By Sarah Lerch
The only thing sweeter than the free doughnuts at the annual Leader De Soto Senior Expo will be the engaging educational programs and the fun games and activities.
Catered toward people 50 and older, the event will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, April 15, at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 13225 Hwy. E, in De Soto.
The event will begin with free doughnuts and coffee for attendees while supplies last. More than 30 vendors will provide information on products, services and other items of interest to seniors. Many vendors will hold drawings for prizes that will be announced later during the expo.
Two bingo sessions will be held, giving players a chance to win prizes like “I love the Leader” T-shirts or gift cards to local businesses and restaurants. Bingo will be held at 9 and 10 a.m. Attendees who play the first bingo session are asked to refrain from playing the second session due to the limited seating.
Returning once again to the expo this year is J.B. Louis and the Legends band, which will be playing country and rock classics.
Leader Publications will hold seven senior expos this year.
If you have never been to a senior expo, you are missing out, said Katelyn Mary Skaggs, Leader advertising manager.
“It is really an event that is designed for you to have resources that you need, and for you to have a good time,” Skaggs said. “It is also for you to just talk with community members, make new friends and then enjoy a lovely afternoon out of the house.”
Speakers
The expo will feature three speakers:
■ Taylor Prince from Pharmax in Potosi will give tips on managing multiple medications and what Pharmax has to offer regarding medication packaging at the expo. She will also share information on using over-the-counter medications with prescription ones.
■ De Soto Knights of Columbus member Corey Sprous will talk about the club’s new disc golf course. He will explain the rules of the game as well as allow attendees to try out the game hands-on.
“It’s a fun sport for anyone, and it is (for) all abilities and ages,” Skaggs said. “It’s a gentle sport, so if you’re looking to just be outdoors and enjoy life, you should definitely come check it out.”
■ Sam Adams, De Soto High School American history teacher, will host a rapid fire, fun way to remember how the United States was founded along with celebrating the semiquincentennial anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Grand prize
Attendees may register at the Leader booth for a chance to win the grand prize: a pack of four tickets to three Hillsboro Civic Club events. The package, courtesy of the Hillsboro Community Civic Club, includes admission to the rodeo, Jefferson County Fair, and truck and tractor pull, and a $100 gas card.
“If you are into summer events, this is the ticket to have,” Skaggs said. “It’s definitely a fantastic prize, and you’ll be able to celebrate with the community at these fun celebrations.”
People are asked to only enter the drawing once, and the winner must be present to win.
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 and freebies. Attendees are encouraged to bring pre-printed address labels to make entering drawings, filling out forms and requesting information a lot easier.
8:30 a.m. – Taylor Prince from Pharmax in Potosi will speak about managing medications and what packages Pharmax offers.
9 a.m. – First session of bingo will be held on the stage. De Soto businessman Jim Thomas will call bingo.
9:30 a.m. – Knights of Columbus member Corey Sprous will discuss their new disc golf course. This will include instruction on how to play the game as well as a demo that attendees can try hands-on.
10 a.m. – Second session of bingo will begin. Thomas will call bingo.
10:30 a.m. – High School history teacher Sam Adams will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States by hosting a fun way to remember how the country began.
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
Upcoming senior expos
The following six expos are planned from 8 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays over the next several months.
■ South County Senior Expo, May 13, at the South County YMCA.
■ Festus Senior Expo, June 24, at the Jefferson County YMCA.
■ West Side Senior Expo, July 22, at Northwest High School in Cedar Hill.
■ Arnold Senior Expo, Aug. 19, at the Arnold Eagles Hall.
■ Farmington Area Senior Expo, Sept. 16, at the Mineral Area College Tech Center.
■ Eureka Senior Expo, Oct. 28, at the Timbers of Eureka.
Businesses and organizations interested in securing a vendor space for any of the expos may contact the Leader at 636-931-7560 or ads@myleaderpaper.com.
Celebrate 250 years of America with a quick history lesson
Other speakers will talk about prescription drugs, disc golf
By Teresa Inserra
How well do you know your American history? De Soto High School social studies teacher Sam Adams will present a fun, rapid-fire lesson on 250 years of American history – “from Jamestown to COVID” – in less than 20 minutes.
Adams is one of three speakers scheduled for the April 15 De Soto Senior Expo at the Knights of Columbus Hall. At 10:30 a.m., he will provide a quick history lesson as a way for seniors to honor America’s 250th birthday this year.
