Farmington Area Senior Expo returns for second year

The Farmington Area Senior Expo will return for its second year, offering a morning of information, prizes, bingo and live music. 

“We are so excited to be back in Farmington for our second year,” said Katelyn Mary Skaggs, digital marketing manager for the Leader.

The Farmington Area Senior Expo, which is geared toward those 50 and older, will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Industry and Technology Center at Mineral Area College, 5270 Flat River Road, in Park Hills. Admission is free.

The Leader now holds seven senior expos across Jefferson County and the surrounding areas. Skaggs said they have now become a place for community and connection among seniors. 

“Come out early for free coffee and doughnuts, play bingo, listen to our speakers and hang out all day,” Skaggs said. 

More than 25 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 will be featured during the expo.

■ Randy Windsor with L.I.F.E Center for Independent Living is scheduled to speak at 8:30 a.m. about the senior assistance programs the center offers. 

■ Misty Boyer from the Desloge Public Library will speak at 9:30 a.m. about public library programs.

■ Earl Mullins will speak at 10:30 a.m. about the Space Museum and Grissom Center.

Bingo will begin at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m., which Skaggs said is an expo favorite. Bingo winners will receive gift cards to local businesses. 

All prizes will be announced at 11 a.m. Winners must be present to win. 

This year’s grand prize is a trip to see Revollusionists, a group of five illusionists who perform across the country, live in Farmington on Sept. 27.

“This is a great community event to see five fabulous magicians, and a gas card will be included to fuel your adventures,” Skaggs said.  

Attendees can enter to win the grand prize drawing at the Leader’s booth.

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’ve never been to a Leader senior expo, we wrap up with a live band. They’re amazing,” Skaggs said. 

The Leader’s last senior expo of the year will be the Eureka Senior Expo on Oct. 28. 

Grand prize

Attendees may register at the Leader booth for a chance to win the grand prize, a trip to see the Revollusionists. 

Attendees 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. Attendees are encouraged to bring pre-printed address labels to make entering drawings, filling out forms and requesting information easier.

8:30 a.m. – Randy Windsor with the L.I.F.E. Center for Independent Living will share information about various programs benefiting seniors. 

9 a.m. – The first session of bingo will begin on the stage. 

9:30 a.m. – Misty Boyer from the Desloge Public Library will speak about public library programs.

10 a.m. – The final session of bingo will be played on the stage. 

10:30 a.m. – Earl Mullins will share information about the Space Museum and Grissom Center in Bonne Terre.

11 a.m. – The grand prize winner and other prize winners will be announced.

11:30 a.m. – J.B. Louis and the Legends band will perform.

Noon – Expo closes.

Upcoming senior expos

The Leader’s last Senior Expo of the year will be from 8 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at The Timbers of Eureka, 1 Coffey Park Lane. 

Any businesses and organizations interested in securing a vendor space for this expo may contact the Leader at 636-931-7560 or ads@myleaderpaper.com.

Directions to the Industry & Technology Center at Mineral Area College, 5270 Flat River Road, Park Hills.

• About 30 minutes from De Soto.
• About 50 minutes from Arnold and Cedar Hill.
• About an hour from Eureka.

From I-55, driving south:

• Take exit 174B in Festus and merge onto Hwy. 67 south.
• Drive for 30 miles, then take the MO-32 W exit at Leadington/Park Hills.
• Turn left onto Hwy. 32, which turns into Flat River Road.
• Drive about 500 feet, then turn left onto Dixie Kohn Drive, at the sign that says "Mineral Area College."
• Take the first right turn to reach the event center.

From Hwy. 21, driving south:

• Take the MO-110 E exit at De Soto.
• Drive for about six miles, then turn right onto southbound Hwy. 67.
• Drive for about 23 miles, then take the MO-32 W exit at Leadington/Park Hills.
• Turn left onto Hwy. 32, which turns into Flat River Road.
• Drive about 500 feet, then turn left onto Dixie Kohn Drive, at the sign that says "Mineral Area College."
• Take the first right turn to reach the event center.

From Hwy. 67, driving south:

• Take the MO-32 W exit at Leadington/Park Hills.
• Turn left onto Hwy. 32, which turns into Flat River Road.
• Drive about 500 feet, then turn left onto Dixie Kohn Drive, at the sign that says "Mineral Area College."
• Take the first right turn to reach the event center.

