‘A Better You Expo’ slated for this Friday and Saturday at The Arena in Corbin

A Better You Expo, which was cancelled in January because of snow and ice, will take place Friday and Saturday at The Arena in Corbin.

“Everything is pretty much the same,” said Amanda Hueser of the Phil Smith Marketing Group, which is organizing the event.
The event will include a giant inflatable colon, which visitors are welcome to walk through.

Commonwealth Cancer Center St. Joseph Cancer Center will have staff on hand to speak with visitors about colon cancer and recommended testing to help detect any problems while they are still treatable.

There will also be a motor skills challenge, which Phil Smith of the Phil Smith Marketing Group said will test participants’ balance, cognitive thinking, agility and hand-eye coordination.

“It will measure you against the average scores so you know where you stand,” Smith said.

Friday will be school day. Smith estimates that about 500 high school students from Corbin, Knox, Laurel and Whitley County school systems will attend.

“A lot of them are HOSA (future health professionals) students,” Smith said of the students. “Others are regular students who are coming as part of an effort to encourage them to be more active.”
Friday night is “Girls Night Out.”

Smith said in addition to the regular vendors, there will be vendors on hand with hair and makeup tips. There will also be live music and food available.

“The Copper Penny will be doing two fashion shows,” Smith said. “One will feature models who are all cancer survivors.”
Girls’ night out will run from 4-9 p.m. Like the rest of the expo, it is free and open to the public, but donations will be accepted to help support the event’s cancer awareness efforts.

Saturday morning is dedicated to senior citizens. It will begin with bingo and breakfast. That will be followed with the, “Walk of Wisdom.”

We will take the seniors on a walk around the arena concourse,” Smith said. “Throughout the walk we will stop and talk about various famous seniors who made contributions to society later in life before continuing on the walk. We want to encourage them to pass along the valuable information they have in their minds.”

The event is not solely for adults.

Smith said there will be inflatables and sports for children in an effort to encourage them to be more active and play.

“When I was young, I had two brothers with whom I would play outside until it was dark,” Smith said. “Around dark, mom would yell to get us to come in but it was very difficult. Now, that is reversed with parents telling their children, “Go outside and play.
We are a very technological society and although it will create good incomes, if we totally rely on it, it will result in our demise, physically.”

Smith emphasized that the entire event is open to the public at all times. There is no admission charge, though donations will always be accepted.