The first speaker will be Taylor Prince, a pharmacy manager at Pharmax Pharmacy, who will talk at 8:30 a.m. about medication management and safety tips. Cory Sprous will speak at 9:30 a.m. about the new Knight’s Flight Disc Golf Club on the De Soto Knights of Columbus campus and let seniors give the game a try with some indoor baskets.
History lesson
Adams is looking forward to speaking to the seniors at the expo. He said it’s the first time he’s ever done anything like that it.
“Hopefully I can get through it all in 20 minutes,” said Adams, who has been a teacher for four years. “It’s a tall order. I think I’m usually a slow talker. I might have to ramp up the speed a little.”
Adams said he grew up in the Festus area in a social studies-centered household where vacations turned into history lessons.
“I realized I wanted to be a teacher my junior year of high school,” he said. “That’s when I started to be able to have these conversations and discussions with people about what’s going on in the world and how does it connect to the past.”
Adams said his favorite part of American history is probably the 1960s “because of how much culture was changing and all the drastic events … like counterculture movements, the Vietnam War, civil rights, JFK.”
Pharmacy talk
Prince said to avoid drug interactions, it is important for a patient to use one pharmacy and for the pharmacist and all of the patient’s doctors, including specialists, to know all the medicines he or she is taking.
She said she also will talk about proper storage and disposal of medications.
Prince graduated from Saint Louis College of Pharmacy in 2021 with a doctorate in pharmacy. She has worked at Pharmax since 2018. She said her favorite part about being a pharmacist is building relationships with patients and improving their overall health.
Try out disc golf
Sprous designed the outdoor, 18-hole disc golf course outside the Knights of Columbus Hall 1185, 13225 Hwy. E, in De Soto. He and several volunteers spent months clearing cedar thicket and trees, building a small footbridge over the creek and putting baskets in place.
Sprous said he and a couple other players will talk about the game, such as the history and how to play, and the benefits of playing for exercise. He said they will have two indoor baskets for the seniors to practice disc golf putts.
The Knight’s Flight Disc Golf Club is different than most area disc golf courses in that it is a pay-to-play. The club, which offers onsite restrooms, concessions and disc rental, is billed as the first-of-its-kind disc golf country club and course in the St. Louis region.
The course is open to the public on the weekends with day-long play available for $5 for the public; $2 for Knights of Columbus members and free for youth 16 and younger. Hours are 3-9 p.m. on Friday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. Disc rental is available for $3.
The club offers annual memberships. A 2026 membership (through March 1, 2027) includes everyday access to the course (during daylight hours); access to member-only events; and early registration for Knight’s Flight events. Membership ranges from $30 (for the public) to $15 for Knights of Columbus members. There are currently more than 60 members.
For more information on Knight’s Flight or to book a time, find the club on Facebook, visit desotokofc.org/disc-golf-club or call 636-586-2594.
“We host three to four leagues a week,” Sprous said. “We hold seven events a year.”
A Disco De Mayo event will be held May 5. There are fun themed events for Octoberfest and Halloween. Sprous said they are doing a PDGA-sanctioned Knight’s Cup and Queen’s Cup in July.
Also during the expo, De Soto businessman and festival organizer Jim Thomas will serve as the bingo caller for free bingo sessions at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. The winners of door prizes will be announced at 11 a.m. and after that, the J.B. Louis and the Legends will close out the festivities with live music.
Winners announced for ‘Show Off Your Grandkids’ photo contest
By Sarah Lerch
Dozens of proud grandparents entered photos for the annual Show Off Your Grandkids contest, sponsored by Grand Times, Leader Publications’ magazine for seniors.
Debby Larson of Imperial won the first-place prize of $100. The winning photo was taken of her then 3-year-old grandson David Reno Sang of Imperial in 2023 during his first time at the City Museum.
Debby Larson, 64, of Imperial took this picture in October 2023 of her grandson, David Reno Sang, then 3, of Imperial. “(It was) David’s first trip to City Museum, and we had a blast exploring that magical place,” Debby said.
“He was sitting in the airplane, and he was getting ready to hop out, and I made him get back in,” Larson said. “He (had) looked at me and said, Grandma, look, I’m in the airplane.”
She said this photo was a spur of the moment decision.
Larson said she plans to spend the money on David and his 4-year-old brother, Wade Douglas Sang. Larson’s photo was chosen as the best among 82 entries. All photos were judged on composition, charm and technical aspects, like crop, focus and lighting.
The second-place prize of $75 went to Rose Shannon, 81, of Eureka. The photo was taken in April 2019 of her granddaughters Lena Hill, then 12, and Eve Hill, then 9, both from Culver City, Calif. Lena and Eve were visiting their grandparents at the time.
