With Boothbay Harbor’s annual Harbor Fest almost upon us, there are a few things worth noting, over and above all the fun events, food extravaganzas and shopping opportunities that will be offered over the course of the 10-day festival.

One of the not-to-be-missed events will be the Wellness Fair on the Boothbay Region High School football field on Sept. 3, in conjunction with the always popular road race that will begin at 7 a.m.

Event producer Lori Reynolds said this year’s Be Vibrant Wellness Fair will be an important event for people of all ages and interests, thanks in large part to the American Heart Association.

Maine is one of seven states that will be honored with a visit from the AHA’s Hands-Only CPR Mobile Tour as it travels around the U.S., and Boothbay Harbor is one of the only two Maine towns the tour will visit.

On Sept. 3 from 8:30 to 11 a.m., an AHA mobile unit, in conjunction with the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, will be on the football field for an interactive event to teach lifesaving skills, with volunteers offering Hands-Only CPR training to the first 250 people who sign up.

According to an AHA news release, Hands-Only CPR includes two steps, performed in this order: “When you see a teen or adult suddenly collapse, call 911; then, push hard and fast in the center of the chest until help arrives.”

The release states that over 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of hospitals each year, and about 90 percent of those people die. “Hands-Only CPR has been shown to be as effective as conventional CPR (chest compressions and rescue breaths).”

It goes on to say that CPR, especially when administered immediately after cardiac arrest, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.

According to a statement from the Heart Association’s Maine Board Chair and Program Manager at MaineHealth, Richard Veilleux, the mobile tour training being offered by the AHA is “all the more critical because we need bystanders to act if they witness a person suffering a cardiac emergency (and) by learning CPR and acting fast, any one of us can save a life.”

Two emcees at the event will lead 30-minute interactive sessions covering a Hands-Only CPR introduction, and each participant will receive a free kit.

‘I think the Mobile Tour is a unique opportunity for the community to be trained in a lifesaving skill,” Reynolds said in a phone interview. “It will be a great addition to the Wellness Fair because it’s another way to help community members remain conscientious about health matters.”

Other festivities at the wellness fair will include: Yoga with Crow Point Yoga; Live music with Ben Betts on the steel drums, and Nashville musician Taylor Kropp; a performance by the Carousel Music Theater group; aerobics, a Zumba warmup; mini massages, acupuncture and Reiki; and painter Brad Betts providing art therapy.

The fair will also include children’s activities and several local and statewide vendors, including Blue Tin Farm, Merry Auld Tea Company, Wings By The Sea, NYR Organics, Wild Island Non-Dairy Ice Cream (that features ice cream made with just about any ingredient you want or require), 3 Crows Healing, Monsterjean’s/Freyja’s Apothecary, Pen-Y-Bryn Lavender Farm, and Christine Home Designs.

Non-profit organizations will include YMCA, LincolnHealth, Boothbay Region Land Trust, The Maine Parkinson’s Society, New Hope For Women and Anchor Church.

Rain location will be in the YMCA Field House.

Pre-registration for the AHA training event can be done at https://HandsOnlyCPR.cvent.com/Boothbay. Walk-up registration will also be available at the event.

Immediately following the wellness fair and road race, the tasting events will start back up in town.

For more information about the wellness fair, the road race, the tastings, and everything else Harbor Fest, visit www.boothbayharborfest.com.