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 June 9-13

*OUR ANNUAL PICNIC at Dickinson Park is coming up quickly! This year’s big event will be on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, from 11 am to 3 pm. Mark your calendar and save the date.

Cost is $4 per person, which will take care of your lunch – plenty of hamburgers, hot dogs, salads and soft drinks will be served. We are asking for help with snacks and desserts. Bring a lawn chair, your sunglasses, playing cards and a big smile, and be ready to a fun-filled day with friends.

This Week’s Programs

REMINDERS: 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.

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

*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.

*Marilyn’s at it again – Grab your walking shoes and catch up with her for WEEKLY WALKS AT FAIRFIELD HILLS each Monday at 10 am. She starts each week from Newtown House.

*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).

*If getting exercise indoors is more your thing, visit the senior center on Mondays at 10 am for CHAIR EXERCISE WITH DEBBIE. This new exercise class is a low impact class. We will target seniors who may not have exercised in a while as well as those who would like a new way to achieve upper body stretching.

*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.

*Attention gentlemen: For those who are interested in playing cards and/or catching up on current events, join our new GENTLEMEN’S CLUB each Monday at 3 pm.

*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.

*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.

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

*The revival of THE GOLDEN NOTES CHORUS: If you are interested in singing and/or if you play a musical instrument then join us on Thursdays from 3 to 4 pm for The Golden Notes Chorus. Call Marilyn with any questions.

*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.

*On Thursday, June 19, join us for Part Four of our health EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM “ELDER CARE OPTIONS.” Call the senior center to sign up for this informative event.

*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.

*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.

*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. Contact the senior center to sign up for this trip.

* We will be heading to WESTCHESTER DINNER THEATRE on Wednesday, July 23, for lunch and a performance of Smokey Joe’s Café. Cost is $63 per person and departure is scheduled for 9:30 am. There is limited seating, so call soon to reserve your spot.

Menu For Week of  June 9-13

Reservations must be made three days in advance.

Meals are subject to change.

Monday: Spaghetti and meatballs, Parmesean cheese, garlic bread, vanilla pudding with fruit topping;

Tuesday: Chef salad (ham, turkey, egg wedge, lettuce and tomato) with French dressing, Portuguese roll, chocolate chip cookie;

Wednesday: Lemon chicken quarter, rice pilaf, peas and carrots, biscuit, pineapple juice, diet Jell-O with topping;

Thursday: Cream of carrot soup, unsalted crackers, southern braded fish, tartar sauce, O’Brien potatoes, green beans with garlic, oatmeal bread, fresh fruit;

Friday: Pepper steak, mashed potatoes, broccoli-cauliflower medley, whole wheat bread, Father’s Day cake.

Activities Schedule, June 9-16

Monday: AM Pinochle, Bridge, art class, walking group (at Newtown House, Fairfield Hills), chair exercise class; PM yoga, sewing (RSVP volunteers), HMO help (by appointment), Gentlemen’s Club;

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), The Golden Notes Chorus;

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.