The fun-filled South County Senior Expo will be held at a new location this year.
Catered toward people 50 and older, the event will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, May 13, at the South County YMCA, 12736 Southfork Road in St. Louis.
The event will kick off with free doughnuts and coffee for attendees while supplies last. More than 30 vendors will be on hand to provide information to seniors on products, services and other items of interest. Various vendors will hold drawings for prizes that will be announced later during the expo.
Two bingo sessions will be held during the expo, giving players the chance to win prizes like an “I love the Leader” T-shirt or gift cards to local businesses and restaurants. Bingo will be held at 9 and 10 a.m. Attendees who play the first session are asked to refrain from playing the second session due to limited seating.
J.B. Louis and the Legends will return to the expo to play country and rock classic.
Leader Publications will hold five more expos this year.
Leader advertising manager Katelyn Mary Skaggs said she encourages people to come to every senior expo, but the South County event is particularly fun.
“We are very excited to partner with the YMCA,” she said. “It’s a delight to partner with a such a community resource.”
Speakers
The expo will feature two speakers:
■ Nick Sacco, historian and curator of the Ulysses S. Grant National Historical site; he will speak about the life and times of the former president. While sharing facts about his life, Sacco will tell attendees about Grant’s ties to the St. Louis region along with information on the historical site located across the road from Grant’s Farm.
■ Crystal Lawrence, a specialty group fitness instructor at the South County YMCA will lead two mini workout classes during the expo. The Silver Sneaker class encourages seniors to dance to help improve their strength and mobility. The second class will be chair yoga. This workout uses chairs for a modified Silver Sneakers workout.
Grand prize
Attendees may register at the Leader booth for a chance to win the grand prize: Two tickets for South County Stages’ performance of the musical “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” at The Ross Family Theatre at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center from May 29-June 28. The prize also includes dinner for two at the Billy G’s restaurant in Kirkwood or any of the Frankie G restaurant locations.
The musical is described as a fast-paced, hilariously offbeat musical that’s anything but elementary. The Tony-winning musical features a cast of eccentric overachievers, clever songs and sharp improvisation.
People are asked to only enter the drawing once, and the winner must be present to win.
Schedule
8 a.m. - Doors open, and free doughnuts and coffee will be offered while supplies last. Vendors will provide information about a wide selection of goods and services, some even offering 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. - YMCA specialty group fitness instructor Crystal Lawrence will lead the Silver Sneakers class.
9 a.m. - First session of bingo will be held in the gym. South County YMCA health and wellness director Terri Williams will call bingo.
9:30 a.m.- Nick Sacco, historian and curator of the Ulysses S. Grant National Historical site, will talk about Grant’s ties to Missouri along with information about the site.
10 a.m.- Second session of bingo will be held. Williams will call bingo.
10:30 a.m.- Lawrence will lead the second class which is chair yoga.
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
Parking
Parking is available in the YMCA parking lot and a nearby medical office building lot. Southern Bus and Mobility of St. Louis will provide a shuttle bus to carry attendees from either lot to the YMCA entrance.
Upcoming senior expos
The following five expos are planned from 8 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays over the next several months.
■ 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 in Park Hills.
■ 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.
Carol Lawrence, specialty group fitness instructor for the South County YMCA, is scheduled to be a guest speaker at the South County Senior Expo the morning of May 13 at the South County YMCA. She is shown leading a class.
YMCA instructor to speak about Silver Sneakers exercise classes
By Kevin Carbery
Crystal Lawrence said she wants those who take her Silver Sneakers exercise classes to enjoy their time spent in workouts under her instruction.
Lawrence, a specialty group fitness instructor at the South County Family YMCA, will speak about her exercise classes during the Leader's South County Senior Expo, which is scheduled for May 13 at the South County Family YMCA, 12736 Southfork Road.
“What makes my workouts a little bit different is I like to use nostalgia to help with my classes,” she said. “I pull back those songs that you haven’t heard in a while, those oldies but goodies. And, any class you take with me, you’ve got to sing. If you’re singing, you’re smiling, you’re happy – we’re getting that mind all ready to learn new things. People are just a little more effective at learning things when they’re happy and upbeat, and they’ve got me saying, ‘Hey, let’s have some fun here.’ I incorporate a little bit of dance, as well, because who doesn’t like to dance a little bit?”
She said the point is to help seniors maintain – or improve – their strength, mobility and balance.
“I will be talking about the benefits of a good, well-rounded workout,” Lawrence said. “You can strengthen your muscles. It includes joint health, strength, mobility. And, we do a lot of balance and coordination. I focus on balance and coordination, which is really good for fall prevention.
