Services for Newtown seniors are sponsored by the Commission on Aging and are available at the Multi-Purpose Building on Riverside Road in Sandy Hook. For more information about programs offered at the Senior Center call 270-4310.

For information on federal, state and community resources available to seniors, call 270-4330 or 270-4315.

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 60¢ 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 March 17-21

*Larry Ace will return to Newtown Senior Center on Wednesday, March 26, for AN AFTERNOON OF MUSIC AND FUN. Call the center to sign up for this fun event.

*THE DANBURY CELL MATES will be visiting us on Thursday, March 27, at 1 pm, for an afternoon of music and fun. Call the senior to reserve a seat for this fun event.

*“Sugar and Song” at SALEM CROSS INN is a trip being planned for Thursday, April 3. Departure is 7:30 am and the cost is $65. Join us as we visit Hyland Orchard & Brewery for an old-fashioned sugar tour and microbrewery. A full luncheon at The Salem Cross Inn, complete with show and singalong, is included. Contact the senior center to sign up.

*Also new in the trips itinerary is an Ace In The Hole presentation, THE POLISH FESTIVAL, on Wednesday, April 30. Departure for this trip is 8:30 am, and cost is $67. Join us for the unforgettable Jan Lewan Show, dancing and singing all day, and a lunch including offerings of kielbasa and sauerkraut, chicken paprikas, pierogies and all the trimmings. This was a huge success last year, so we’re suggesting that anyone interested sign up quickly, before all the seats are accounted for.

This Week’s Programs

*The Danbury Visiting Nurse Association, in cooperation with Newtown Senior Center, is inviting all area seniors to attend a HEALTH EDUCATION SERIES this spring. The first program in the series will be “Diabetes Care and Management” and is scheduled for Wednesday, March 19, at 1 pm.

Watch for details on other programs in this series. Call the senior center to register.

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REMINDERS: NEW HORIZONS, a support group for widows and widowers, usually meets at the senior center on the first Tuesday of each month. The next meeting will be on April 1 at 3 pm.

*AARP INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE is available at the senior center each Monday until April 7. Appointments are a must and will be available between 9 am and noon each week. Call the senior center to make an appointment.

*THE AARP 55-ALIVE DRIVING COURSE is returning the weekends of April 14-15 and May 12-13. You must attend both days in the session you sign up for in order to receive credit for the course. There is limited seating, as the course will be presented at the senior center this year. Call us to sign up.

*The RSVP volunteers continue to work on CHEMO CAPS for cancer patients and can still use donations of stretchy/poly material. If you have any material to spare, please visit the senior center to donate it.

*We can always use, year-round, donations of material and yarn.

*Our SEWING CLASS is currently working on chemo caps, totes for cancer patients, and trach bibs. If you are interested in helping with this project, please join us on Mondays at 1 pm.

*We are always updating the SENIOR CENTER’S BIRTHDAY LIST. Call 270-4310 so that we may wish you well on your next big day.

*NEED HELP WITH MEDICARE? A HICAP/CHOICES volunteer is here on Monday afternoons from 1 to 2 pm by appointment only. There is no charge for this service. Come in and talk to someone who can give you good answers, to help with problems and/or changes. Call the center to make an appointment. To talk to a CHOICES representative at any time, call 800/944-9422.

*Ann Piccini from Social Services is at the senior center each Wednesday to HELP WITH APPLICATIONS including CONNPACE, MEDICAL, TITLE 19, REDETERMINATIONS, etc. No appointment is necessary. Ann will be here each week from 10 am to noon.

*HATHA YOGA CLASSES are Monday afternoons at 1 as well as Thursday mornings at 10. Bring a mat or towel to lie on and wear loose clothing (no belts; sweats are perfect).

*EXERCISE CLASSES on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 10 am are vigorous yet gentle, with lots of stretches. The class incorporates resistance band work with some low-impact cardio and lots of stretches. Participants are encouraged to go at their own rate and finish feeling refreshed, invigorated and with more energy.

*Join Marilyn on Tuesdays at 1:30 for AFTERNOON CRAFTS.

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

*Join us at the senior center each Thursday afternoon for CHORUS GROUP at 1 pm. Join us, too, if you play the piano.

*QUILTING CLASS meets on Fridays at 10 am.

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

*Booklets outlining DAY TRIPS FOR 2003 sponsored by the senior center, from week-long overseas excursions to day trips within the region, are now available. Stop by and pick one up. Please remember that all trips must be paid for with ten working days of when you sign up for a trip.

Menu For Week of March 17-21

Reservations must be made three days in advance.

Meals are subject to change.

Monday: Corned beef with mustard, cabbage, boiled potato, carrots, rye bread, pistachio pudding with topping;

Tuesday: Veal parmesan, rotini and sauce, tossed salad with ranch dressing, Italian bread, fruit cup;

Wednesday: Meatloaf with gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, oatmeal bread, diet fruited Jell-O with topping;

Thursday: Sliced steak with gravy, O’Brien potatoes, carrot coins, rye bread, peanut butter chip cookie;

Friday: Lentil soup, unsalted crackers, stuffed salmon with rosemary cream sauce, rice pilaf, vegetable medley, dinner roll, fresh fruit.

Activities Schedule, March 17-21

Monday: AM Pinochle, Bridge, art class, AARP income tax help (by appointment); PM yoga, sewing (RSVP volunteers), HMO help (by appointment);

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

Wednesday: AM line dancing, Pinochle, Social Services help with applications; PM “Diabetes Care & Management” program;

Thursday: AM exercise, Pinochle, yoga; PM crafts, bowling (at Brookfield Lanes), chorus group, Collette Vacations presentation;

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

 Remember, you must call three days in advance to book a meal or a ride, 270-4310; the Senior Bus, 748-2511.