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 Wal*Mart 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.

This Week’s Programs

*Meteorologist Art Horn, from WVIT-TV/Channel 30, will be at the Newtown senior center on Wednesday, July 6, at 1 pm, with “ART HORN’S WEATHER SHOW: SEASON OF THE SUN.”

The show is about the different kinds of weather we get here in Connecticut during the warmer months and why. In the show Mr Horn will talk about the sun and how it formed, how it affects our weather, and how the sun affects us individually.

A slide show will be presented that will provide insight into why the weather behaves so differently during the warm season.

The slide show will last approximately 40 minutes, and will be followed by a question and answer session.

News For Week of June 4-8

*Due to the Independence Day holiday, please remember that the SENIOR CENTER will be CLOSED on Monday, JULY 4. Our full schedule of programs and lunch will resume on Tuesday.

*On Tuesday, JULY 5, join us for the MONTHLY POTLUCK DINNER. Come join us from 4 to 6 pm to share a variety of delicious entrees while meeting and making new acquaintances.

*The Newtown Senior Center TRIAD Council and Newtown Police Department will co-host a SUMMER ICE CREAM SOCIAL, called “Let’s Lick Crime,” on Wednesday, July 13, starting at 1 at the senior center.

This event will celebrate TRIAD’s third anniversary and also introduce its newest program: The Safety Light Stick Program. There will be information on Newtown’s crime prevention efforts, senior services, the SA.L.T. Council, surrounding town’s TRIAD representatives and even the state TRIAD coordinator, town officials, TRIAD’s Yellow Dot Program, and information on the Beacon Light Program.

There will also be raffles, handouts, prizes, and of course, plenty of strawberry, vanilla and chocolate ice cream.

*Join us for BEAT THE HEAT BINGO on Wednesdays, July 20 and 27.

Too hot for you outside? Come in for lunch at noon (don’t forget to make an advance reservation) and then join us for some great games of Bingo.

*Recently announced trips available for Newtown’s senior citizens include a DAY TRIP to NEWPORT, R.I., on Thursday, July 14.

Cost is $69 per person and departure is 7 am, with a coffee stop en route. Enjoy a visit to Elms Mansion on Bellevue Island, lunch at The Atlantic Beach Club (right on the beach! Choices are baked, stuffed scrod or chicken deluxe), and a post-lunch cruise to Goat Island and a one-hour narrated tour onboard one of Viking Boat Line’s ships.

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REMINDERS: Pat Babbage is teaching EXERCISE classes on Monday and Wednesday mornings. Classes begin at 10:30 am.

*HATHA YOGA classes are offered on Monday and Thursday mornings at 10. Try a class with Helen Herbold 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.

*Lynn Flanders is teaching COUNTRY-WESTERN LINE DANCING each Tuesday morning from 10:30 until 11:30. Cost for each class is $1. Lynn has a unique style and she’s full of energy – come join the fun!

*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.

*Anyone interested in learning HOW TO PLAY MAH JONGG? Lessons will be given on Thursday mornings at 10 am.

*REGULAR MAH JONGG PLAYERS are reminded that the advanced group plays at 9 am on Fridays.

*QUILTING CLASS meets on Fridays at 10 am.

*Municipal Agent 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 your 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.

*Not doing anything in early August? Why not spend a few days on a SARATOGA RACING TRIP?

Newtown seniors are invited for an overnight trip to one of the Northeast’s premier destinations, Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Cost is $209 per person/twin, $199/triple or $269/single. Enjoy reserved seats at Saratoga Racetrack, an excursion to the summit of prospect Mountain, a narrated cruise of Lake George and an overnight stay at Queensbury Hotel.

Visit the senior center for full details or to make a reservation.

*UPCOMING TRIPS include ANYTHING GOES at Westchester Broadway Theatre on Friday, July 8 ($68 per person, departure at 9:30).

*In the fall a trip is also in the works for FALMOUTH AND MARTHA’S VINEYARD, September 7-9, including a cruise on the Cape Cod Canal and overnight accommodations at The Shoreline Acres Resort ($369/single, $469/double or $359/triple).

Stop by the senior center for a full listing of this year’s trips, and details for any of the outings.

Menu For Week of July 4-8

Reservations must be made one or two days in advance.

Meals are subject to change.

Monday, July 4: No lunch today (the senior center will be closed for Independence Day).

Tuesday: Spaghetti with meatballs, Parmesan cheese, tossed salad with Italian dressing, garlic bread, Italian ice;

Wednesday: Chicken gumbo soup, unsalted crackers, stuffed salmon with dill sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans with garlic, whole wheat bread OR roast beef sandwich on whole wheat bread, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato, macaroni salad, watermelon;

Thursday: Turkey a la king, rice, biscuit, carrots, grape juice, butterscotch pudding with topping;

Friday: Virginia ham with pineapple glaze, scalloped potatoes, peas, rye bread, apricots.

Also, for planning ahead—

Monday, July 11: Stuffed cabbage, buttered noodles, mixed vegetables, wheat dinner roll, pineapple tidbits;

Tuesday, July 12: Honey roasted chicken, baked sweet potato, cauliflower-broccoli mix, rye bread, ice cream cup.

Activities Schedule, July 4-8

Monday: AM Bridge, yoga, exercise; PM chorus group;

Tuesday: AM Pinochle, country-western line dancing; PM bowling (at Brookfield Lanes), potluck dinner;

Wednesday: AM Pinochle, exercise; PM “Art Horn’s Weather Show”;

Thursday: AM Pinochle, hatha yoga class, Municipal Agent visits, mah jongg lessons; PM bowling (at Brookfield Lanes), TRIAD/Yellow Dot photos taken, Annual Picnic (at Dickinson Park);

Friday: AM advanced mah jongg, sewing, quilting; PM 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.