According to the CDC Data report, the obesity rate for Greenup County is 35%. Research has shown there is a natural link between nutrition, physical activity, and chronic disease. The Greenup County Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Program partnered with the Healthy Choices, Healthy Communities Coalition to hold the Festival of Fitness in Downtown Ashland for the first Friday event in May. Forty One vendors set up along Winchester Ave. to educate the community on services provided related to nutrition and fitness in our area. 

The stations included an obstacle course for families to participate in, healthy food recipes with samples, health screenings, and various physical activities for families to participate in. The Extension Office was able to use this opportunity to promote many of their programs to a new client base. Several of the participants were unfamiliar with Extension programming and how it could benefit their families.

One participant stated “I never knew how many great services were provided free of charge in my community! I can’t wait to take advantage of many of these programs to learn better ways to take care of my family.”