Sunday, March 21, marks the third annual Mindful Living Holistic Health and Wellness Fair. Fifty exhibitors will be showcasing their wares and services to educate and inspire the community. As in the past years, hundreds of attendees are expected to attend the free event. 

The Fair, which takes place from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. at the Woman's Club of Maplewood, is the brainchild of Jen Maidenberg, a West Orange resident, mother of three, blogger and owner of Mindful Living NJ. Maidenberg created the fair as a way to offer an opportunity for community members to casually interact with practitioners who just might make an impact on their health and wellness. "I crave learning about new modalities and seeing what local practitioners are up to," revealed Maidenberg. 

Maidenberg is not the only one who's curious. Approximately 400 attended the fair the first year it was held. Last year that number rose to 600. "This year we are expecting about the same number of attendees, perhaps even more," said Maidenberg.

Due to the growth of the fair, this year Maplewood resident Ilysse Rimalovski joined the team as a co-organizer of the fair. "Jen has built the fair into such a valuable event for Maplewoodians and their neighbors that I knew I wanted to be a part of it. It's for anyone who has an interest in health and wellness, which means everybody.  It's free, fun and educational for all ages," said Rimalovski.

Maplewood Village Alliance manager Julie Doran is also a fan. "I love the idea of all of these resources under one roof—local access to local resources. The Mindful Living Fair provides the opportunity to help ourselves while investing in our local community."

Maplewood resident Maria Tabone and her business The Holistic Root are new additions to the fair. Tabone is a healing foods specialist, aromatherapist and alternative medicine expert and has a new book coming out next month titled The Holistic Root to Managing Anxiety. "I became involved with the fair because I am someone who is passionate about educating people on wellness and alternative healing. Thanks to Jennifer, the fair brings awareness to the many options that are beneficial to good health and wellness."

Other new local participants include Baker Street Yoga and Core Mind & Body. "I'm excited to host returning local businesses like The Gym on Springfield, Bodhi Tree and South Orange Chiropractic," said Maidenberg.

Many local establishments are showing their support. Media sponsors include Maplewood Patch, Matters Magazine and Natural Awakening.  NJ Life Health & Beauty Magazine is the Health & Beauty Sponsor. Other sponsors include Health and Wellness Professional Network (HWPN) and Whole Foods Market Millburn & Union.

Attendees can expect to sample various services ranging from massage therapists, fitness trainers to intuitive healers. "What I love about offering the fair to the community every year as a free event is making alternative therapies and wellness options accessible to the average person," said Maidenberg. 

The fair will give adults many opportunities to check out services they may have been interested to try or never even heard of before. Opportunities such as having your spine checked by a chiropractor, enjoying a chair massage, experiencing a Reiki session, and catching a life coaching session will be available completely free.  Products such as green cleaning solutions, essential oils, vitamins and supplements will be available for purchase.

While mom and dad are busy checking out services, children will also have opportunities to keep busy. Maplewood-based musical duo "sister sing sister string" will be performing. Jen Slaw will be juggling and Wholesome Kids Cook will be doing a cooking demonstration. Step2Gether, a business offering fitness for the whole family, will be offering a kid-focused demo led by owner and Maplewood resident Bethany Pettigrew.

Here is the expected lineup:

12:10-12:55: Move and Grove with Step 2gether

1:05 – 1:55: Sing and Dance with Sister Sing Sister String

2:05 – 2:55: Learn to Juggle with Jen Slaw

3:05 – 3:55: Create Snacks with Wholesome Kids Cook

Throughout the event, Whole Foods Market will have sample-size hot food and healthy snacks for kids and Mountain Valley Spring Water will also provide samples.

Kristen Ryan, a Maplewood mom of two, is looking forward to the event. "I went to the fair last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. I found a lot of interesting, local businesses I didn't know about prior to the event. Jen and her team did a great job organizing," said Ryan.