There were "a ton of people here," said Kathy Lombardo of the Senior Citizen Fair sponsored by Reps. Mike Carroll and John Siptroth at the West End Fairgrounds. A program assistant for the local Penn State Cooperative Extension office in Stroudsburg, Lombardo had information available for the Strong Woman program just begun at several sites, including the West End and Trachsville, as well as Dining with Diabetes, and other PSU Extension programs.

Some, like Effie Howarth of Brodheadsville, came for free flu shots and connect with other organizations. For her it was Meals on Wheels, for which she helps deliver food in the West End and the MCTA booth where she has a family member working.For Betty Jones, also of Brodheadsville, it was a great opportunity to get information concerning "a little bit of everything."Catherine Dotter of Saylorsburg also came for information and she said, doing so allowed her "to get out."And information to collect was there a'plenty, ranging from senior citizen residential homes to housing providing various care levels.Social Security's Janet Leon was there to answer questions for seniors as was Consumer Credit Counseling with many handouts as well as personal responses. On Carole Bachman's table were items such as the Federal Trade Commission "Facts for Consumers" and a variety of other finance -related topics.Free lunch was served by the Blue Mountain Health System and at the opposite end of the filled building it was popcorn that enticed visitors. Giveaways were part of many of the information vendors' displays.Roland Vonderheide, state coordinator for the AARP Driver Safety Program, was present as was the Monroe County Waste Authority and the Monroe County Area Agency on Aging with much information, including its "Apprise" program.Retired Teddy Hittner was making his first visit to this type of fair. He was checking on health care.And for Ron and Janet Kologe of Gilbert, the visit was because, "We're Seniors and we wanted to see what it's about."Information, food, flu shots, and a social opportunity to meet area legislators and neighbors from around the area combined for a good time at the West End Fairgrounds as the annual information fair sponsored by Reps. Carroll and Siptroth ran its course for several hours at the West End Fairgrounds in Gilbert.