Mannion to host Onondaga County Senior Fair at OCC this May

Older residents looking for help with housing, health and other services will have a single stop at Onondaga Community College this Wednesday, when U.S. Rep. John W. Mannion will host the Onondaga County Senior Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at SRC Arena, 4585 W. Seneca Turnpike in Syracuse.

Mannion’s House website lists the gathering as a congressional event, and his office says the fair is meant to connect older residents with information and services. For seniors who often have to chase answers across separate offices, that kind of face-to-face access can matter as much as the programs themselves. Onondaga County Public Libraries staff also are scheduled to be on hand at the Onondaga County Public Libraries table.

Mannion represents New York’s 22nd Congressional District, which includes all of Onondaga County. The fair continues an annual Central New York tradition that Mannion helped carry from his time in the state Senate, where he described it as “one-stop shopping” for seniors. A previous version of the event at SRC Arena on Sept. 10, 2024, ran from 9 a.m. to noon and drew about 100 organizations, underscoring how many agencies and vendors use the fair as a shared outreach day.

That scale matters for families trying to help an older parent stay independent, stretch a fixed income, or sort out the right office to call first. The fair has been billed as a place where seniors can connect with health, housing, employment and other resources in one place rather than making multiple trips or phone calls. For Onondaga County’s older adults, the practical value is not the venue itself, but the chance to leave SRC Arena with concrete names, services and next steps in hand.