CROSSLAKE — If you’re a senior citizen in the Crosslake area, you’re in luck.
Crosslake Cares is a nearly 5-year-old service that connects seniors to information to help improve their lives.
And the volunteer-run initiative keeps growing.
In fact, the ever-expanding Senior Days & Expo will take place Friday-Sunday, April 28-30, featuring educational presentations, a 3K walk, restaurant discounts, golf discounts, pickleball, a prom and much more — all for senior citizens.
The idea for Crosslake Cares originated with John Bruder, who came to know the senior community when he provided Medicare counseling in the area.
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He realized that while many organizations and businesses offered services to seniors, they didn’t collaborate.
To connect them to information that would help them improve their lives and make the Crosslake area home for their lifetime.
In an effort to enhance — not threaten — what was being offered, Bruder took his concept of a senior focused organization in the Crosslake area to others, including the city’s faith community and health/wellness industry.
He wanted to bring people together, saying, “We’re not taking a slice out of the definitive pie. We want to make the pie bigger.”
The ultimate goal was to work together to provide information and services to senior citizens.
“To connect them to information that would help them improve their lives and make the Crosslake area home for their lifetime,” Bruder said.
The group brainstormed, and the ideas took off.
Crosslake Cares incorporated and gained nonprofit status in fall 2018.
The April 28-30 event will be the fourth Senior Expo. Bruder recalled the first event in spring 2019 with around 40 vendors/exhibitors, mostly from the health and wellness industry, at The Log Church in Crosslake.
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Organizers were shocked when 400-500 people showed up.
“It was unbelievable. We had no idea,” he said.
Of course, the event was canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It resumed in 2021, and last year the expo expanded to include Senior Days and the senior prom. All events, except the prom, are free.
The expo has hosted popular speakers — former TV news anchors Mark Rosen in 2019, Paul Douglas in 2021 and Don Shelby in 2022. Shelby will return this year, doing a reenactment of novelist Mark Twain.
Seniors at the expo fill out a survey each year to provide input on what topics and services are important to them. Bruder said the top three items of interest every year are exercise, leisure time activities, and taking trips.
“We take this input and develop our programs around these topics,” he said.
For example, the Seniors Going Places program will kick off in May, offering tours and lunch to destinations within one hour of Crosslake.
“Education is really important and there are good resources in this state,” Bruder said. “We just have to make them available.”
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He plans to tackle senior transportation in Crosslake as his next project, “which is something we desperately need in this area,” Bruder said.
Currently, Crosslake Cares partners with Interfaith Volunteers to help seniors who need rides to appointments.
Senior Days & Expo
All weekend, April 28-30
- Discounts at participating restaurants, Whistling Wolf Mini Golf and Crosswoods Golf Course for seniors.
Friday, April 28
- Free educational presentation on technology from 10-11:30 a.m. at Crosslake Lutheran Church.
- Free educational presentation on travel from 2-3 p.m. at Crosslake Lutheran Church.
- Senior Night at the Train Museum from 5-7 p.m. at the Northern MN Railroad Heritage Association location. That is free too, though a $5 donation is suggested.
Saturday, April 29
- Senior 3K walk from 7:45-8:30 a.m. starting and ending at The Log Church.
- Senior Expo from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at The Log Church featuring prizes and giveaways, free coffee and pastries, three mini informative talks, more than 50 exhibitors and Don Shelby as the keynote performer.
- Pickleball events from 1:30-4:30 p.m. at the Crosslake Community Center or Crosslake Community School, depending on weather.
- Senior Prom, “An Evening in Paris,” from 5:30-10 p.m. at Manhattan Beach Lodge. Advance tickets are required for $29 each, which includes dinner and dancing. Call 218-692-3381 for tickets.
Sunday, April 30
- Pickleball events from 1:30-4:30 p.m. at the Crosslake Community Center or Crosslake Community School, depending on weather.
For more information, visit www.crosslakecares.org . The website offers links to resources for seniors, including adult day services, assisted living, dementia resources, hospice, health care providers, nutrition and more.
Nancy Vogt, editor, may be reached at 218-855-5877 or nancy.vogt@pineandlakes.com. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/@PEJ_Nancy.
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