The Eureka Senior Expo will feature a morning of fun with vendors, giveaways, guest speakers, bingo games, live music, dancing and more.
The final Leader senior expo of 2025, it is set for 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Oct. 22, at the Timbers of Eureka, 1 Coffey Park Lane.
Admission is free, and activities are geared toward people 50 and older.
More than 40 vendors will be on hand to share information about local resources, organizations and businesses, with many holding giveaways and raffles. Bring along mailing labels to easily sign up for drawings and other prizes.
Free coffee and doughnuts, sponsored by Devoted Health Plans, will be offered throughout the event while supplies last.
Eureka Police Lt. Brett Grittini will call two sessions of bingo, one at 9 a.m. in the upstairs meeting room and the other at 10 a.m. in the gym. Players will have the chance to win gift cards for local businesses and restaurants.
The event will also feature two guest speakers who will give presentations in the Timbers Party Room.
Pat Feder, owner of Comprehensive Chiropractic and Sports Performance in Eureka, will share senior fitness tips at 8:30 a.m. According to the business’ website, Feder founded Comprehensive Chiropractic in 1997, is an active member of the Eureka Chamber of Commerce and serves as chairman of the Eureka Fire Protection District’s board of directors.
At 9:30 a.m., Jonah Coakley, Route 66 State Park’s assistant superintendent, will talk about the park and local history. The Timbers of Eureka is about five minutes from Route 66 State Park and eight minutes from its visitor’s center.
Attendees may also join a Senior Cardio Fit class at 10:30 a.m. in the upstairs meeting room.
At 11 a.m., visitors should be sure to gather in the gym, where the grand prize winner will be announced, along with winners of various vendor prizes.
J.B. Louis and the Legends, the official band for Leader senior expos, will perform live music from 11:15 a.m. until the event closes.
Grand prize
Be sure to drop by the Leader booth to enter the drawing for the grand prize. Attendees must be present at the 11 a.m. drawing to win.
One winner will take home a Springfield getaway prize package, including two tickets to the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium, two tickets to Dickerson Park Zoo, a BruMate mug for hot and cold beverages, a ballcap and a tote bag.
According to the Wonders of Wildlife website, the museum, which adjoins the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World headquarters, offers an immersive experience featuring a variety of habitats.
“Each environment features meticulous attention to detail, including massive hand-painted murals, native foliage and special effects that deliver the chill of the Arctic and the dry sun of the African Savanna,” the website said.
The Wonders of Wildlife aquarium also includes aquatic displays of a variety of global habitats and wildlife.
At Dickerson Park Zoo, visitors may interact with more than 450 animals from around the world. According to the park’s website, the attraction has a petting zoo and feed machines.
Expo schedule
■ 8 a.m. | Expo opens | Vendors will be on hand, many offering giveaways and drawings for free items. Also, free doughnuts and coffee will be available.
■ 8:30 a.m. | Speaker | Pat Feder, owner of Comprehensive Chiropractic and Sports Performance in Eureka, will share senior fitness tips in the Party Room.
■ 9 a.m. | Bingo | In the upstairs meeting room, Eureka Police Lt. Brett Grittini will call the first of two bingo sessions.
■ 9:30 a.m. | Speaker | Jonah Coakley, Route 66 State Park’s assistant superintendent, will talk about the park and local history in the Party Room.
■ 10 a.m. | Bingo | In the gym, Eureka Police Lt. Brett Grittini will call the second bingo session.
■ 10:30 a.m. | Class | Participate in a Senior Cardio Fit class in the upstairs meeting room.
■ 11 a.m. | Prizes | The grand prize winner will be announced, along with winners for vendor prizes.
■ 11:15 a.m. | Music | J.B. Louis and the Legends band will perform.
■ Noon | Expo closes
Directions
From I-44, driving west:
■ Exit at Hwy. 109 and turn left.
■ Turn left onto Legends Parkway.
■ Turn right onto Coffey Park Lane, which is the road between Legends Corporate Center and Cadence Academy Preschool.
■ Continue on Coffey Park Lane. The Timbers will be on the left, with parking on the right.
From I-55, driving north:
■ Take exit 185 and turn left onto Hwy. M toward Antonia/Barnhart.
■ Continue straight onto Hwy. W.
■ Turn right onto Hwy. 109.
■ Turn right onto Legends Parkway.
■ Turn right onto Coffey Park Lane, which is the road between Legends Corporate Center and Cadence Academy Preschool.
■ Continue on Coffey Park Lane. The Timbers will be on the left, with parking on the right.
Roger Ballmer, 70, of Eureka took first place with a picture from May 2024 of Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.
Eureka man wins Leader’s Way to Go photo contest
By Teresa Inserra
Roger Ballmer won the Leader’s Way to Go Photo Contest with his picture of the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.
