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 May 19-23

*Please note that the SENIOR CENTER WILL BE CLOSED on Monday, 26, for MEMORIAL DAY. We’ll be open and back on our regular programs and events schedule on Tuesday, May 27.

*OUR ANNUAL PICNIC at Dickinson Park will be on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, from 11 am to 3 pm. Mark your calendar and save the date. Further information to follow….

*Join us for a SIGHTSEEING CRUISE ABOARD THE SOUTHLAND on Wednesday, July 9. Departure is 7:45 am, and the cost is $58 per person. The bus will travel to Narragansett, R.I., and participants will then enjoy a narrated cruise while visiting Harbor of Refuge, seeing the historic Point Judith Lighthouse, the quaint villages of Jerusalem and Galiliee, and the many islands and inlets of Great Salt Pond. Lunch at The Coast Guard House (entrée choices are stuffed breast of chicken, London broil, or baked scrod) will be followed by last-minute shopping at Raspberry Junction in North Stonington, Conn. Contact the senior center to sign up for this trip.

*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 MARY MATERN’S BRIDGE GROUP.

*****************

REMINDERS: BILL MICHAELS’S “SPRING FLING” at the senior center has been rescheduled for Wednesday, May 28, at 1 pm. Please join us. Call to reserve a seat.

*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 June 3 at 3 pm.

*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.

*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.

*Day trips coming up include a June 4 outing to NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND. Departure is 7 am, and cost is $77 per person. Upon arrival in Newport you will board the Newport Train for a 90-minute ride, during which a hot and cold buffet lunch will be served. The afternoon will include a tour of Newport Vineyard – which will include a complimentary bottle of wine – and browsing and shopping at The Brick Marketplace. Call the senior center for details and to sign up.

*A day trip to LONG ISLAND is planned for June 25. Departure for that trip is 6:45 am, and cost is $73. This adventure will include a ferry trip across Orient Point, Long Island, with the first stop at Pindar Vineyards for a tour. Next is a visit to Soundview Inn for lunch (roasted half chicken or seafood au gratin are the entrée choices), then a guided tour of East End Maritime Museum, and then free time to enjoy the village of Greenport. Call the senior center to sign up for this trip.

Menu For Week of

May 19-23

Reservations must be made three days in advance.

Meals are subject to change.

Monday: Stuffed cabbage, mashed potatoes, green beans, soft breadstick, pears;

Tuesday: Buttercrumb-lemon fish, tartar sauce, Louisiana rice, vegetable rice, wheat bread, fresh fruit;

Wednesday: Garlic herb chicken quarter, herb stuffing and gravy, broccoli, oatmeal bread, tapioca pudding with topping;

Thursday: Sliced steak, mushroom gravy, boiled parsley potato, butternut squash, whole wheat bread, birthday cake;

Friday: Tomato soup, unsalted crackers, seafood salad, lettuce and three-bean salad, Portuguese roll, pineapple juice, blueberry pie.

Activities Schedule,

May 19-23

Monday: AM Pinochle, Bridge, art class; 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;

Thursday: AM exercise, Pinochle, yoga; PM crafts, bowling (at Brookfield Lanes);

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.