Zumbatomics Takes off at Annual Memorial Day Food Fair

The sun and blue sky were in full force at Monday's annual Memorial Day Food Fair benefiting Darien EMS Post 53 at Tilley Pond Park. Fresh from the Darien Memorial Day Parade, crowds gathered amid the food, crafts booths and live music at the fair. One event of note was the Zumbatomics class sponsored by Darien's Flair Fitness.

Zumbatomics can basically be described as Zumba – the dance/exercise sensation – for kids, ranging in age from 4 to 11. An eager bunch of youngsters kept up with instructors Amber Allen and Alejandra Maville as they put their fitness moves to the beat of infectious music.

"Zumbatomics makes exercise fun," said Flair Fitness owner and Darien resident Amy Shelton. "You really need the element of fun in order to entice kids to exercise." Added Amber Allen, "Zumbatomics really gets the kids moving. It really shocks me when I see children that can't even touch their toes, so this class really loosens them up. They love the kid-friendly music, too."

Post 53 EMT and Flair Fitness Zumbatomics instructor Jo DeLuca agreed. "We encourage the kids to have fun and get fit, and you see that they really love doing it, which is great."

It's all things Zumbatomic at Flair Fitness. The classes are tailored so both boys and girls can enjoy, and to that end, Flair recently hosted a Girl and Boy Scout troop to partake in a class. It offers 45 minute Zumbatomic classes on Mondays, one hour classes on Saturdays. It also hosts a once-monthly Zumbatomic pizza party, as well as Zumbatomic birthday parties. This September, Flair will be offering Zumbini Mommy and Me classes, so the very young can experience this fun form of exercise.

Post 53 was established in 1970 and is unique in that it is an all-volunteer emergency medical service organization staffed entirely by local high school students, who train to become full-fledged EMT's (Emergency Medical Technicians) by age 16. The service is on call 24/7, 365 days a year and has three ambulances.

For more information on Flair Fitness (Goodwives Shopping Center, 25 Old Kings Highway North, Darien) call 203-202-9200 or visit www.Flairfitnessstudio.com. For more information on Post 53, visit www.Post53.info.