News editor
Wilma Gilmer of rural Marion will be recognized at the 2012 Senior Fair in Salina as Marion County’s “Senior Fair Pioneer.”
“Fest of the West” is the theme of this year’s North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging Senior Fair from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Bicentennial Center in Salina.
Gilmer moved to the Marion County Lake area in 1980 with her husband, Howard, who said they needed to be active in their new community. They quickly got involved at Marion Senior Center, which was still in the process of construction, helping with fundraisers. Gilmer was a volunteer in the Friendship Meal Kitchen for many years, and she was a hostess for the 25th and 50th annual meetings of Senior Citizens of Marion County, Inc. She has also decorated the tables at the senior center for many years, although she no longer works in the kitchen.
At 90 years old, Gilmer continues to drive to Marion Senior Center almost every day for lunch and volunteering where needed.
North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging coordinates services for senior citizens in an 18-county area, including Marion County. The Senior Fair includes exhibits, experts and speakers, a silent auction, and a lunch.
Marion County Department on Aging will send one or two full vans to the event, said Janet Bryant, Marion Senior Center site manager. The exhibits, speakers, and experts run the gamut from serious and informative to fun, she said.
“I’ve gone to some workshops that were so hilarious I almost fell off my chair,” Bryant said.