Rose Shannon, 81, of Eureka took this picture in April 2019 of her granddaughters, Lena Hill, 12, and Eve Hill, 9, both from Culver City, Calif. “The girls were visiting from California when one evening we noticed this amazing sunset,” Rose said. “Lena and Eve ran to the edge of a hill to say goodnight to the sun. I was trying to keep up from behind but stopped to capture the moment. We all lingered there, enjoying the moment until the sun disappeared. Although you can’t see their faces, their body language says it all!”
“We were all out just enjoying the evening, and we looked up, and the sun was setting,” Shannon said. “I just said, ‘Girls, look at the sunset’…They just gasped and ran up to the end of the cul de sac.”
When she saw what her granddaughters were doing, she decided to stop and take a picture.
Shannon said she is thrilled about this because that photo captures such a special moment for her. She will divide up the prize money and give it to Lena and Eve.
The third-place prize of $50 went to Pat Sebaugh, 74, of Hillsboro. The photo was taken in August 2024 of her granddaughter, Taylor Swain, then 14 of Festus at the mural in Schneider Park.
Pat Sebaugh, 74, of Hillsboro took this picture in August 2024 of her granddaughter, Taylor Swain, then 14, of Festus. “We love to take photos in and around Festus, and this mural is a favorite spot,” Sebaugh said. “Taylor’s fun personality and creativity really show here.” This mural can be found at Schneider Park.
Sebaugh said they were out having a “photo day” where the two go out for the day and she takes pictures of Swain.
“I said, ‘Well, let’s go over here and take some by the murals,’” Sebaugh said. “She did some cute stuff… that was the one (Swain) liked the best too, so I said that’s the one I’ll submit.”
The contest for seniors, 50 years and older, began in 2004.
Click to see all of the photo entries:
Some things have changed across generations
By Kathleen Brotherton
It’s funny how times change between generations, yet in many ways remain the same. My grandparents couldn’t have imagined cell phones, computers or even microwave ovens.
All these things are everyday items and are even being used by some of my younger grandchildren today. By the same token, my grandchildren couldn’t imagine cooking on wood-fueled kitchen stove, not even the use of an old dial phone in the home that was fixed in one location. It wasn’t something you carried from room to room.
My grandparents never owned even a typewriter, much less a computer. Though typewriters were around for business purposes, they weren’t plentiful for home use and even if they were, I doubt my grandparents would have known how to use one.
My dad’s mother delivered mail on horseback before she was married and lived in Steelville. I can only imagine what she would think of today’s modern mail delivery trucks. Of course, there were very few paved roads and highways in that area during the early 1900s, so the only way to get the mail from town to homes in the country was on horseback.
My mother’s parents lived in Maplewood when she was growing up and of course big supermarkets that are plentiful and everywhere today were nonexistent around 1919. It was my mom’s chore, when she was about 6 years old, to help in her family of then eight children to walk to a small corner store and pick up the few groceries that were available for her mother. Once on her list was a pound of lunchmeat and my mother was instructed to tell the butcher, she only wanted slices of meat; she didn’t want any end pieces. When the butcher was told this, he looked at Mom and said, “You tell your mother, there’s an end to everything and she’s getting the ends as well as slices!”
But one thing that hasn’t changed from one generation to the next is the love and care grandparents have for their grandchildren. They are still the love of their lives today and it isn’t until one has grandchildren of their own that it’s realized. It’s about the same time something else is realized: all those aches and pains our grandparents complained about when you were a kid and didn’t really comprehend how just how miserable it must have been for them. That is until one day you wake up and find out for yourself just how Grandma’s or Grandpa’s knee or back must have felt back then!
My grandparents would have never heard of the following Mexican dish, but it’s a favorite of grandkids everywhere today!
Nachos Ole
- 24 tortilla chips (your choice of type)
- 1 cup refried beans
- 1/4 cup salsa (your choice)
- 1 cup shredded Mexican or Monterey Jack cheese
- 24 slices ripe olives
- Place chips on ungreased cookie sheet.
- Spread 1 heaping teaspoon refried beans on each chip.
- Top each with 1/2 teaspoon salsa, 1 heaping teaspoon cheese and 1 olive slice.
- Broil 6 inches from heat until cheese is melted.
- Serve immediately.
If using a microwave:
- Prepare recipe as directed above.
- Place 6-8 nachos on a microwave-safe plate lined with a paper towel.
- Microwave on medium for 1-3 minutes or until cheese is melted, rotating plate 1/4-turn halfway through cooking.