Leader readers from Jefferson County, Eureka and Wildwood who are 50 and older were asked to send in their vacation photos for a chance to win the contest’s $200 cash prize. Roger’s name was randomly selected from the 72 photos entered in the contest.
Roger, 70, and his wife, Tracie, 64, of Eureka submitted two photos each. Tracie also submitted photos in the Leader’s last contest, Hometown Gems.
Tracie said their daughter lives in Colorado, so they travel there often. Roger submitted photos from their trips out west while Tracie submitted photos from their international adventures.
“We read the Leader, and we love to take pictures,” she said. “(The contest) said vacation pictures any time, any place, so we just started looking at our vacation pictures.”
She said they both enjoy taking pictures on their trips and comparing photos to see who took the best shot.
The annual contest is sponsored by Grand Times, Leader Publications’ magazine for seniors published in connection with the Eureka Senior Expo, set for Wednesday, Oct. 22.
Click to see all entries to the Way to Go Photo Contest:
A 1955 picture of the entrance to the Fountain of Youth Park in St. Augustine, Fla.
70 years later, Brotherton's first trip to Florida remains fresh in her memory
By Kathleen Brotherton
It’s not unusual for children of all ages to travel today, but it wasn’t as common when I was growing up, especially for kids like me who lived and worked on farms.
But in summer 1955, my aunt and uncle asked my parents if I could go with them on their first road trip to Florida. I was 12 at the time, and my cousin, Janet, was two years older than me and her brother, Jerry, was my age, so my aunt and uncle thought it would be fun to have another youngster around to keep their kids company.
At first, I was excited about the trip, especially for the chance to see the ocean for the first time, but when the day came around for my parents to take me to my aunt’s house to spend the night so we could get an early start the next day, I began to get “home sick” before I even left home. I told my parents I had changed my mind, that I didn’t want to go. But, they said it was past the point of no return because my aunt and uncle had already made plans for me to go with them.
Once we got on the road the next morning, there were so many places and things I’d never seen before to occupy my mind, I didn’t have time to be homesick. We took the long way to get there, going first through Illinois and then Indiana and Kentucky and Tennessee, where the scenery really began to change, and then the corner of North Carolina. Before I knew it, we were in Georgia, and our Florida destination was not far away. We’d made many stops to see various attractions along the way and spent several nights before reaching Florida. Once in Florida, our first stop was in St. Augustine, where we spent most of the morning at the Fountain of Youth Park, and we were all treated to a cup of water from the fountain, unfortunately, with no lasting results.
It had been raining, so my first sight of the Atlantic Ocean was a disappointing big expanse of gray, both the sky and water, but when it cleared hours later, it was more than I expected. Both the sky and water were a beautiful blue as far as the eye could see in Daytona Beach, our final destination. We put on our swimsuits and ran into the ocean, while all holding hands. A big wave came up behind us, and I found myself head down in the sand underwater until my aunt pulled me out, still choking on the salty water. That didn’t deter us from going back again and again and suffering painful sun burns.
The second evening, Jerry and I went to the Boardwalk. We pretty much had the place to ourselves, and Jerry suggested we take a ride on the Ferris wheel. The attendant took our tickets and put Jerry in one seat, engaged the wheel and put me in a seat directly beneath him. The attendant decided to go to supper and left it running for a good half-hour or 45 minutes, with just me and Jerry riding it. I can still remember the beautiful view of the full moon rising over the ocean from atop the Ferris wheel, but back then, I eventually got tired of the ride and wondered if we were going to be stuck on it all night!
Before we left Florida for home, we stopped at an alligator farm and watched the guide put an alligator to sleep. On the drive back to Missouri, we stopped at a roadside zoo where Jerry held a big snake around his neck. No snakes for me, but I held Coco, a monkey.
The trip was one to remember since we saw so many beautiful places – the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, Cumberland Falls in Kentucky, the Atlantic Ocean and Silver Springs in Florida, among others, but home looked even better when I returned!
Manhattan Clam Chowder
Manhattan Clam Chowder
(slow cooker recipe)
- 3 slices bacon
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 4 small potatoes, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce (optional)
- 2 (6 1/2-ounce) cans minced clams
- 1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, cut up
- 1/2 cup snipped fresh parsley
- Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until it’s crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain the bacon on paper towels. Crumble the bacon into a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker and discard the drippings, leaving about 1 teaspoon in the skillet.
- Saute celery and onions in the bacon drippings in the same skillet until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to the slow cooker. Stir in the potatoes, carrots, thyme, pepper and hot sauce (if used).
- Drain the liquid from the clams into a pint measuring cup. Add enough water to it to make 2 cups of liquid. Add the clam liquid-water mixture (not the clams) to the slow cooker.
- Stir in the tomatoes, cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 6 hours. During the last hour of cooking, stir in the minced clams. Cover and cook for 1 hour.
- Stir in the parsley and cook for 15 minutes. Makes 8 servings.