The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
STRUTTIN’ THE BEEF
Senior citizens, veterans day offers resources while Junior Fair participants show animals
Veterans and senior citizens enjoyed their own special day Aug. 22 with free admission, resources and activities made just for them at the Lorain County Fair at 23000 Fairgrounds Road in Wellington.
Youth participated in a Junior Fair Market Beef Show, while others showed rabbits and goats.
Things, however, were a bit different this year for senior citizens. Charisse Nikel, office manager at the Lorain County Fair, said no entries were received this year for the senior citizen pageant kings and queens.
Since interest already had been tailing off for the pageant for years, Nikel said the fair board decided to switch things up and try to start a new event.
“We just haven’t had luck getting people to participate.”
— Charisse Nikel, office manager at the Lorain County Fair
In the “walk down memory lane” event, seniors could share stories from their younger years at the fair.
“We just tried to change it up and figured people would send the walk down memory lane forms and we would read them and would have them come read them,” she said.
The fair board sent out 90 letters to the county’s activity directors at nursing homes and other establishments that work with seniors in an attempt to receive letters and stories back.
Unfortunately, the board
did not receive any letters back for the new event, Nikel said.
“We feel bad because we want to provide things for the seniors, but we can’t get anybody,” she said. “We just haven’t had luck getting people to participate.”
However, the fair did host a senior resource fair for visitors to check out a one-stop shop for any needs they may have.
“They can get all the information in one spot, and some of the vendors have booth space,” Nikel said.
Organizations such as the Lorain County Office on Aging and the Northeast Ohio Hearing Center in Sheffield Village occupied tables at Pavilion 1 for the resource fair.
Additionally, ABC of Greater Cleveland Inc., in Grafton, provided free blood pressure screenings, balance screenings and walker and cane tune-ups.
Carol Evans, building manager at NeuroSpinecare Inc. in Sheffield Village, said attending the Fair provides a good opportunity to acquaint the public with the podiatry’s newest physician, John Gerhard.
“We just are always trying to connect with patients,” Evans said.
Various services are provided by the organization, from physical therapy to neurosurgery, she said.
“We have a lot of things to offer people, so we just keep trying to get it out there so people know we’re there,” Evans said.
Cheri Losey, who works in the activities department at Life Care Center of Elyria, said she brought seven of the group’s patients to the Fair for a day of fun.
Excited to be out and about, Losey said the patients didn’t even mind it was raining. It was an opportunity to “get them out of the house and let them have some fun,” she said.
The fair board sent out 90 letters to the county’s activity directors at nursing homes and other establishments that work with seniors in an attempt to receive letters and stories back.