This still from the video "How to Squeeze the Most Juice Out of Retirement," a TED talk with Riley Moynes, shows that the community connections at a Shared Interest Fair can be casual and fun.

ESCANABA — A first-of-its-kind event will be held at Bay College this evening: the “Shared Interest Fair.”

It invites residents to explore how thriving communities begin with both civic action and individual well-being, and is one way to participate in the National Week of Conversation. Hosting the event is Delta Chats, whose mission is “to bring representatives of non-profit/non-partisan groups together to learn information and skills that build common ground, foster connection, and encourage respectful exchanges of ideas.”

The intent of the fair is to foster communication and promote collective engagement in a number of areas — from whimsical to serious.

“The Shared Interest Fair has an overall theme of personal wellness and civic engagement, which is a very wide umbrella,” said Bradford Bender, an organizer. “I feel that our society would be better off in many ways if we could use more local resources to meet more local needs.”

He explained that the concept of the Shared Interest Fair was inspired by a TED talk given by Riley Moynes titled “”How to Squeeze the Most Juice Out of Retirement.”

By interviewing a number of retired people, Moynes “came up with a framework for how people can understand and avoid the pitfalls that come with aging and inevitable decline,” Bender explained. “People can lead exhilarating lives during their twilight years by finding  new purpose through service and strong community connections based on following what interests you love to do using what you already have to do it. People find each other and share that interest with other people in your community.”

Moynes and people in his video suggested fair booths offer topics like bicycling and maintenance, outdoor recreation and nature, book clubs, films, theater, music, card games, travel and more.

June Klees, an award-winning educator at Bay College, is an accomplished speaker, dialogue facilitator, workshop designer, writer and more. She serves as advisor for a student club called The Civic Corps, which “hosts intergenerational conversations and helps community organizations meet their civic missions.”

Through talking with Klees about her activities in politics, social studies, and civic engagement as a professor, Bender learned about Delta Chats, a group with similar mission to the Civic Corps but among a wider collective in the community.

“Personal ideologies should not cloud our shared humanity,” states deltachats.org. “The practice and improvement of having difficult conversations can have many community benefits, like: reducing anxiety and prejudice; building trust and empathy; generating better understanding of the perspectives of others; and more cohesive, results-oriented teams.”

The Shared Interest Fair will be held from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 7 in room 952 of the Joseph Heirman University Center (JHUC), located at 952 Danforth Rd. in Escanaba.