DALLAs — Abby Nestorick just couldn’t make up her mind about which event in the obstacle course she liked best.

“I like the, um, uh, ooh, I like everything,” said the 4-year-old from Hunlock Creek, as she lined up to take yet another turn at the activities.

She started by working a scooter around cones set up on the floor, jumped over low barriers and pushed a giant ball from marker to marker.

The obstacle course and the free-throw competition on the other side of the gym were just a small part of the Community Fitness Fair at Dallas High School April 4. The goal was to promote health, wellness and fitness for youngsters, families and the whole community.

“Abby is very active,” said her mom Jennifer. “We don’t have a problem with fitness where she’s concerned.”

The fair was perfect for Abby, but it also provided opportunities and ideas for people who might not be as active as a 4-year-old. And people of all ages made their way to the school’s lobby to get free screenings, check out summer camps and get ideas about ways to get off the couch and move more.

The fair started as an impact project through Wilkes-Barre Leadership, said coordinator Michelle Bryant.

“Leadership has a program for educators to create projects that have some kind of impact on the community,” she said. “I’m a phys ed teacher and my focus is getting my students more active in their daily lives. I came up with this to promote fitness, health and wellness in our area.”

The result was a gathering of health professionals, fitness experts, representatives from therapy and rehab facilities, summer camps and a variety of clubs that offer a chance to get out and play.

At almost every table, there was a give-away or a chance to try something new, like taking a turn at a spinning bike or finding out how high you could jump. The Dallas and DMAC swim programs ran videos of their programs. Girls on the Run, the Wyoming Valley Striders and Strive Triathlon were on hand to offer suggestions about running and invitations to join in their activities.

In the back of the school’s massive lobby, crowds gathered and watched demonstrations in American free-style karate and Zumba. Upstairs, away from the noise, a yoga class offered a chance to stretch and try out new moves.

“I think being fit is vital,” said Sensei John Filer, Sr., who runs High Energy Karate in Dallas. He said he took his first steps to high-level fitness 40 years ago after he hurt his back and then gained a lot of weight.

“I knew I needed to do something; I needed to start moving or I’d be lost,” he said.

Filer led a crowd-pleasing demonstration of martial arts skills with more than a dozen of his students of all ages. They started with board-breaking and finished with a mini seminar on self-defense.

“It’s not just kicking and punching,” said Anthony Dixon, 19, of Dallas, an assistant instructor at the dojo. “It’s strength training and discipline. And we’re a massive family.”

It’s especially true in his case. He started learning self-defense after he was on the losing end of a scuffle when he was just 7 years old. Right around that time, his sister, Sara, now 14, came home from school with a flyer about the dojo. She got into dance classes at the time but got bored with it and decided to join her brother in karate classes. The two got their younger sister, Sammy, now 11, into the sport, as well. Now, all three sport black belts and starred as the front line of the martial arts demonstration.

The fair offered more than physical activity as there was even a banker on the scene.

“Everyone looks at their physical health,” sand Dena Hughes, from Fidelity Bank. “I decided to come and give out information about financial fitness.”

She had a table lined with brochures on loans, mortgages, savings, even ways to prevent identity theft and avoiding scams.

Fair organizers are planning to take this event into the future.

“It’s the first one. We’re already planning to do this again,” said April Klose, RN, nurse at the Dallas Middle School and assistant fair organizer. She was one of a trio of nurses who offered blood pressure screenings at one of the busiest tables in the fair.

“Every day we see youngsters who are just not as active as they should be,” she said. “And the evidence is all around that people in general are moving less than they did before. This is, at least, one way we can do our part to change that. And we’re planning to make this fitness fair bigger and better in the coming years.”

Black belt Kevin Ryan, 12, of Dallas, demonstrates how to break a board with others from High Energy Karate during the Dallas High School Fitness Fair.
https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_TDP040719FitnessFair_1.jpg.optimal.jpgBlack belt Kevin Ryan, 12, of Dallas, demonstrates how to break a board with others from High Energy Karate during the Dallas High School Fitness Fair. Bill Tarutis | For Dallas Post

Megan Mishefski, of Back Mountain Revolution Cycle & Fitness, rides a spin cycle during the Dallas High School Fitness Fair.
https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_TDP040719FitnessFair_2.jpg.optimal.jpgMegan Mishefski, of Back Mountain Revolution Cycle & Fitness, rides a spin cycle during the Dallas High School Fitness Fair. Bill Tarutis | For Dallas Post

Kate Malarkey of Danko All American Fitness, does high-intensity aerobics at the Dallas High School Fitness Fair.
https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_TDP040719FitnessFair_3.jpg.optimal.jpgKate Malarkey of Danko All American Fitness, does high-intensity aerobics at the Dallas High School Fitness Fair. Bill Tarutis | For Dallas Post

Katherine Thompson, 12, of Dallas, imitates yoga instructor Sherry Cross during a demonstration of techniques at the Dallas High School Fitness Fair.
https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_TDP040719FitnessFair_4.jpg.optimal.jpgKatherine Thompson, 12, of Dallas, imitates yoga instructor Sherry Cross during a demonstration of techniques at the Dallas High School Fitness Fair. Bill Tarutis | For Dallas Post

Abby Nestorick, 4, of Hunlock Creek, navigates a giant ball through an obstacle course at the Dallas High School Fitness Fair.
https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_TDP040719FitnessFair_5.jpg.optimal.jpgAbby Nestorick, 4, of Hunlock Creek, navigates a giant ball through an obstacle course at the Dallas High School Fitness Fair. Bill Tarutis | For Dallas Post

Nicole Miller, of Dallas, measures her vertical jump with the help of Matt Flanagan, of Athletic Republic, at the Dallas High School Fitness Fair.
https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/web1_TDP040719FitnessFair_6.jpg.optimal.jpgNicole Miller, of Dallas, measures her vertical jump with the help of Matt Flanagan, of Athletic Republic, at the Dallas High School Fitness Fair. Bill Tarutis | For Dallas Post

By Gina Thackara

For Dallas Post

Reach the Dallas Post newsroom at 570-991-6405 or by email at news@mydallaspost.com.