This year’s West Side Senior Expo is sure to entertain attendees with games of bingo, prizes, guest speakers, live music and more.
The event is set for 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, July 16, at Northwest High School, 6005 Cedar Hill Road, in Cedar Hill.
Admission is free, with activities catered to those 50 and older.
Two games of bingo will be played, one at 9 a.m. and the second at 10 a.m.
“We are excited to have bingo again. It’s always a fan favorite,” said Katelyn Mary Skaggs, digital marketing manager for the Leader.
She said Northwest R-1 School District Superintendent Jennifer Hecktor will call both rounds of bingo in Room A, with one game at 9 a.m. and the other at 10 a.m. Participants will need to get free tickets from the Leader booth to participate.
“This is so everyone has an opportunity to play,” Skaggs said. “We wish we could have everyone play both games, but space is limited, and we want to make sure that everyone gets an opportunity to play.”
She said the expo will feature three speakers this year.
The first speaker of the day, Debby Hodge from the Jefferson County Library, will share technology tips for seniors at 8:30 a.m. She will also answer questions seniors may have about computers, smart phones and other technology.
At 9:30 a.m., Gayln Bratcher and Wren, a dog from the Canine Companion Therapy Program, will give a presentation about the work they do with dogs in the community. The group helps local residents who may benefit from touch therapy with a dog, including those who live in nursing homes, children grieving the loss of a loved one, patients undergoing strenuous treatment or people with special needs.
Then, at 10:30 a.m., Scott Connell from 5 On Your Side will present information about forecasting the weather.
“He’ll explain how he creates his forecasts and what it all means when you’re watching him at home,” Skaggs said.
About 30 vendors will be on hand to talk to attendees about products and services of interest to seniors, such as home improvement, health care,
hearing assistance, nursing homes, specialty care, travel and lawn services, she said, adding that many vendors will hold giveaways and drawings for prizes. Attendees may want to bring along pre-printed address labels to make signing up easier.
Seniors will want to stop by the Leader booth to enter the drawing for a grand prize package that includes four free tickets to Silver Dollar City in Branson and a $100 gas card.
“Our grand prize is back by popular demand,” Skaggs said. “It’s an exciting adventure. If you haven’t been to Silver Dollar City, I highly recommend it. It has something for everybody – roller coasters, lots of shops and lots of activities and shows throughout the day. It’s a fun thing to do with friends or the grandkids.”
Tickets may be used until Aug. 29, and the tickets are not valid on Saturdays.
Attendees must be present during the 11 a.m. drawing to win the prize.
The morning will be rounded out with a musical performance from J.B. Louis and the Legends, who play a mix of country and classic rock tunes.
“As always, we will close out with our fabulous, official Senior Expo band, J.B. Louis and the Legends. If you haven’t hung around to hear them play and to dance along with their music, you are really missing out on one of the best parts of the event. They are just fabulous,” Skaggs said.
Expo lineup
■ Expo doors open at 8 a.m., with free doughnuts and coffee available while supply lasts.
Stop by the Leader booth to enter the drawing for the grand prize. Only those 50 or older are eligible to win, with one entry per person. The winner will be selected at random and must be present at the 11 a.m. drawing to win.
Vendors will be on hand, many offering giveaways and drawings for free items. Bring along pre-printed address labels for easy entry.
■ At 8:30 a.m., Debby Hodge from the Jefferson County Library will share technology tips for seniors.
■ At 9 a.m., the first of two bingo sessions will be played in Room A with the chance to win prizes. Jennifer Hecktor, superintendent of Northwest R-1 School District, will call the game.
You must have a blue ticket to play this round.
■ At 9:30 a.m., Gayln Bratcher and Wren, a dog, from Canine Companion Therapy Program will present about the work they do with dogs in the community.
■ At 10 a.m., Hecktor will call the second bingo session in Room A, with the chance to win prizes. You must have a yellow ticket to play this round.
■ At 10:30 a.m., Scott Connell from 5 On Your Side will talk about forecasting the weather.
