The 15th annual Senior Appreciation Day sponsored by the Lincoln County TRIAD will be held on Saturday, October 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Great Salt Bay School in Damariscotta. For the past few years this special day has been held at the Boothbay Region Elementary School. This year it returns to the location where the first Senior Appreciation Day was held.

What is Senior Appreciation Day? It is a special day to celebrate the achievements and contributions that people over the age of 50 have made to their families and the greater community. It is a time to get information from 30 plus exhibitors, receive free health care like flu shots, vision screening and blood pressure checks, enjoy entertainment, listen to a keynote speaker and best of all enjoy a free lunch with other seniors.

The AARP will sponsor a free shredding machine in the parking lot from 9 to 1. You can drive up and drop off all your paper items you want shredded. There will be people there to assist you. However if you also plan to attend the festivities within the school remember that the doors do not open until 10am.

What is a TRIAD and specifically what is the Lincoln County TRIAD? There are over 620 TRIADs nationwide. The purpose of each TRIAD is to reduce the criminal victimization of older citizens and enhance delivery of law enforcement services to this population. A TRIAD consists of area law enforcement agencies, senior organizations including those providing services to seniors and interested individuals over 50 years of age.

The Lincoln County TRIAD was organized in September of 1999. The organization is a non-profit organized as a 501 (c) (3). Current organization officers are Debbie Mullen, president; Paul Cyr, vice president; Doc Schilke, treasurer; and Nora Cyr, secretary. Other members include the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Damariscotta Police Department, Boothbay Harbor Police Department and the Wiscasset Police Department. Various organizations like Spectrum Generations Coastal are considered members. All interested individuals and organizations are always welcome to attend monthly meetings.

Major projects that the Lincoln County TRIAD is working on are the annual Senior Appreciation Day, distribution of free 911 cell phones, distribution of File-of-Life folders and public safety awareness articles and talks. Expansion of these programs and initiation of other programs depend on public volunteer support.