Women's Expo features cooking demos, fashion shows, and more

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - The fifth annual Fort Wayne Women's Expo was held Saturday and Sunday at the Memorial Coliseum. The event featured activities for women including shopping, fashion shows, cooking demonstrations, and hair styling.

Tom Monahan, the event coordinator, said this was the Women's Expo's best year yet. Monahan said he was hoping for more than 2,000 people to show up over the course of the two-day event.

Some of the more popular highlights of the expo included hand and back massages, make-up applications, and hair styling.

On Saturday, there was a fashion show by Jackie's Place Boutique. Both days featured cooking demonstrations by local chefs and cookbook authors, including Margy Hooker of Tanglewood Berry Farm, Lori Berndt of The Olive Twist, and Janie Ebinger of Janie's Vinaigrettes.

The event also featured hourly drawings for prizes, including a $250 gift card from The Home Depot and Vera Bradley purses. Parkview Health was also at the expo to do free health testing specifically for women.

"As women, we focus so much on other people and commitments outside ourselves. A day at the Women's Expo is a day women can have for themselves," Renee Anderson, CEO of the Women's Expo, said.