■ At 11 a.m., the grand prize winner will be announced, along with winners for vendor prizes.
■ At 11:15 a.m., J.B. Louis and the Legends band will perform country and rock classics.
■ At noon, the expo closes.
Upcoming contest, events
Winning pictures for the My Best Ride photo contest, which was held in conjunction with the West Side Senior Expo, may be seen on Pages 3B-4B.
Green Thumbs, a photo contest to be held in conjunction with the Arnold Senior Expo in August, has just kicked off. For that contest, senior readers are asked to send in photos of their flower or vegetable gardens; their landscaping; or the fruits of their gardens, like a vase of beautiful flowers grown in their yard or an unusually large or oddly shaped tomato.
Three winners will be drawn at random from among all the entries to win cash prizes – $100 for the first name drawn, $75 for the second and $50 for the third.
Be sure to include the entrant’s name, age, address and phone number so winners may be contacted, as well as the date and place the photo was taken and by whom; names of any people in the photo; and any information about why the picture is special.
Readers are limited to three entries per person. Entries are due by 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7.
Submissions from businesses or business owners advertising their products or services will not be accepted.
Send entries by mail to Green Thumbs, c/o Leader Publications, P.O. Box 159, Festus, 63028; drop them off at the Leader office, 503 N. Second St., in Festus; or email them to news@myleaderpaper.com.
Photos accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope will be mailed back; others will be held for pickup.
The Arnold Senior Expo will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Aug. 27, at the Arnold Eagles Hall. The newest senior expo, the Farmington Area Senior Expo, will be held on Sept. 24 at Mineral Area College at the Industry and Technology Center. The Eureka Senior Expo, set for Oct. 22 at the Timbers of Eureka, will be the final expo of the year.
More information about the Farmington-area and Eureka expos will be published closer to the events.
For more information about the contest or about future expos, call the Leader at 636-931-7560 or visit myleaderpaper.com/seniorexpo.
-- Goldie Lowe
Hillsboro woman wins My Best Ride photo contest
By Teresa Inserra
Rosemary Graham’s picture of her grandson on a coin-operated kiddie ride outside the De Soto Walmart won her first-place in the Leader My Best Ride photo contest.
Her photo was chosen at random from among the 35 entries in the contest, winning Graham, 79, of Hillsboro a $100 cash prize.
The contest, sponsored by Grand Times, Leader Publications’ magazine for senior citizens, asked residents of Jefferson County, Eureka and Wildwood who are 50 and older to submit photos of their favorite car, truck, motorcycle or other “ride.”
Kevin Long, 66, of Arnold placed second in the contest and will receive $75, while Donald Womack, 63, of Festus, will receive the $50 third-place prize.
Rosemary Graham of Hillsboro took this picture in 1995 of her grandson, Nick, at the De Soto Walmart. “We would take him to Walmart on Friday night to ride the truck,” Rosemary said. “He spent a lot of weekends with Grandpa and me.”
Graham
Graham said she believes her grandson, Nick, was about 6 or 7 years old in the photo she took in 1995.
“We would take him to Walmart on Friday night to ride the truck,” she said. “He spent a lot of weekends with Grandpa and me.”
Graham said Nick used to travel with them about every weekend.
“He was so good and so cute,” she said.
Graham, a repeat Leader photo contest winner, was excited to hear she had won again, adding that the contests give her a reason to look back at all her photos.
“I guess I’ll have to share the money with (Nick),” she added.
Kevin Long of Arnold took this picture in July 2020 of his 1966 Ford GT Mustang with a 289 four-speed engine. “My father bought this car in 1972 for $500,” Kevin said. The car was repainted in the 1980s, and the fenders were fixed, but it still has the original motor and interior. “I bought it from my dad in 1999. He requested that it stay in our family, and I look forward to passing it along in a few years.”
Long
Long said he took his second-place winning photo in July 2020 of his 1966 Ford GT Mustang with a 289, four-speed engine.
“My father bought this car in 1972 for $500,” he said.
