The stars come out for Senior Awareness Day

This Thursday, in honor of Senior Awareness month, San Joaquin County’s Human Services Agency (HSA) is rolling out the red carpet for seniors with “Hollywood at Seniors Awareness Day” at Micke Grove Park.

The free event for seniors, which runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, will feature more than 130 information booths providing key resources for San Joaquin senior citizens. Visitors will also have access to free health screenings, Medicare information and much more.

“Our biggest draw is to provide resources to (seniors) in their own backyard,” said Elise Vigil, adult services division chief for San Joaquin County’s department of aging and community services.

This is the HSA’s 38th annual Senior Awareness day, an event that was originally started to provide vital information and aid to the county’s older population.

“The commissioners on aging felt that seniors were not aware of the resources or had access to resources,” Vigil said. “Over the years, it got a little bigger every year.”

This year’s glamourous gathering will include more than information booths. A senior awards ceremony will recognize all the contributions county seniors have made in the community, according to Vigil. That function is scheduled from 10:30 to 11 a.m at the park’s main stage.

Also, the event will incorporate a wellness walk, from which, for only $5, participants receive a commemorative T-shirt and entry into the poker game along the route, according to a San Joaquin County HSA press release.

Rounding off the activity-packed day is bingo from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., a classic car show, a food court, the Senior Art Show and live entertainment in the form of John Covert & The Crystal Image Band.

For more information about the event, call 468-1104 or visit