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“I’m a little overwhelmed with everything right now, but that’s a typical lifestyle for me,” Smaby said.
The Intergenerational Fair, set for April 20, grew out of a program Smaby started while a sophomore at Holmen High School called Connecting Generations. As a dance teacher at Misty’s Dance Unlimited, Smaby was part of the long tradition of putting on performances at nursing homes, but she wanted to go further, to make a connection.
Smaby had her Connecting Generations dancers talk with the elder residents and make them presents and cards. It gave the residents a kick, and the kids learned a lesson about how cool older people can be.
When she won the Miss Holmen title as a senior, Smaby made Connecting Generations her platform and as part of that organized her first Intergenerational Fair at the Holmen American Legion.
The next year she moved it to the Amie Mathy Center Boys & Girls Club space on the Viterbo University campus, where she is attending college. She planned to hold it there again this year in February, but water from a broken fire sprinkler destroyed the floor, forcing Smaby to start scrambling to find a new place and date that worked for all of the many people now involved in the Intergenerational Fair.
“God threw a little curve ball at me,” Smaby said. “I was really saddened by the news.”
Still, she was determined to keep the Intergenerational Fair going and found a new home for it at La Crosse Logan High School, at least for this year.
Although this is the third year for the Intergenerational Fair, it’s far from old hat for Smaby. “I get so excited when I get a new project, and it’s still a new project to me because it just keeps growing,” she said.
Last year there were 600 registered participants at the Intergenerational Fair and this year she’s hoping for 800.
The Intergenerational Fair is meant to be both fun and informative, with entertainment and demonstrations augmented by booths offering information about a wide variety of topics.
This year, Smaby said, there are more than 40 participants with booths, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Bronston Chiropractic, Causeway, the Children’s Museum of La Crosse, Community Preventive Care, Coulee Clown Club, Cowgill Dental, Gifted Hands/La Crosse County Aging Group, Misty’s Dance Unlimited, MVP Golf Academy, Oktoberfest, Rotary International, Simply Entree and a lot more.
The Big Brothers Big Sisters organization is a perfect fit with Smaby’s mission of connecting generations.
“There are so many kids who don’t have grandparents, don’t have mentors, and Big Brothers Big Sisters can help with that. I would love to see more of that,” said Smaby, who will compete in her third Miss Wisconsin Pageant in June, this time as Miss Prairie Shores.
Entertainment will be provided by Nicklaus Martial Arts America, Misty’s Dance Unlimited, Clog Jam, the Apple Annies and the Connecting Generations dancers.
Admission is free, and there’s free food and beverages and “awesome door prizes.”
Smaby encourages youngsters without grandparents in town to adopt an elderly neighbor and invite them to come take part in the festivities, which will include a craft table this year where old and young can work on projects together.
AT A GLANCE
n ADMISSION: Free
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