Adults

Let the Good Times Roll Retirement Fair

Dec 16, 2024

$101-250

Byline

Roz Topolski and Ashley Johnson, Community Engagement & Programming, Vernon Area Public Library, Lincolnshire, Ill.

This isn't your typical senior fair — there were no healthcare or senior living communities. We featured local organizations in the areas of recreation, health and fitness, volunteering and financial/legal planning.

Advanced Planning

We started planning about six months in advance. We brainstormed local clubs, businesses, or non-profits that we felt would complement our focus on active retirement. We selected only one of each type of organization—one fitness center, one theater company, etc. The response from our outreach was very positive, and most of our invites were quickly accepted.

We had to overcome the perception that this fair was for the needs of the elderly. Our name, “Let the Good Times Roll Retirement Fair,” was intended to reflect this message. Our promotional materials featured images of seniors involved with hiking, painting, gardening and other active pursuits. When talking about the fair with patrons, we often said, “This isn’t your grandma’s retirement fair.”

Marketing

We promoted the program in our quarterly newsletter, e-newsletter and online calendar. We created a dedicated website that explained the fair's focus and listed all participating organizations. We provided our exhibitors with the website link and marketing tools and encouraged them to share the event within their community. Our local municipalities were happy to promote the fair since it featured local businesses and community groups.

Budgeting

Our costs were related to the raffle prizes and refreshments.

Day-of-event Activity

We arranged the tables in our meeting room in two concentric circles so patrons could lap around the room and visit each table. The entry was attractively arranged with raffle baskets, refreshments and a book display.

Program Execution

The fair was attended by 96 patrons and 17 exhibitors. We received very positive feedback from both patrons and exhibitors, and they were grateful for the opportunity.

One patron recently shared that she is volunteering with a non-profit she learned about at the fair. She said she’d been looking for a volunteer opportunity like this since retiring a few years ago and was thankful that we could introduce her to a literacy non-profit that provides reading intervention tutoring for early childhood. One of the exhibitors from the local garden club felt very enthusiastic that they were able to recruit new members to their club as a result of the fair.

Advice

Retirees need assistance to find enrichment activities that align with their talents and interests. Did they sing in their church choir or play an instrument in high school? They might be able to join the local orchestra or choral group. Do they enjoy walks in nature? The local forest can use their help to remove invasive species in their favorite park. Get creative and think about all of the interesting clubs, businesses or nonprofits that are present in your community. You can help them match with retirees eager to get involved.