Older Iowans Day planned at state fair

DES MOINES ? Older Iowans Day, sponsored by the Iowa Family Caregiver Program, returns to the Iowa State Fair Wednesday in Des Moines.

One of the highlights of the day will be the Older Iowan Idol Contest. Try-outs for the contest will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by the finals from noon to 1 p.m. The finals will feature guest judges Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Activities will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Budweiser Stage tent, which is south of the main gate on the state fairgrounds. Other activities at the tent will range from the Marvelous Red Hat Contest, Older Iowans Spelling Bee, The Dancin? Grannies and the Iowa Energy Spark Plugs Senior Women?s Dance Team.

?Older Iowans Day at the fair will be entertaining and informative,? said Iowa Department on Aging director Donna Harvey. ?Along with our fun activities at the Budweiser tent on Aug. 17, the Iowa Family Caregiver Program will have a booth located between the Fair Administration Building and the Des Moines Register Service Center Building.?

The booth will have Area Agencies on Aging staff on hand from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. to help older Iowans, their families and their caregivers get a better understanding of what support services are available to them.

The Iowa Family Caregiver booth also will feature the ?Vote for Your Favorite Celebrity Older Iowan, Past or Present? contest where fair-goers can drop a soybean in a jar and vote for their favorite.

?We hope all Iowans will join us on Wednesday, August 17 as we honor our older Iowans with a special day at the state fair,? said Harvey.

For information on the Iowa Family Caregiver Program and the Iowa Association of Area Agencies on Aging, visit www.iowafamilycaregiver.org.