PrintMay 10--URBANA -- An event specially tailored to the needs and desires of the baby boom generation is slated Wednesday at the Holiday Inn in Urbana.
The exposition, which runs from 4 to 8 p.m., will feature a performance by the Tons o' Fun band, fashion shows presented by Macy's and Deena's Style Shop in Rantoul and car shows sponsored by the Illiana Antique Automobile Club and the Illini Collector Car Club.
Plus, about 40 businesses will be on hand with products and demonstrations. There will also be some seminars, some hula-hoop fun and a trivia contest.
It's all part of "The Eye Center's The Best of Times: A Baby Boomer Lifestyle Expo," coordinated by The News-Gazette Inc. Events.
The baby boom generation includes those born from 1946 to 1964, or roughly those between the ages of 46 and 64. But the expo is open to everyone, regardless of age. Admission is $3 for adults, free for those 16 and younger.
"This is a market that needs to be addressed," said Greer Williams, a marketing associate for The News-Gazette. "Baby boomers are such a large part of the U.S. population, and they're getting to be retirement age now." The Tons o' Fun band is scheduled to play from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Williams said. The performance extends about an hour beyond the closing of the vendor booths, she said.
The fashion shows are expected to run 30 minutes each, with the first starting at 6 p.m., she said.
Title sponsor for the expo is The Eye Center, the ophthalmologic practice of Dr. Samir Sayegh, with offices in Champaign and Danville. He will offer a seminar from 5:45 to 6:15 p.m., discussing cataracts, diabetes and LASIK surgery.
The Refinery will also offer a seminar, "Forever Young? The Real Secret to Anti-Aging," from 5 to 5:30 p.m., Williams said.
Among the businesses expected to be on hand for the expo are banks, retirement communities, gyms, restaurants, chiropractic practices, mattress shops, pharmacies and picture-framing shops, she added.
Williams said The News-Gazette, radio stations WDWS-AM and WHMS-FM and News-Gazette Community Newspapers are coordinating more expositions as an additional way of getting engaged with the community.
More information about the expo is available from Sandy Pistole of News-Gazette Community Newspapers, 351-5321.
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