Limestone County seniors will have an opportunity to revisit a treasured summertime tradition next week while seated in a climate-controlled venue.

The annual Senior Fun Fest will be returning to the Limestone County Event Center on Friday, Sept. 6, with a county fair-themed motif. There won’t be a big top or a petting zoo, but organizer and Foundation on Aging board member Jackie Jackson said there will be plenty of fair-themed fun.

In keeping with fair tradition, there will be popcorn, peanuts and Blue Bell ice cream. There will also be grilled hamburgers and hot dogs.

Other attractions include a clown, magician, juggler, fortune teller and even a bearded lady. There will also be games and even a special burlesque dancer accompanied by a carnival hawker.

Jackie Jackson, a Fun Fest organizer and an Athens-Limestone Foundation on Aging board member, said there would be several special guests at the event, including Miss Alabama 2019, Tiara Pennington; Miss Limestone Sheriff’s Rodeo 2019, Lily Caradine; and Brad Travis, chief meteorologist at WAFF-48 in Huntsville.

Jackson said the guests would meet seniors, pose for pictures and sign autographs. Other dignitaries will include Mayor Ronnie Marks and Limestone County Commission Chairman Collin Daly, who will call bingo numbers. Students from Athens High School will offer free blood pressure checks in a screening area, and members of the Athens Rotary Club will serve as volunteers.

How to go

All senior center patrons are invited to attend the event, which will run from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Shuttles will run from each of the county’s seven senior centers.

This is one of the foundation’s two big annual events, with the annual Poke Sallet Follies being the other. Poke Sallet is the foundation’s largest fundraiser, and the proceeds help fund the Limestone County Council on Aging and its senior centers.

“We have seven senior centers in the county, and the board votes to honor their requests,” said Jackson, who has been a Foundation on Aging board member since 1999.

Fun Fest was held outdoors for several years, but Jackson said senior citizens appreciate having it at the event center, where there’s plenty of seating and available restrooms.

“We really like the fact we can do this for free, and we don’t ask businesses or vendors to sponsor the event. It’s a big deal for us to be able to give back to the seniors. … It’s a big social event for them.”