Tell City’s Schergens Center at 1140 31st Street Hosts Frequent Community Events

The Schergens Center at 1140 31st St in Tell City is serving as a steady hub for community gatherings, hosting workforce outreach, hobbyist shows and other public events that connect residents to jobs, services and local commerce. Recent listings show the center staged a Jobapalooza hosted by SWIN Workforce with WorkOne Southwest and Pick Perry and is the scheduled site of the Tell City Gun Show on Mar. 7–8, 2026.

Pick Perry’s Jobapalooza listing notes the event ran from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., was free to the public, and offered free food for the first 50 attendees along with gas card giveaways, with employers and service providers on hand. The Tell City Gun Show listing identifies Perry County FOP #137 as the host, sets general admission at $5 (children under 12 free), charges $40 per 8-foot dealer table and schedules dealer setup Friday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. CST. The gun show page carries the reminder that “All federal and local firearm laws and ordinances must be obeyed,” and cautions that show dates and times can change.

Users who attended past gun shows at the center left mixed feedback about venue conditions while noting successful transactions. One reviewer wrote, “Lighting was a problem. You couldn’t read the tags. Maybe they were trying to save energy. Not bad for a $5 show.” Another noted, “Agree, lighting was terrible, but it was very good, small show. Bought a very nice gun and sold a nice one that I wasn’t using. I hope to go there again.” Those comments underscore operational details - lighting, layout and vendor accommodations - that affect both attendee experience and vendor income.

The Schergens Center is identified in Tell City’s planning materials as one of the city’s “key Anchor Institutions / Community Centers,” alongside City Hall and Tell City Depot, and the municipal plan highlights a broader need to update and expand community buildings. The plan states that “Community buildings and services need updated and/or expanded, this includes updates to city Hall, creating a Senior Center, and developing a new conference center/events venue,” and notes interest in a building that “could hold large gatherings and events.” Those planning priorities frame demand for larger or modernized facilities as Tell City works to diversify its local economy and retain resident workers.

Public health and equity dimensions are clear: free job fairs and giveaways help low-income residents access employment and offset transportation costs, but limited giveaways and questions about accessibility, parking, lighting and ventilation could leave some residents left out. The venue’s public listing references a large hall/dance floor, a meeting room, rental rates and kitchen/catering accommodations, but published numeric capacities and detailed rental terms are not included in the public listings available; such details matter for organizers planning services, food distribution and accessibility for older adults and people with disabilities.

For residents, the Schergens Center will remain a practical place to find work, services and community connection while the city weighs longer-term investments. Expect continued programming there even as Tell City’s planning conversations advance about upgraded parks, a potential conference center and stronger support for workforce diversification.