Fifth Third Field event to promote health drive

The Aug. 3 attraction at Fifth Third Field will be Million Pound Challenge Night, an event to promote a campaign that began in February.

The Million Pound Challenge encourages participants to eat healthfully, exercise, and become physically fit.

Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop, a Toledo mayoral candidate who initiated the challenge, said the goal has been to collectively register a million-pound loss of weight among county residents by the end of 2009.

Million Pound Challenge Night will feature Andrew Z, radio personality and county weight loss czar, leading a real seventh-inning stretch.

Videos of Mud Hens players giving advice on physical fitness and weight loss will be shown at intervals throughout the game. In a pregame ceremony, Million Pound Challenge participants-of-the-month so far will be honored.

The Blade is among corporate sponsors of the challenge, and toledoblade.com allows participants to track their weight through a private journal.