By Britteny Dee
Lansing Star Staff Writer
Friday, Feb. 4, marked the first day of the 11th annual Mid-Michigan Women’s Expo. The event attracted thousands to the Lansing Center.
The Women’s expo is a weekend-long event filled with activities for women.
“The whole idea is to give women their own event which not only educates them with a lot of seminars, but also with a bulk of information and solutions based on the exhibitors that we have, and then, of course, a little bit of fun to go with it,” Kohler Expo President Denise Kolesar said.
This year, there were more than 250 businesses featured.
“We feature everything from automobiles to cooking to fitness to finance and, of course, fun,” Kolesar said.
“We have fun stuff you can buy like purses, wigs, hairpieces, jewelry and scarves.”
This year, there were some special, new attractions at the expo. One popular speaker was Ali Vincent, the first woman to win the hit show The Biggest Loser. The organization Go Red for Women was also present at the expo. It held a casting call at the expo for someone to be a part of its national marketing campaign for women’s heart health.
“If you’re chosen, you are featured in television and magazine ads,” Kolesar said. “It’s quite an honor to be chosen as a Go Red for Women representative. We are very honored that they have chosen our expo to have a casting call.”
Sparrow Hospital, a regular at the expo, had many booths. “You can get a wealth of information and they make it very fun,” Kolesar said. “You get to talk to doctors face to face. Many things happen in the Sparrow area.”
Eaton Rapids resident Melissa Chambers said, “Sparrow Village has many different stations and you can get stuff like a water bottle or a bag. It’s kind of fun to look around and see what they have.”
Meijer also had several booths including their Healthy Living Cooking Stage with live cooking presentations and free food samples. Kolesar said Meijer featured “Recipes for Life.”
“I’m doing an exhibit for Meijer,” employee Susan Mckeon said. “It’s been very busy. I’ve given out almost 1,500 cookies today.”
“My favorite part would have to be the free food,” Eaton Rapids resident Caitlin Chambers said.
“I like so much of it,” Kolesar said. “I love what we are able to offer the women in this community; whether it be a little bit of fun or pampering, or a wealth of knowledge.”
For anyone who might have missed out on this event, there will be another expo in March in Grand Rapids. For more information, go to http://www.kohlerexpo.com/wmwe/.