The Stamford Hospital Health Wellness & Sports Expo 2013 is returning to Chelsea Piers Connecticut, the 400,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art sports and recreation facility at 1 Blachley Road in Stamford, Saturday, September 21 and Sunday, September 22, from, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Now in its second year, the Expo, which is free to the public, promises to be educational, interactive and entertaining for all ages and aims to convey the overall message—now is the time to take charge of your health.

The public is encouraged to bring one or more nonperishable food items in exchange for free raffle tickets for a chance to win healthy door prizes or tickets can be purchased for $5. All food and proceeds will be donated to the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County. Door prizes will be awarded throughout the weekend. 

Produced by TMK Sports & Entertainment, LLC, the event will feature free health screenings and educational information provided by Stamford Hospital, a wide variety of exhibitors, fitness demos and more. Special guests will include Connecticut native and recently crowned Miss USA 2013 Erin Brady, who will demonstrate healthy cooking, meet and greet attendees and, in her role as Miss USA, serve as a spokesperson for breast and ovarian cancer education, prevention and awareness.

Brady, the former Miss Connecticut USA, will participate in the expo from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 21 and be on hand at Stamford Hospital’s Paint the Town Pink exhibit, which promotes breast cancer awareness. Brady will also work side-by-side with Grade A ShopRite’s dietitian Jamie McIntyre to demonstrate healthy cooking. Passionate about running and a Tough Mudder competitor, Brady will also spend time at the many exhibits, particularly those featuring fitness and lifetime sports.

“We are excited to welcome Miss USA to this year’s Expo,” says Vicki Hoffman, Stamford Hospital Service Line director, Orthopedics & Women’s Health. “Erin is a wonderful representative of health and wellness and we look forward to her sharing her passion for healthy living with our exhibitors and attendees.”

Exhibits will cover alternative medicine, integrated nutrition, weight management, children’s health, pet wellness, healthy homes, spa and beauty treatments, fitness programs, financial health, green technology, sports medicine, lifetime sports and more. 

Exhibitor highlights will include Debbie Miron, Shaklee independent distributor, who will showcase many health products and introduce Shaklee’s Biggest Loser 180 Weight Loss Challenge, and Grade A ShopRite, which will feature healthy food samples and recipes in addition to McIntyre’s cooking demos.  Visitors can also meet News 12 Connecticut anchor and “12 on Health” reporter Gillian Neff on Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Attendees can explore Ageless Personal Training’s holistic approach to fitness from anti-aging expert and celebrity trainer Mario Lomanto; watch how healthy meals can be quickly created by Vitamix, the maker of high-performance blenders; and learn how to stand taller from posture specialists at Stamford Healthcare Associates, a chiropractic practice.  

Visitors will also experience fitness in action by UFC Stamford, which will demo martial arts, Work it Dance and Fitness, which will showcase their high energy routines, and the Greenwich Track Club, which will conduct fun races. Additional exhibitors will include Stamford Sports & Spine, BlueStreak Sports Training, the Spa at the Delamar, Game Day Skincare for Active Men, Angela Cosmai Salon, Grand Prix New York, Capt Saam’s Scuba School, Agora Spa, Lander Chiropractic Sport & Health Sciences, Performance Physical Therapy and more.

Sponsors of the event include Stamford Hospital, Grade A ShopRite and Shaklee Independent Distributor and the following media sponsors: Hearst Media Services, Moffly Media, News 12 Connecticut, Natural Awakenings, WEBE 108, KidsOutAndabout.com and Hey Stamford!

For more information, contact TMK Sports & Entertainment at 203-531-3047 or visit HWS-Expos.com.