About 1,000 people attended the Arnold Senior Expo at the Arnold Eagles Hall on Aug. 27.
Katelyn Mary Skaggs, digital marketing manager for the Leader, said she is thrilled the community came out and supported a morning of fun and education at the senior expo.
She said 50 vendors were on hand, offering information about products and services for seniors, such as health care options, estate planning, senior living, home improvement, banking and vacation planning.
“The whole morning was a blast – from start to finish,” Skaggs said.
The highlight of the morning was at 11 a.m. when the winners of the grand prize package and several vendor prizes were drawn.
Marlene Delahunty, a Crystal City native who now lives in south St. Louis County, was excited to win the grand prize, a Blackstone grill from Houska’s Ace Hardware in Arnold. She also won a fitness-themed basket from one of the vendors. She joked that she would cook on the Blackstone and then “use the fitness stuff.”
She said she regularly attends senior expos and won a senior expo grand prize in 2019 – tickets to a St. Louis Cardinals game.
The expo also included free doughnuts and coffee sponsored by Kramer, Buchholz & Partney. Two bingo sessions were held, and the event featured three speakers.
Arvids Petersons, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office general counsel for the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, spoke about health care fraud, particularly about Medicaid. Dr. Aswin Kansakar with 65 Prime Plus by Mercy shared wellness tips for seniors. Kim Bess, a financial crimes senior fraud analyst at First State Community Bank, discussed fraud and scams targeted at seniors.
“Kim had some really great information about how to avoid being financially scammed, which is really a concern due to seniors unfortunately being targeted for these things,” Skaggs said.
She thanked Fairway Automotive for providing a shuttle service for seniors and the Eagles for allowing the Leader to use the building.
“Thank you to all our vendors for helping us make the event possible, and an extra special shoutout goes to the Arnold Tourism Commission, which provided us funding this year to make sure our event happened and remained free for all seniors in the community,” she said.
The morning wrapped up with J.B. Louis and the Legends performing country and classic rock tunes.
The Farmington Area Senior Expo is up next, scheduled for 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Sept. 24, at the Mineral Area College Industry and Technology Center in Park Hills. The Eureka Senior Expo, set for Oct. 22 at the Timbers of Eureka, will be the final expo of the year.
The events are free and geared to people 50 and older.
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.
Click to see more pictures from the event:
