Senior Expos - Beaver Dam & Waupun

The Senior Expos, organized by the Senior Expo Council, bring together community members ages 55+ along with the professionals and caregivers who support them. Each expo welcomes roughly 300 attendees and 50 vendors, offering a valuable space for learning, connection, and resources. The Council—made up of about 20 dedicated volunteers—works year‑round to make these events possible.

We are honored to be invited each year. According to Tom Thompson, President of the Senior Expo Council, the Dodge County Master Gardeners are a strong “draw” for attendees, and our presence adds meaningful value to the event.

This year, we hosted booths at both the Beaver Dam Senior Expo and the Waupun Senior Expo. At each expo, four Master Gardeners were on hand to answer questions, share expertise, and engage with visitors.

We are fortunate to see many familiar faces at these expos year after year. Both events were positive, energizing experiences for our volunteers and a wonderful opportunity to share gardening knowledge with the community.

🌱 Beaver Dam Senior Expo

June 11, 2025 • Beaver Dam Family Center Ice Arena

Our theme for Beaver Dam was Vegetable Gardening in Containers. The booth featured container‑grown tomatoes, peppers, radishes, lettuce, and herbs, along with educational literature for attendees to take home.

To spark conversation and make learning fun, we brought our Plinko game, using garden‑themed trivia questions to engage visitors. Pens and candy were offered as giveaways, and we answered a wide range of gardening questions throughout the day.

🍁 Waupun Senior Expo

October 9, 2025 • Waupun Community Center

The Waupun expo centered on Celebrating Fall & Fall Garden Clean‑Up. This presentation was held in a separate room from the exhibitors and drew an audience of about 50 attendees.

Our Plinko game returned—always a crowd favorite—this time featuring fall gardening trivia. Giveaways included pens and notepads. We also fielded many attendee questions, covering topics such as powdery mildew on phlox and late‑season mum blooms.