NMC’s web calendar of events.