Lake trying to fill Seniors Day void
Guided tours of facilities and free admission to the Lake County Discovery Museum are among the suggestions to replace the annual picnic for seniors, a long-standing summer tradition that won't be held in 2011.
The Lake County Forest Preserve District staff has assembled a menu of programming ideas for individuals and groups of senior citizens to fill the gap left by the cancellation of the Seniors Day Celebration.
“We want to reach out as far as we can and service as many seniors as we can,” said Nan Buckardt, director of environmental education and public affairs.
The district's education, cultural resources and public affairs committee will discuss the possibilities at 8:30 a.m. Monday at the general offices, 2000 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville.
Budget concerns and a precipitous drop in attendance led the district in November to officially end the traditional gathering at Independence Grove that featured free food, music and activities.
Attendance peaked at about 5,000 a decade ago, but was estimated at about 1,200 last summer, and most people were from central Lake County.
“We're exploring all avenues,” said Lake County Forest Board Commissioner Craig Taylor, who chairs the committee. “What we don't want to do is have the seniors think we're neglecting them.”
Buckardt is seeking direction from the committee on suggestions intended to allow seniors to learn about the district while extending its geographic reach throughout the year.
“It's way for us to better serve the senior citizens,” she said.
Options include contacting senior centers to offer golf cart tours of various facilities. The centers would bring participants to a given site to piggyback on regularly scheduled tours. Staff estimates it would cost about $100 for each additional tour.
Another suggestion is to designate a month for free admission to the Lake County Discovery Museum. Current admission is $3 for a senior visitor.
The district also proposes to have booths at two major senior expos to promote “senior-focused” activities. About 1,500 seniors are estimated to be served through this option. Cost would be about $1,700, with another $500 possible to redesign the booth for a senior focus.
Other suggestions include having seniors choose from a menu of programs that would be presented by staff at their location. Expected attendance is about 1,000.
Also, any township, park district, senior center or senior living community could assemble a group and meet staff for a guided tour of the grounds and buildings at Fort Sheridan, the Stevenson Home or Ryerson Woods.
“We want to get something out there as soon as possible but we don't want to rush it,” Taylor said. “We're not going to let it sit on the back burner.”