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Visitors can expect old favorites and new things at the 2010 Senior Expo

The sixth annual Senior Expo, sponsored by the  Huntington County Council on Aging, is set for this Thursday, May 20, at the Huntington University Fieldhouse.
The sixth annual Senior Expo, sponsored by the Huntington County Council on Aging, is set for this Thursday, May 20, at the Huntington University Fieldhouse. Photo by Jessica Williams.

As the sixth annual Huntington County Senior Expo rolls around on Thursday, May 20, visitors can expect both returning favorites and new attractions at the Huntington University Fieldhouse.

The event, sponsored by the Huntington County Council on Aging, will boast 90 booths and more than 50 door prizes, and will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Holly Saunders, executive director of the council, says businesses that offer services or products aimed toward the senior population will all be in one location at one time, along with free entertainment and free food all day.

John Ulrich, the council's assistant director, says the seniors will see more businesses at the Senior Expo than they could over the course of a normal year.

Over the years, Saunders says the biggest change the expo has seen is the size.

"It's grown beyond what we ever anticipated, which is great," she says.

To explain the relative size, Ulrich thinks back to their first expo, when they had half as many booths in Heritage Hall at Hier's Park.

"We were scared to death," Ulrich says.

Saunders says they then filled up the hall with people still requesting space, so they feel fortunate to have their current location.

"Now we fill up the fieldhouse and it doesn't scare us any more," she says.

Ulrich says the Council seems to get better entertainment and community support.

Following are the corporate sponsors: Aging and In-Home Services of Northeast Indiana, Angels of Mercy Home Health LLC, Caring Hands Health and Rehabilitation Center, Catered Living, LLC, Colonial Oaks Health and Rehabilitation Center, Colonial Oaks Retirement Community, Covington Commons, Duke Energy, Englewood Health and Rehabilitation Center, and Heritage Pointe.
Also, The Heritage of Huntington, Humana MarketPoint, Huntington Heating and Cooling, Markle Health and Rehabilitation, Miller's Merry Manor, Myers Funeral Homes, Norwood Health and Rehabilitation Center, Ossian Health and Rehabilitation Center, Rolling Meadows Health Care Center, Wesleyan Health Care Center.

The entertainment schedule runs throughout the entire day. Between acts, DJ Steve Hatfield will play music and make prize announcements.

At 8:30 a.m., the YMCA dancing group will perform tap, jazz, clog and ballet. At 9:10 a.m., the Back Stage Clowns take the floor. The seventh grade Crestview band performs at 10 a.m.

The Alley Kats perform at 10:40 a.m., and an hour later the Back Stage Clowns are back. The Huntington North Jazz Band performs at 12:15 p.m.

Ulrich says the highlight of this year's entertainment is a one-hour performance beginning at 1 p.m. by Gordy Clemens, an Elvis Tribute Artist.

Gotta' Dance Ballroom Dancing will put on an exhibition and provide general dancing at 2:15 p.m. For the last 15 minutes of the day, prizes will be announced.

Preparation for an event this big begins in January.

"It's five months of just a lot of hard work," Ulrich says of an event that has been described as top notch.
"We throw away our modesty here, but we're proud of the fact that some of the exhibitors tell us this is the best expo they go to," Ulrich continues.

New this year is a food drive for Love INC. Visitors are asked to bring a canned food item or a box of dry food and drop it in the donation box near the entrance.

"Their shelves are pretty bare this time of the year. They're very needy right now," Ulrich explains.

An attraction returning to this year's Expo is the "Passport Program," sponsored by Duke Energy. A "passport" that lists all the exhibitors' business names and addresses will be handed out to visitors and as they visit each booth, they are to get their document stamped.

Anyone with at least 45 stamps can drop their "passport" into a drawing the following week for one of 12 $50 Walmart gift cards.

The purpose of this event is to increase traffic to booths and encourage visitors to stop by more booths, the directors explain.

Among the free attractions are a host of medical testing and food.

Aging and In-Home Services of Northeast Indiana has provided 80 preventative health vouchers for seniors over 60 that can be redeemed at Parkview Huntington Hospital the week after the expo. These vouchers will be located at Booth 86 and are good for comprehensive Chem 17 blood work. The will be handed out first come, first served beginning at 8 a.m.

During the day, PHH will provide heel screenings for osteoporosis at Booth 58.

At Booth 8, RediMed will be offering free blood pressure checks with balance testing and information. At Booths 25 and 26, Miller's Merry Manor will offer blood pressure checks, pulse rate checks and blood oxygen level checks. The Health Department will also be providing H1N1 vaccinations during the day.

Chick-fil-A will provide 700 breakfast bags, and Miller's Merry Manor will provide a hot lunch for visitors. There will also be two snacks during the day. The food court will have two lines to accommodate for more people, as well as expanded seating.

Anyone can come to this event, regardless of Senior Citizen status.

"This isn't just for Seniors," Ulrich says. "It's children looking at their parents and wondering how they can take care of them better."

The last few years, Ulrich estimates 1,300 visitors have attended - a low guess because Ulrich says they don't want to exaggerate.

This year, Saunders expects between 1,400 and 1,500 people to visit the Senior Expo.

Complete caption: The sixth annual Senior Expo, sponsored by the  Huntington County Council on Aging, is set for this Thursday, May 20, at the Huntington University Fieldhouse. Holding one of the many signs announcing the event are (from left) Danielle Gayed, special events coordinator; John Ulrich, assistant director of the council; and Holly Saunders, executive director of the council.