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. Monday from 1 to 3 pm the mini-bus will go to Sand Hill Plaza. Fridays, the bus will alternate going to Danbury Fair Mall and to Berkshire Shopping Plaza. Cost is 60 cents each way for the Sand Hill Plaza trip, 75 cents 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 July 30-August 3

The next BLOOD PRESSURE CHECK at Newtown Senior Center will be on Thursday, August 9, at noon. Please note this is a new time.

Join us on Wednesday, August 22, for ENERGY BINGO, starting at 1 pm. A representative from CL&P will be at the center will special themed games, prizes, and energy tips. Call 270-4310.

It’s casino time again! Join us for a trip to MOHEGAN SUN in Uncasville on Thursday, August 23. We’ll be leaving the senior center at 8 am. Cost is $21 for this trip, which includes $10 in food coupons, two $5 matches, bus transportation and a tip for the drive.

“THE COLORS OF FALL,” another just-announced trip, will be a day trip to enjoy New England’s foliage on Wednesday, September 19. We’ll leave the senior center at 7 am, with a coffee stop en route, and travel to beautiful northern Massachusetts and Vermont for a look at the colors of fall. Our first stop will be at Magic Wings Butterfly & Garden, which is an indoor garden where you can reach out and be touched by a butterfly! There will be time to browse the art gallery and gift shop. Next is lunch at The Deerfield Inn (choices are baked scrod with lobster sauce or grilled ribeye steak with mushroom bordelaise), followed by a 45-minute cruise on The Belle of Brattleboro, a 1920’s style riverboat out of Vermont. Enjoy the view along the Connecticut river, especially some of the fiels and farms of New Hampshire and Vermont. The day wraps up with a stop on our way home at Old Deerfield Country Store.

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REMINDERS: 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.

Join us Wednesday, August 8, for a HAWAIIAN LUAU. Bill Michaels from Club Getaway will be at the senior center to entertain everyone. Call the center, 270-4310, to sign up for the event.

NEW HORIZONS meets the first Tuesday of the month at 3 pm. The next meeting will be on August 7.

Debbie Kenyon is now leading the EXERCISE CLASS on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 10 am. The classes are vigorous yet gentle, with lots of stretches. Participants will be encouraged to go at their own rate and will finish feeling refreshed, invigorated and with more energy. Come join the fun.

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.

Please note we have CHANGED the day and time for TONY IVEY’S CRAFTS CLASSES. The group will now be meeting each Wednesday at 10 am, effective August 1. New projects will be started weekly.

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

YOGA CLASSES HAVE BEEN EXPANDED at Newtown Senior Center. Join Helen Herbold on Monday afternoons at 1 as well as Thursday mornings at 10 am. Helen specializes in hatha yoga, a gentle type of yoga can be practiced by anyone at any age and state of health. Benefits include improvements in flexibility, circulation, concentration, balance, tension and even your internal organs. Bring a mat or towel to lie on and wear loose clothing (no belts; sweats are perfect).

THE BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP meets the first Wednesday of the month from 2 to 3 pm. The next meeting, therefore, is August 1 and we will be talking about The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver.

We have started our CHORUS GROUP again. Join us at the senior center each Thursday afternoon at 1 pm. Join us, too, if you play the piano.

The QUILTING CLASS meets every Friday at 10 am.

The advanced MAH JONGG group will continue to play at 9 am on Fridays, and now a beginner’s group will be starting. The group will also play on Fridays, at 1 pm, and will begin July 20. Call the senior center if you think you might like to learn how to play and join either group.

Details concerning TRIPS FOR NEWTOWN SENIORS are available at the senior center. The following is basic information for upcoming offerings. Visit the senior center for full itineraries and reservations. Also please remember that all trips must be paid for with ten working days of when you sign up for a trip.

Contact or visit the senior center concerning details on “THIMBLE ISLANDS AND SHORELINE,” Wednesday, August 15, which includes a trip onboard Sea Mist, lunch at The Chowder Pot III, followed by a visit to the Shoreline Trolley Museum and a scenic trolley ride. Cost is $54 per person.

Another trip is HAWAIIAN LUAU AT MT HAVEN RESORT on Wednesday, September 5. Cost is $56 per person, which includes breakfast buffet, games of Bingo, shopping, outdoor activities, a live Hawaiian show, and more.

Trips are also being scheduled to BERMUDA AND NASHVILLE in September, NEW MEXICO in October, and a trip to FRANCE in November.

Menu For Week Of July 30-August 3

Reservations must be made three days in advance.

Meals are subject to change.

Meals include low-fat milk and margarine.

Monday: Beef patty on roll, sautéed onions, green bean salad, pound cake w/ berries & topping;

Tuesday: Grilled chicken, Caesar salad, pasta salad, whole wheat bread, lemon pudding w/ topping.

Wednesday through Friday: The menu for August is not yet available, so contact the senior center for the remaining lunch menus for this week.

Activities Schedule, July 30-August 3

Monday: AM Pinochle, Bridge, art class; PM yoga, HMO help (by appointment);

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

Wednesday: AM line dancing, Pinochle, craft classes; PM Bingo, Social Services help with applications;

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

Friday: AM advanced mah jongg, sewing, quilting; PM knitting (beginner’s mah jongg group begins July 20, afternoons).

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