“I’ll be focusing on the muscles, muscle strength training. A lot of balance. Discussing ways of improving daily living.”
She said many seniors can benefit from her exercise classes.
“I would say people who are new to the gym and looking for some place to start and they’re not really sure where to start,” she said. “Anyone 65 and older, of course, is definitely welcome. I would also say someone who’s taken physical therapy, because a lot of what we do reinforces what a lot of physical therapy does.
“If you’re with me, anybody is welcome. But, we prefer 65 and over.”
Lawrence said she leads exercise classes for those who may need the use of chairs or for those who are able to work out without them.
“We provide two different kinds of Silver Sneakers classes,” she said. “One is classic, where it’s a full-body workout. I also do a Silver Sneakers chair yoga class. With this class, we try to utilize chairs. You can get a good workout from a chair. All the workouts are modified.”
She said she looks forward speaking at the Leader's South County Senior Expo and hopes to motivate her audience to get active.
“I’m super excited for the expo to come to us and can’t wait, hopefully, for more people to take the classes and join some new people to our family,” she said. “People need to keep moving. That’s one of the biggest things that we find in that particular age group.
“So, with me, you’ll get everything a well-round workout should include. You’ll get your strength. You’ll get your stretching. You’ll get your balance. And, then, you’ll get a little fun.”
The Ulysses S. Grant National Historical Site.
Speaker to explain former president’s tie to St. Louis region
By Sarah Lerch
Located across the street from Grant’s Farm, the Ulysses S. Grant National Historical Site chronicles a deep-rooted history for the St. Louis region.
Many may be familiar with Grant as a political figure, but this historic site offers a unique look into the 18th U.S. president’s life.
Nick Sacco, historian and curator of the site, will give those attending the Leader’s South County Senior Expo a glimpse into this part of Grant’s life along with what else the historic site holds.
The expo will be held May 13 at the South County YMCA, 12736 Southfork Road.
“I think a lot of people have kind of the broad contours of Grant’s life,” Sacco said. “They know about him as a general and as a president, but they don’t necessarily have the background of Grant’s private life, his life experiences here in St. Louis or his marriage to Julia Dent Grant, who grew up here in St. Louis.”
Sacco said he also will talk about the White Haven home the site manages and preserves.
“White Haven was built between 1812 and 1816, and in the years before the Civil War, it was owned by the Dent family,” he said. “Julia Dent Grant… grew up at White Haven, and this is the place where Ulysses and Julia first met as a young couple.”
If expo attendees have any further questions or would like to know more about the historic site, Sacco will have a table set up at the event offering handouts, brochures and some information about the site.
“I’ll have some flyers for upcoming events, too,” Sacco said. “We (have) a ton of events this summer.”
Betty Todd, 78, of High Ridge won first place with a photo of her great-grandparents.
52-year High Ridge resident wins Leader photo contest
By Sarah Lerch
Betty Todd, 78, of High Ridge won $100 for placing first place in the annual “Way Back When” photo contest, sponsored by Leader Publications and Grand Times.
Todd’s winning photo is of her maternal great-grandparents Elias Knowles and Anne Palmateer Knowles, and their children taken in the mid-1800s.
She found the information on the photo while researching her family on Ancestry, a website for researching family history.
“I’ve gotten my dad’s family back eight generations to Wales … I’ve gotten my mother’s (side) back only four generations, so I’ve been working on Ancestry.com a lot,” Todd said. “I really enjoy (the website). I’ve learned so much.”
She said she plans to use her prize money to go out to dinner.
Tressa Nelson placed second in the contest with a picture of herself holding a spoonbill she caught.
Tressa Nelson placed second in the contest, winning $75. Her photo is a spoonbill catfish that was caught in the Meramec River in Valley Park in 1990.
“I wanted to get that mounted when I (caught) that,” she said. “But it cost so much.”
Nelson said submitting the photo for the contest was a way to commemorate catching the fish, even though they did not get to stuff and mount it years ago.
“You usually don’t catch them on a pole, you usually snag, and I didn’t snag it,” she said. “I caught it on a regular fishing pole.”
Marie Markwardt Dill placed third for her photo of her dad as a child.
Marie Markwardt Dill placed third, winning $50 for her photo of her dad as a child. She found this photo while scrapbooking for her mother and father.
“(My dad) passed in 2005, but his photo was in there, and I had always asked him about (it),” Markwardt Dill said. “They lived in Wellston at that time, and he said this man would come around with this little horse, and he begged his mom to have his picture taken because he was into the cowboys.”
The photo contest was held in conjunction with the Leader’s South County Senior Expo to be held from 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, May 13, at the South County YMCA, 12736 Southfork Road, St. Louis.
Click to see more contest entries:
