CLEARFIELD – The first annual BoomerFest was held on Saturday, offering life options to the Baby Boomer generation. According to Debbie Liadis, director of community services for the Clearfield Area Agency on Aging, the idea for the Boomerfest event was inspired by events occurring in nearby areas. The community services unit of the agency has been working on on developing an event for one to two years to provide the Baby Boomer generation with services, answers to questions they may have about retirement and other issues, and to give them a way to take explore activities that they may not otherwise have taken advantage of.
Liadis said that the event was created with a three-fold purpose in mind. The first goal is to introduce the Baby Boomers and meet their needs. The idea is to get them to explore services and activities that they wouldn’t do alone, but might do as part of a larger group. The second goal is to “create a hub” consisting of agencies within a small area all providing different services to this generation: Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging, Inc., Clearfield Arts Studio Theatre (CAST), Clearfield County Historical Society, Clearfield YMCA, Joseph and Elizabeth Shaw Public Library, and Clearfield County Recreation and Tourism Authority. This hub also consists of nearby businesses and restaurants that have an interest in serving Boomer’s and helping to enrich their lives. The final purpose of the event is, as Liadis puts it, is “To show people that a lot happens in Clearfield.”
This year’s event consisted of various demonstrations and seminars and in the hub area, including “When to Retire and How to do it”, “How to Hold a Wine Glass”, “Keeping the Tie-Dye Generation Healthy”, and “Storytelling for Grandparents”. Other events available to try included ballroom dancing, wine tasting, flower arranging, and self-guided museum tours among many. Also available was information on volunteer opportunities, quilting demonstrations, and estate planning. Local business a got involved as well; Market Street offered “Make it and Take it Crafts”, Jim’s Sports Center offered Crossbow Shooting and Safety, and many other businesses and restaurants offered special deals.
Optimisitc that there will be other BoomerFest events held in the future, Liadis said about this years’ event, she hopes it is one of many. In planning this year’s festival the CCAAA received a great deal of positive feedback. According to Liadis, they also had a great number of individuals and groups who weren’t able to participate due to short notice this year, but were very interested in participating next year. Even with short notice of the event, many partners and businesses were able to come together with the agency and to offer a special day for the Baby Boomer generation. As Liadis put it, nobody said no when asked to participate, and everyone participating was very enthusiastic, creating a good possibity for future events.