Senior services for Newtown seniors are available at the Multi-Purpose Building on Riverside Road in Sandy Hook. The Senior Center is under the auspices of The Commission on Aging. The center is run by the Senior Services Director, Marilyn Place. For more information about programs offered at the Senior Center call 270-4310.

You may drop in at the Senior Center on Riverside Road in Sandy Hook weekdays between 10 am and 4 pm. A hot meal is served at noon for which you must reserve three days in advance.

Newtown has daily door-to-door mini-bus service Monday through Friday. Buses also run all day from the senior center to Sand Hill Plaza. On Fridays, the bus alternates between rides to Danbury Fair Mall and Berkshire Plaza in Danbury (to the new Wal*Mart store on Route 6). Cost is 65¢ each way for the Sand Hill Plaza trip, 75¢ each way for out of town. Call 748-2511 TWO DAYS IN ADVANCE to book a ride and get the out-of-town Friday schedule.

News For Week of January 10-14

*We have an OPENING FOR AN ART TEACHER. The senior center is looking for someone who can lead our seniors on the part of painting with acrylics and oils. Classes are held on Mondays at 1; call Marilyn for details or an interview appointment.

*Why not brush up on your Spanish or try something new? The senior center will begin offering SPANISH LESSONS. Classes will be limited to just eight people, and there will be a small fee involved. Call for information or to sign up.

*A DAY TRIP in February will take Newtown seniors from Sandy Hook to Westchester Broadway Theatre, where you can enjoy songs about St Louis.

Details about an outing on Thursday, February 3, to enjoy lunch and a showing of Meet Me In St Louis are available at the senior center. Cost is $68 per person, departure will be at 9:30 am, and there are just 54 seats available – come in soon!

*OVERNIGHT TRIPS in 2005 include January 19-20 in ATLANTIC CITY, March 5-13 in COSTA DEL SOL AND MADRID, and a May trip to GEORGIA AND SOUTH CAROLINA. Stop by the senior center for full details.

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REMINDERS: Has it been a while since you’ve played BRIDGE? Would you like to learn how? Stop by the senior center any Monday at 10 am for a game or two.

*EXERCISE CLASSES: The senior center has different forms of exercise classes available. Why not stop by and find a class that fits your needs?

YOGA classes are offered on Monday and Thursday mornings at 10. Try a class to get rid of stress and anxiety while learning to breathe correctly. Bring a mat or towel to lie on and wear loose clothing (no belts; sweats are perfect). Also learn how to use all the muscles in your body through relaxation.

Pat Babbage has returned following a two-year absence. Pat is teaching exercise classes on Monday and Wednesday mornings – just in time for the holidays! Classes begin at 10:30 am.

*ART CLASSES are Monday afternoons at 1.

*Join Mary Ann Imhoff each Tuesday at 1 pm for FLORAL ARRANGING SESSIONS. Call the senior center for details or to sign up.

*AFTERNOON CRAFTS are offered Tuesdays at 1:30.

*Join us at BROOKFIELD LANES each Tuesday and Thursday for a great time bowling. We meet at noon; the cost is $1.25 per game.

*CHORUS GROUP meets each Thursday at 1. Pianists are also invited.

*Lynn Flanders has begun teaching COUNTRY-WESTERN LINE DANCING on Thursday afternoons beginning at 1:30. Cost for each class is $1. Lynn has a unique style and she’s full of energy – come join the fun!

*MAH JONGG players have two opportunities on Fridays. The advanced group plays at 9 am, and a beginner’s group plays at 1.

*QUILTING CLASS meets on Fridays at 10 am.

*ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: Newtown Social Services has begun accepting heating applications for deliverable fuels for oil, propane and kerosene. Assistance is for deliveries continues through March 31.

Applications for YankeeGas and CL&P are also being taken.

Contact Municipal Agent Ann Piccini at 270-4330 for more information.

*ANN PICCINI VISITS the senior center on Thursday mornings from 10 until noon to help with Conn Pace, medical information and Title 19 issues you may be having. Call ahead or just stop in to talk with someone who can help you figure you way through these sometimes confusing subjects.

If you can’t catch up with Ann during one of her visits at the senior center, try reaching her at her office at 3 Main Street (below the police department). Call her there at 270-4330.

*Also on Thursdays, Newtown’s seniors are invited to stop by between 2 and 3 pm to have their pictures taken and to fill out pertinent information that will be stored in the glovebox of your car, all of which is part of the new NEWTOWN YELLOW DOT PROGRAM.

This is a Triad Project that will help save lives, and it’s the first project of its kind in our state. The project consists of an information card and a yellow dot sticker that is affixed to your car window. In the event of an emergency, first responders can identify the vehicle as being part of the Yellow Dot Program and will look for the information in an envelope inside your car, saving time and supplying life saving information. The project is a partnership between the community’s senior citizens, People’s Bank and Newtown Police Department.

Menu For Week of January 10-14

Reservations must be made one or two days in advance.

Meals are subject to change.

Monday, January 10: Orange glazed chicken quarter, rice pilaf, spinach, oatmeal bread, stewed prunes;

Tuesday, January 11: Split pea soup, unsalted crackers, quiche Lorraine, carrots, dinner roll, fresh fruit;

Wednesday: Roast pork loin with gravy, roasted rosemary red potatoes, peas and onions, rye bread, diet fruited Jell-O with topping;

Thursday: Meatloaf with gravy, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, pumpernickel bread, vanilla pudding with topping;

Friday: Fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, biscuit, sweet potato pie with topping.

Activities Schedule, January 10-14

Monday: AM Bridge, yoga, exercise; PM art class;

Tuesday: AM Pinochle; PM bowling (at Brookfield Lanes), floral arranging;

Wednesday: AM Pinochle, line dancing, senior fitness tests, exercise; PM Bingo;

Thursday: AM Pinochle, hatha yoga class, Municipal Agent visits; PM bowling (at Brookfield Lanes), TRIAD/Yellow Dot photos taken;

Friday: AM advanced mah jongg, sewing, quilting; PM beginner’s mah jongg, knitting.

 Remember, you must call at least one day in advance to book a meal or a ride, 270-4310; the Senior Bus, 748-2511.