Mexico Senior Center hosted its first grandparent grandchild event Aug. 6. Subverting the grandparents day style at school, it was grandparents instead who brought their grandchildren to the center for a carnival themed event. The event had door prizes for both adults and children, a kid-friendly menu, carnival games, a school supplies give away, and live music.

The carnival themed grandparents and grandchildren day did not start out that way. Aging Best, the organization responsible for most of the center’s funding and its nutrition program, originally planned a school supply drive. Emily Lain, Senior Center vice president and the event planner, merged the two ideas. 

“Well, it started out as basically a school supply collection or suitcases for foster children, but I had noticed that our community was really into doing school supplies. So I thought, well, we need to do something more,” said Lain. “So we came up with the first grandparents grandchild day with a little carnival.”

Besides providing activities for children, the event was held as a way for the center to help kids get the supplies needed for school. Ione Bickell, administrator at the Senior Center said, “You know, sometimes older people will do a lot for younger people, just help out, especially if they're in need, you know,” said Bickell. “Any grandma or any grandpa is going to be doing that, for their grandchildren or anybody else's grandchildren.”

Donna Kessler is one such grandparent. Kessler brought her grandchildren to the carnival as a way of relieving their parents with a baby in the hospital and giving the children something to do. “The baby’s in the NICU, mom’s not doing as well as they wanted to and I’ve had the babies. And so I decided to come today to take the pressure off of mom and dad getting them ready for school,” said Kessler.

The Senior Center will have a grand reopening Sept. 18 to show off the remodeled space. Bickell said, “We’re going to invite everybody in Mexico and even Audrain County to come and see this.”