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the orland park prairie | May 4, 2017 | 11
Fashion, fitness and fun combine at 22nd Century Media’s women’s expo
Laurie Fanelli
Freelance Reporter
On Saturday, April 29,
south suburban women converged
on the Tinley Park
Convention Center for Lady
– A Women’s Expo.
The event — now in its
fourth year — featured 79
vendors specializing in everything
from fitness to aromatherapy
to travel tips.
“We want to provide an
easy girls day out,” said
Heather Warthen, chief
events officer at 22nd Century
Media. “Women can get
up early and come out and
have some fun. We’ve got
some great shopping opportunities,
some health screenings.
It’s fun and free.”
Local women seemed
eager for the start of the
expo, as hundreds lined up
throughout the halls of the
convention center before
the doors opened at 9 a.m.
sharp. Park Forest resident
Carol Clark said she thought
it sounded like an interesting
event — and a good time —
so she recruited her friend
Betty Rodgers, of Homewood,
to join her.
“I hope I see something to
purchase and maybe I would
like to participate in some of
the on-site classes that they’re
having,” Rodgers said.
One such event featured
“The Biggest Loser” winner
Danni Allen leading a
20-minute exercise class
with experts from Planet
Fitness, who were on hand
throughout the expo to offer
exercise tips and techniques
to attendees. Natural Healing
Centers also led sessions
on natural and holistic solutions
to encourage healing
on all levels.
Science-based workouts
are at the heart of Orangetheory
Fitness, which was
on hand at the expo. Katie
Krop, assistant manager of
the Frankfort location, explained
that each one-hour
total body workout combines
endurance and strength
training to target five different
heart rate zones.
“The goal is to spend at
least 12 or more minutes in
our orange zone,” she said,
adding that people who
spend 12 minutes at that target
heart rate may continue
to burn calories for up to 36
hours after their workouts.
Also this year, Lady – A
Women’s Expo featured
an entire cooking demo
stage. Chef Lesley Shworles
kicked off the culinary
fun by sharing her recipe
for making overnight oats,
which includes such healthy
and delicious ingredients as
chia seeds, flax seed, dried
fruit and more. Joliet Junior
College’s Chef Tim Bucci;
Chef Tom Grotovsky (The
Unforgettable Chef); Ann
Poidomani, of Simply Serve
Meals; Chef Jose Torres,
of Italian Village; and Chef
Jen Gavin (Edible Passport);
also led cooking demos
throughout the morning.
The spring fashion show
— presented by Jenny
Applegate of The Leading
Image, Diva Me Bella and
Orland Park Crossing — offered
women a chance to see
the latest fashion, hair and
makeup trends, modeled by
members of the south suburban
community. It is this
type of unique neighborhood
connection that makes Lady
– A Women’s Expo a truly
special event for many.
“We’re the local community
newspaper, and everybody
knows who we are,”
Warthen said. “So, it’s a fun
opportunity for us to put faces
with names.”
Publisher 22nd Century
Media is to host a career
fair at Georgios in Orland
Park in August and its annual
Active Aging Expo
in October. More information
can be found at
www.22ndcenturymedia.
com/events.
“The Biggest Loser” winner Danni Allen encourages everyone to join her fitness demo Saturday, April 29, during Lady - A
Women’s Expo at the Tinley Park Convention Center. Photos by Laurie Fanelli/22nd Century Media
Bonnie Hollaway (left), of Orland Park, gets her runway
makeup done by Julia Tyler, of Diva Me Bella, before the
fashion show at publisher 22nd Century Media’s most
recent expo.
Patrick Boroian (left) and Katie Krop, from Orangetheory
Fitness, pose for a photo by their booth.