Museum president to share history, more at Senior Expo

For seniors exploring a new frontier of volunteering, Earl Mullins, president of The Space Museum and Grissom Center, will be sharing opportunities that exist at the Bonne Terre museum during the Farmington Area Senior Expo.

The expo, which is sponsored by Leader Publications, will be held from 8 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Industry and Technology Center at Mineral Area College.

Mullins, who is scheduled to speak at 10:30 a.m., will share stories about the history of the museum as well as opportunities for seniors looking to get involved at the museum, which is located at 118 E. School St., Bonne Terre.

The 5,000-square-foot museum is named in honor of Mercury 7 Astronaut Gus Grissom. The museum displays a world-class collection of aerospace artifacts spanning from the dawn of space travel to the spacecraft of today, museum officials said.

The museum, which has operated in the area for 20 years, has expanded multiple times. It is now listed as the most comprehensive space museum in Missouri.

Mullins said they are planning to expand again soon, which will require more volunteers.

“We’re always looking for volunteers,” Mullins said. “Matter of fact, some of our volunteers we ultimately employed.”

The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is $15.

For more information, visit www.space-mo.org or call (573) 358-1200.

Local organization to share information on independent living programs

The goal of staff at the L.I.F.E Center for Independent Living is simple: To help seniors stay in their own homes for as long as possible.

Staff uses a variety of programs to reach those goals, said Randy Windsor, director of marketing at the center.

Windsor, who is scheduled to speak at the Sept. 16 Farmington Area Senior Expo, said the center works closely with many other organizations in the region to provide services for little to no cost for seniors.

“If people qualify through Medicaid, all of our services are at no cost,” he said.  

The expo, which is sponsored by Leader Publications, will be held from 8 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Industry and Technology Center at Mineral Area College.

The L.I.F.E Center for Independent Living, which is a nonprofit serving the St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve and Madison county areas, is located at 725 E. Karsch Blvd. in Farmington. 

“We are a free resource that is here for any individual who has any sort of disability or a senior citizen who is getting to the point that they are struggling to take care of their own home,” Windsor said.

The center provides home care services for seniors, as well as medical transportation and medication assistance. They also help seniors with the administrative tasks that come with Medicare programs.

The L.I.F.E Center for Independent Living is a part of the Missouri Statewide Independent Living Council which supports 21 centers throughout the state. 

For more information, call 573-756-4314 or visit www.lifecilmo.org.

High Ridge woman wins Hometown Gems photo contest

By Sarah Lerch

Carole Allen, 63, of High Ridge won $100 for placing first in the annual “Hometown Gems” photo contest sponsored by Leader Publications and Grand Times.

Allen’s winning photo is of the Cedar Hill Mill, which she took in 2024.

“I was out with a friend taking pictures; I had gotten a new camera a couple of months prior… I wanted to go to the mill and practice taking, you know silky water shots,” she said. “It was just a gloomy, overcast, kind of gross day, but I think the ambiance of the old mill with the clouds behind it in the, in the water, I just felt like it was really special.”

Allen said she plans to use the prize money for her camera fund.

“I have way too many cameras and way too many lenses, but what are you going to do,” she said. “It’s a fun, expensive hobby.”

Elaine Rauhut, 69, of High Ridge placed second, winning $75 for the photo she took of the Union Pacific’s Big Boy steam engine traveling through Eureka.

She said she and her husband Lee missed the train at Union Station the day before due to it departing early because of the heat. She then heard Big Boy was going to come through Pacific.

“I knew there was the time slot to get there and the horizon of the side road, there were cars so, it was all standing still,” she said. “Lee and I said that there’s no way we’re going to make seeing that train, so we headed back home.”

On their way home, they saw people standing on a bridge, so they took a detour and not long after, were able to capture the train going by.

“I wish I had an audio of everybody screaming and yelling,” Rauhut said. “They were so excited.”

She said she plans to use her prize money toward her two newly adopted turquoise Quaker pet birds named Dolly Parton and Frankenfurter.

Catherine Mizerany, 74, of Arnold placed third, winning $50 for a photo of her with Martha, a miniature horse who was rehabilitated at R & R Ranch in Wildwood.

Mizerany said she favors the ranch because of the free tours and what they do for animals.

“Martha is actually a, a big star on social media… they didn’t know she’d ever walk again,” she said. “I just wanted to have my picture taken with her because I felt like, this is a real trooper here, a real fighter, who overcame so many obstacles.”

Mizerany plans to donate her prize money to R & R Ranch.