Leader Publications’ biggest senior expo of the year promises a morning of fun and education for seniors.
The Arnold Senior Expo, which is geared toward those 50 and older, will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Aug. 19, at the Arnold Eagles Hall, 1725 Jeffco Blvd.
The event will feature vendors, bingo, live music, speakers and giveaways. Admission is free, and free doughnuts and coffee will be provided while supplies last, courtesy of the Leader.
Katelynn Mary Skaggs, digital marketing manager for the Leader, said the Arnold expo is the company’s biggest senior expo of the year.
“It may sound daunting,” she said. “But it actually means that it’s a ton of community members who come out and get together for the same purpose.
“You’re missing out on a lot of fun if you’ve never been,” she said.
Local vendors will provide information, products and services of interest to seniors, and many of them will hold drawings for prizes to give away during the event.
Attendees are encouraged to bring pre-printed address labels to make entering drawings, filling out forms and requesting information easier.
Three speakers are lined up for the Arnold expo:
■ Montana Lane from Arnold Parks and Recreation, who is scheduled to speak at 8:30 a.m. about the expanded Arnold Farmers Market.
“It’s been really great for us,” Lane said. “We’ve been able to offer new vendors that we weren’t able to offer before. We’re making it a destination for all ages.”
■ Emily Barbee from the MU Extension in St. Louis County will speak at 9:30 a.m. about health opportunities available to seniors in Jefferson County.
■ Arnold Police Officer Joshua Lambrich will speak at 10:30 a.m. about common senior scams.
Two sessions of bingo will be offered, with one at 9 a.m. and the other at 10 a.m. Bingo prizes include “I Love the Leader” T-shirts or gift cards to local businesses and restaurants.
Bev Stuart from Spotlight Community Theatre will call bingo and share a brief message about upcoming shows.
Due to limited seating, attendees who participate in the first round of bingo are encouraged to not participate in the second round so everyone has an opportunity to play.
Prizes will be announced at 11 a.m. Winners must be present to win. This year’s grand prize includes a handcrafted cedar Adirondack chair and two Jefferson College Vikings all-season passes.
The chair is crafted by students in the residential carpentry program at the Jefferson College Area Technical School.
“They work on the chair in a crew of three or four kids,” senior director Suzanne Richardson said. “This project really embodies the work-based learning experience that students need.”
The program is available to high school students at all Jefferson County public schools. The chair is one of 10 projects students complete throughout the year.
The all-season passes are valid for regular season home games during the 2026-2027 school year. Sports include volleyball, baseball, softball and men's and women's soccer and basketball.
Attendees can enter to win the grand prize at the Leader booth upon entry.
Attendees are asked to only enter the drawing once, and the winner must be present to win.
Beginning at 11:15 a.m., J.B. Louis and the Legends band will play its mix of country and classic rock tunes.
“If you haven’t stayed for the dancing, you should. Even just to watch,” Skaggs said.
The Leader has two more senior expos planned this fall: the Farmington Senior Expo on Sept. 16 and the Eureka Senior Expo on Oct. 28.
Schedule
8 a.m. – Doors open; free coffee and doughnuts will be served while supplies last. Vendors will provide information about a wide selection of goods and services, and some will offer giveaways. Attendees are encouraged to bring pre-printed address labels to make entering drawings, filling out forms and requesting information easier.
8:30 a.m. – Montana Lane with Arnold Parks and Recreation will share information about the Farmers Market.
9 a.m. – The first session of bingo will begin on the stage. Bev Stuart from Spotlight Community Theatre will call bingo.
9:30 a.m. – Emily Barbee from MU Health Extension will speak about health education opportunities.
10 a.m. – The final session of bingo will be played on the stage. Bev Stuart from Spotlight Community Theatre will call bingo.
10:30 a.m. – Arnold Police Officer Joshua Lambrich will share information about senior safety and common scams.
11 a.m. – The grand prize winner and other prize winners will be announced.
11:15 a.m. – J.B. Louis and the Legends band will perform.
Noon – Expo closes
Directions
Upcoming senior expos
The following senior expos are planned from 8 a.m. to noon on a Wednesday over the next few months.
■ Farmington Area Senior Expo, Sept. 16, at the Mineral Area College Tech Center.
■ Eureka Senior Expo, Oct. 28, at the Timbers of Eureka.
Any businesses and organizations interested in securing a vendor space for either of the expos may contact the Leader at 636-931-7560 or ads@myleaderpaper.com.
Specialists to outline healthy aging strategies for seniors
By Alyssa Fitzgerald
Maintaining your independence and quality of life is the goal of a good healthy aging program. Emily Barbee, a health and nutrition specialist, plans to share this information with senior citizens Aug. 19 at the Arnold Senior Expo.