Long said the car was repainted in the 1980s, and the fenders were fixed, but it still has the original motor and interior.
“I bought it from my dad in 1999. He requested that it stay in our family, and I look forward to passing it along in a few years.”
Long describes the car as a Sunday cruiser for nice spring and fall days or cool summer nights since it doesn’t have air conditioning.
Donald Womack, 63, of Festus took this picture in May 2015 of his 2008 Yamaha Road Star and 1993 Harley-Davidson FXRS Sport. “My two rides, when one is not enough,” Donald said.
Womack
Womack submitted a photo he took in May 2015 of his 2008 Yamaha Road Star and 1993 Harley-Davidson FXRS Sport.
“My two rides, when one is not enough,” he said.
This is the first time he’s submitted a photo for a Leader contest. He said he and his wife now ride on a 2017 Harley-Davidson Tri Glide.
Click here to see more contest entries:
Kathleen's son, Kevin, then 14, drives the family ATV in 1984.
Old farm ATV provided lots of special memories
By Kathleen Brotherton
A lot of people have fond memories of a particular car, truck or some other type of vehicle they’ve owned or driven over the years. Some might relish the memories of the old, fancy convertible they once zipped around in, while others might have trouble holding back smiles when thinking about their first car, which was far from fancy but got them where they wanted to go.
But, there are so many other means of transportation, like motorcycles or even horses or mules, but they all have a way of bringing back memories of one kind or another. One of the vehicles I recall fondly is an ATV we used to use on our farm.
Generally when people think of ATVs, they imagine having fun racing around in one, taking it through swampy water or climbing over sand dunes. However, the kind I have in mind is more like a workhorse. It was back in the early 1980s when we got our first ATV to help around the farm. It was a three-wheeler called Big Red, and we bought it used.
It’s many uses included hauling sacks of feed to the barn, hauling around equipment needed to repair fences and carrying chainsaws to cut wood for our wood-burning stove. Our older boys also used it to run errands to help their grandmother with her garden or to take her meals I’d made. As long as it was driven over level ground, it could carry a decent load.
My most memorable ride on Big Red was on one hot, summer day when a thoughtful neighbor stopped by with a couple of big watermelons he had grown in his garden. I knew we couldn’t eat both of them that quickly, so I thought I’d take one to my mother, who lived on the same farm, just several hills over. So, I put a bungee cord over the watermelon to strap it down to the rack on the back of the ATV and started down the path toward her house. It was a well-worn path through the woods and was uneven with the ruts from having driven over it so many times with Big Red.
Just when I got to a steep incline where a gate had once been, the weight of the watermelon on the back of the three-wheeler caused the front wheel to lift off the ground, resulting in the watermelon rolling off and down the hill in the opposite direction and me flying off the back with it. Thankfully, the only injury I suffered was to my pride.
I got up off the ground, dusted myself off and sized up the situation. Big Red’s motor was still running even though the ATV was standing on its back end, so I brought the front end down as best I could without crashing it. All the while, I was thinking how glad I was no one saw my stupid trick.
After chasing down the watermelon, I hand-carried it past the incline where it leveled off and put an extra strap over the watermelon so it couldn’t roll off again. The path was all downhill from there, so I finished my mission with the watermelon intact, delivering it to my mother without further incident. Faithful, old Big Red gave us many more miles of service with no further backflips!
John Wayne Dip
Summer is often filled with big get-togethers and holiday celebrations. It’s always a good idea to serve appetizers at those occasions, either in place of or to accompany a meal.
This John Wayne Dip is great for summer barbecues, or really for any time of year. It’s easy to make and sure to please your family and guests.
JOHN WAYNE DIP
8 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces sour cream
1 regular size can refried beans
1 packet of taco seasoning
3 tablespoons chopped green onions
6 to 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
Fritos or tortilla chips
- Mix first 5 ingredients together until smooth. Pour into a shallow baking dish. Top with shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling.
- Cool 10 minutes before serving with Fritos or your favorite tortilla chips.