BeaconFest draws 2,000+ seniors for Colorado’s biggest celebration of age

2025 Grand Junction BeaconFest [30 Images] Click Any Image To Expand

At this year’s Grand Junction BeaconFest, more than 2,000 people poured into the Grand Junction Convention Center for a day full of entertainment, helpful resources and exciting giveaways at Colorado’s largest and funnest celebration of age!

Main stage entertainment kicked off with a lively performance by Peggy Malone, followed by the smooth Latin guitar of Javier de los Santos, the swinging hits of Wild Flight and the soulful vocals of Donny Morales.

Meanwhile, curious seniors filled our seminar rooms to hear from local experts on important topics like Medicare, fraud prevention, dental health, medical breakthroughs and paying for home care.

A highlight of the event was the presentation of our Volunteer of the Year Award. BEACON readers selected Elaine Taylor for her tireless work improving health access in the Grand Valley through the Good Samaritan Free Clinic of Western Colorado. Alongside her, 12 other exceptional volunteers were recognized on stage for their selfless contributions to local nonprofits.

As if the seminars, live entertainment and vendor booths weren’t enticing enough, attendees were excited for the chance to win door prizes every 30 minutes. We gave away everything from gift baskets and restaurant gift cards to rounds of golf, oil changes, bowling and movie passes. A big thank-you to the generous businesses that donated these prizes and helped make the drawings fun for everyone!

BeaconFest wouldn’t have been the same without the support of more than 100 vendors who set up booths, as well as our show sponsors:

Thank you to our incredible volunteers, talented entertainers and—most importantly—you, our guests, for attending BeaconFest and for reading the BEACON Senior News!

2025 Volunteer of the Year

Elaine Taylor, RN, was named this year’s Volunteer of the Year for her passion and dedication to improving health access in the Grand Valley. As volunteer executive director of the Good Samaritan Free Clinic of Western Colorado, Elaine created the clinic as a safety net for uninsured and underserved patients. “Elaine is the clinic’s volunteer backbone, prioritizing patient care above all else,” wrote her nominator.