The first ever 55+ Trade Fair in Innisfail packed the Legion on June 1 and attendance numbers overwhelmed organizers with the success of the event.
More than 250 people came through the doors to the trade fair from 2-7 p.m. to take in the booths and demonstrations put on by local organizations.
At one point during the fair the legion auditorium was close to reaching capacity said event organizers.
“If we do the event again we may have to go to a larger venue,” said Angela Sande, a facilitator with the Town of Innisfail.
The goal of the event was to better inform seniors about the opportunities available to them in Innisfail and exhibitors said they felt like they were able to reach a lot of people through the fair.
“One of the unexpected results of the fair was the amount of talk between the different providers who had booths at the fair,” said Sande, adding that those conversations will help to find out what seniors in Innisfail need.
Throughout the fair the community handi-bus was taking groups of attendees on tours to see the progress of the new library. Organizers along with members of the Henday Association for Lifelong Learning were getting feedback all day about what kinds of events seniors would like to see at the new seniors centre. Many of the seniors expressed an interest in participating in new activities such as Tai Chi and computer courses.
Door prizes donated by vendors were given out throughout the event and a number of local seniors groups such as the Senior Serenaders provided entertainment for the evening.
“It was a wonderful event. It was much more interesting that I thought it was going to be and I even won a door prize,” said Dorothy Johannson, an event attendee.
Another attendee, Cecil Brook, commented that it was very well planned out and that there were a lot of exhibits.
There were more than 40 exhibitors with displays at the event providing information about recreation, health, and seniors support services in Innisfail.
