Now in its fourth year, this Sunday’s Aging Well Family Fest is subtitled “celebrating grandparents and their families.” Organizers say the original idea was to provide activities for the whole family to enjoy together, but the event has grown beyond that initial goal of bridging the generation gap between young and old.
The annual fest will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Brookfield Recreation department, located on the lower level of village hall, 8820 Brookfield Ave. The free event is sponsored by Brookfield’s Aging Well Community Action Team, part of a non-profit community partnership in the greater Lyons Township area. Aging Well was established in 2001 as a partnership of individuals and community organizations working together to create “elder-friendly” communities.
“We encourage the entire family to come,” said Cathy Colgrass Edwards, co-leader of Brookfield’s Aging Well team and a village trustee. She said the event was designed for the entire family, and to serve as a venue in which “grandparents can interact with their grandchildren.” The event also serves as an information center for older adults in the community, in keeping with the Aging Well initiative of communicating information to older adults to help them maintain their independence.
While many older adults end up living in nursing homes and retirement communities, “a lot of people like to stay in their homes,” Edwards said. “But they don’t necessarily know about the services that are available to them in the community.” So in addition to activities that can be enjoyed by young and old together, event organizers invited representatives of the police and fire departments, Chamber of Commerce and other groups to provide information on their services. All will be on hand for this year’s event, along with representatives of the recreation department, conservation commission, beautification committee, garden club and Brookfield-Riverside Rotary Club.
Crafts, games, refreshments and a raffle also will be featured, while some seniors will be honored with special recognition for being the oldest or youngest grandparent in attendance, or with the most grandchildren (one past honoree was the grandparent of 38 grandchildren).
Co-leader Mary Pezdek described the event as “kind of a get-together,” adding that attendance has grown over the four years, with about 120 attendees last year. “There are a good number of people who come down to learn about services that are available, and to have a little fun with their grandkids.”