This year’s Oceanside Senior Citizens Day Expo will pay homage to a truly special guest: John Finn, the last surviving Medal of Honor winner from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Be sure to mark your calendar for this 8th Annual Expo, to be held Saturday, October 8, at the Civic Center Plaza from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is sponsored by the City’s Senior Commission and the Oceanside Senior Center. Senior residents, their families and friends of all ages are invited to attend.

At age 93, honoree John Finn is a bundle of energy and has been known to regale audiences with war tales, anecdotes and pertinent asides for hours at a time. This he did last June in Honolulu when he was keynote speaker at the 109th Anniversary of Navy Chief Petty Officers at the Hickam Officers Club.

John’s heroism is astounding. He was the first Medal of Honor recipient in World War II, is the oldest living Medal of Honor holder from any war, and the last surviving Medal of Honor winner from December 7, 1941. He is also the only known recipient to have survived two Japanese attacks. (He was in China in 1932 when Japan attacked Shanghai.)

In addition to meeting John, visitors to the Expo will enjoy music for listening and dancing by popular Jay Wimmer and the Big Band All-Stars. Emcee for the day will be FoxNews6 anchorperson Estha Trouw.

Other entertainment will include presentations by tap dancers, hula dancers and line dancers from the Senior Center. Health screenings will be provided by North County Health Services and include cholesterol and glucose testing, blood pressure, and general health checks. Flu shots will be given, if available, in the Community Rooms.

Raffle prizes for $1 a chance will be offered all day, along with over 100 great free door prizes. The plaza will be filled with booths offering information on subjects of interest to seniors and others, including health issues, recreation, retirement planning, leisure activities and travel.

No Expo is complete without food, and vendors will be there offering an assortment of goodies and refreshments.

To top the day off, seniors 65 and older are invited to browse through the current exhibit at the Oceanside Museum of Art with no charge.