The expo, which is sponsored by Leader Publications, will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Aug. 19, at the Arnold Eagles Hall, 1725 Jeffco Blvd.
“We hope to relay that healthy aging is more than avoiding disease,” said Barbee, whose program will begin at 9:30 a.m. “It’s about maintaining your independence and quality of life.”
Barbee, who is a field specialist in nutrition and health with the University of Missouri Extension-St. Louis County, teaches courses on nutrition, food preservation, physical activity, health, wellness, fall prevention, and chronic disease prevention and management.
She said she is excited to introduce more people to the free and low-cost educational opportunities that are available in Jefferson County.
Barbee, who offers online classes for seniors through a program called Stay Strong Stay Healthy, said the program aims to improve mobility and confidence in supporting healthy aging and fall prevention. Classes can be taken at home, making the program accessible to a wider audience, she said.
Barbee will be joined by Emily Poncher, who works as a field specialist in community health in Jefferson County.
For more information on the Stay Strong Stay Healthy program, visit extension.missouri.edu/programs/stay-strong-stay-healthy.
Arnold Police officer to share safety tips
By Alyssa Fitzgerald
An Arnold Police officer will share with senior citizens at the upcoming Arnold Senior Expo how you can reduce the chance of becoming a crime victim by learning more about current scams and being more aware.
The expo, which is sponsored by Leader Publications, will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Aug. 19, at the Arnold Eagles Hall, 1725 Jeffco Blvd.
Arnold Police Officer Josh Lambrich, who is scheduled to speak at 10:30 a.m., will talk about senior safety and common scams that target seniors. He said he hopes to prevent seniors from becoming the next victims.
Lambrich said he speaks to seniors often, but he said scams are constantly changing, so there’s always more for seniors to learn.
“The world is constantly adapting,” he said. “If we don’t keep up to date on recent changes in safety techniques, then we’re bound to be a victim.”
According to the 2025 FBI Internet Crime Report, complaints by adults older than 60 were up by 34 percent compared to the previous year. Financial losses were also up by 59 percent.
Lambrich said seniors can be victims of other crimes as well; he plans to talk about the many ways seniors can protect themselves, from internet and other crimes.
“Don’t be a victim, learn more and be aware,” Lambrich said.
De Soto resident wins Green Thumb photo contest
By Sarah Lerch
Jeannie Graves, 62, of De Soto won $100 for placing first in the annual “Green Thumb” photo contest sponsored by Leader Publications and Grand Times.
Graves’ winning photo is of her thornless blackberry garden. She started growing blackberries about 10 years ago when her sister, Julie Graves Russell, gifted her some plants.
Jeannie Graves, 62, of De Soto won first place with this photo of her home garden.
“I’m just extremely excited,” Graves said.
She said the upkeep with the garden is a family effort which includes her daughter, son-in-law, grandkids and her sister with her boyfriend.
Once Graves’ blackberry garden started expanding, she began to sell the blackberries she grew.
“I bought a deep freeze a couple years ago, and (the number of blackberries) exceeded the deep freeze and the other two freezer spaces that I have,” she said. “I just decided I’m going to start selling them and I put them on (Facebook) marketplace for $20 a gallon and people from Illinois were coming over.”’
Graves said she utilizes her blackberries in many ways including making seedless blackberry jam and blackberry cobblers.
Every year, she brings a blackberry cobbler to her friend’s family reunion.
“They look forward to my blackberry cobbler; Last year it didn’t even last five minutes,” Graves said.
She plans to use her prize money to help pay for her recent purchase of a green house so she can continue to take care of her plants all year long.
Beatriz De Jesús, 67, of Arnold placed second, winning $75 for the photo of her front yard featuring many flowers next to an American flag flying.
Beatriz De Jesús, 67, of Arnold placed second in the Green Thumb photo contest.
De Jesús said she was excited about placing in the contest because of the American flag featured in the photo along with the work her and her husband put into upkeeping the flowers.
“The flag is in (the photo) and that means a lot to me,” she said. “Then the work we put into the flowers hopefully, it cheers up people as they go by.”
De Jesús said years ago, she knew someone across the street who was battling cancer and her flowers would cheer them up. She hopes that when people drive by and see the flowers it will cheer other people up as well.
Linda Ross, 65, of Dittmer placed third, winning $50 for the photo of a tree that fell in her yard that she repurposed.
Linda Ross, 65, of Dittmer placed third with a picture of a tree root she cleaned and decorated.
Linda Ross, 65, of Dittmer placed third with a picture of a tree root she cleaned and decorated.
Ross said the large tree fell during a storm and only missed hitting her house by about 50 feet by falling in the opposite direction. She decided to repurpose the tree stump that was left behind by decorating and building a garden around it.
View all Green Thumbs entries here: