Peoria Times
December 2, 2021
FEATURES
17
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Lovin’ Life Expos return to the Valley BY ANNIKA TOMLIN
Peoria Times Staff Writer
After a 2020 pandemic pause, the Lovin’ Life After 50 Expos are returning. They are set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 24, at the Sundial Recreation Center in Sun City, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 26, at the Mesa Convention Center. “We’re going to have great entertainment, a lot of informative exhibitors, and it’s just a great way to get out and find out what is going on in the community,” Lovin’ Life After 50 publisher Steve Strickbine said. “It’s a great way to meet
lots of people and have some fun.” Previously, the Lovin’ Life After 50 Expos have attracted thousands of people who network and gather information, as well as participate in the raffle prize giveaway and take a shot at hourly $100 cash prizes. “These expos were started as just a way to allow organizations in the community to come together with people over 50 to show what they have to offer,” Strickbine said. “To give them information about things that are coming up in their organizations. “It has become a very good event, though, for entertainment and just a
great way for getting out.” Among the exhibitors that will have booths at both the Sun City and Mesa Expos are 4C Medical Group (Optum Care), Arizona Liver Health, Home Concepts Custom Remodeling, Humana, AFC Physical Medicine and Hospice of the Valley. Specifically at the Sun City Expo will be Arizona Institute and Cosmetic Laser Center, Edward Jones and MediSolutions LLC. Unique to Mesa are Bright Health Plan, Mesa Marketplace Swap Meet, Emphasis Advisors and National Cremation Society.
“With COVID-19 we are being very careful with how we proceed, and we are following the CDC guidelines, of course, to make sure that we are operating with best practices to make sure that everybody that does attend stays safe,” Strickbine said. In terms of entertainment, the Duttons will be returning to the stage once again. For those who don’t know, “they’re a band that has a theater in Branson, Missouri, where they play during the summer months,” and then they also have a theater in the East Valley (in SEE EXPOS PAGE 18
Hop on board the Christmas Open House train tour
BY ALLISON BROWN
Peoria Times Staff Writer
Arizona Big Train Operators has once again opened its homes for a self-guided Christmas Open Houses event featuring garden-scale train layouts. The event will be held over two weekends — Saturday, Dec. 11, to Sunday, Dec. 12, and Saturday, Dec. 18, to Sunday, Dec. 19 — from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. and includes homes in Mesa, Sun Lakes, San Tan Valley, Goodyear, Avondale and Phoenix, as well as the Superstition Mountain Museum in Apache Junction (only open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.). “Numerous members of our club opened up their own personal layouts at their houses to the public,” club President Darrell Woolfolk said. “We decorate and put the layouts in full glory. Most of them have some form of Christmas lights, and some of the buildings are lit up. Normally we do an event during the daytime, but people really like to see nighttime viewing of the layouts. It’s just a completely different perspective
All aboard this holiday train tour. (Photo courtesy of Arizona Big Train Operators)
than you’d normally see.” A full list of the schedule with addresses can be found on Arizona Big Train Operators’ website. Some displays may not be available one weekend, so Woolfolk said to be sure to check the
schedule, as he will update it with any changes. Participants can create their own route and peruse at their own pace. Woolfolk said most of the displays are taken down during the summer and are put up around October in private res-
idences. This annual tour is one of the only ways the public can see the trains up close. While most are more traditional train sets, there are some that stand out. “There’s one in Mesa with a lot of lights, and that’s decorated with robots and an inflatable Santa Claus that goes with his layout,” Woolfolk said. “It’s just a collection of different things that appeal to all ages. There’s anything from an airport with a running train or running airplanes to dinosaurs and dragons.” Woolfolk said the organization’s goal is to educate kids. He said he wants to teach them that trains are more than just a toy to play with. They were a major turning point for the development of the United States. The open house is free, but participants can make tax-deductible donations. Funds will go toward club functions and the maintenance of public train sets at Ryan House and Cardon Children’s Hospital. SEE TOUR PAGE 18
