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 the new Wal*Mart store on 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.

News For Week of

December 6-10

*This year’s SENIOR CENTER COOKIE SWAP will be on Tuesday, December 14.

Call the center to sign up. Go through your favorite recipes, bake up a batch of cookies and bring copies of your recipe to share. This is a great way to enjoy a variety of cookies and go home with Christmas memories.

*JERRY KING LIVE: Jerry and Peggy King will be at the senior center on Wednesday, December 15, for A Holiday Spectacular. The Kings will be accompanied by Annie Gross on piano. Please plan to join us for an hour of holiday music.

*We’ll be hosting CHRISTMAS BINGO on Thursday, December 16, at 1 pm. Come join your friends for this holiday party. We expect lots of fun, and a visit from Santa and Mrs Claus, plus some elves.

*SANTA will be RETURNING, along with children, on Wednesday, December 22, at 1 pm, for more visits.

*Finally this week, we have an OPENING FOR AN ART TEACHER. The senior center is looking for someone who can lead our seniors on the part of painting with acrylics and oils. Classes are held on Mondays at 1; call Marilyn for details or an interview appointment.

 

This Week’s Programs

*Come join Ann McGrath for a class on MAKING CHRISTMAS WREATHS & TREES using pinecones. This workshop will be on Tuesday, December 7; call for the time.

*Our next POT LUCK DINNER is coming up on December 7, from 4 to 6 pm. Grab bag gifts will be exchanged (there is a $10 limit). Call the senior center to sign up.

*It’s that time again! This year’s Newtown SENIOR CENTER HOLIDAY PARTY will be Thursday, December 9, from 11 am until 3 pm, at The Fireside Inn. Join us for live music and entertainment, gourmet buffet, and a raffle.

Tickets are $22 per person. Call the senior center to sign up.

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REMINDERS: 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 a game or two.

*EXERCISE CLASSES: The senior center has different forms of exercise classes available. Why not stop by and find a class that fits your needs?

YOGA classes are offered on Monday and Thursday mornings at 10. Try a class 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.

Pat Babbage has returned following a two-year absence. Pat is teaching exercise classes on Monday and Wednesday mornings – just in time for the holidays! Classes begin at 10:30 am.

*ART CLASSES are Monday afternoons at 1.

*Join Mary Ann Imhoff each Tuesday at 1 pm for FLORAL ARRANGING SESSIONS. Call the senior center for details or to sign up.

*AFTERNOON CRAFTS are offered Tuesdays at 1:30.

*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.

*CHORUS GROUP meets each Thursday at 1. Pianists are also invited.

*Lynn Flanders has begun teaching COUNTRY-WESTERN LINE DANCING on Thursday afternoons beginning at 1:30. Cost for each class is $1. Lynn has a unique style and she’s full of energy – come join the fun!

*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.

*ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: Newtown Social Services has begun accepting heating applications for deliverable fuels for oil, propane and kerosene. Assistance is for deliveries continues through March 31, 2005.

Applications for YankeeGas and CL&P will be taken starting January 1, 2005.

Contact Municipal Agent Ann Piccini at 270-4330 for more information.

*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 you 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.

Menu For Week of

December 6-10

Reservations must be made one or two days in advance.

Meals are subject to change.

Monday, December 6: Cranberry glazed chicken quarter, mashed potato, vegetable medley, pumpernickel bread, oatmeal raisin cookie;

Tuesday, December 7: Apple juice, stuffed salmon with rosemary cream sauce OR ham and cheese on croissant with mustard, stewed tomatoes, whole wheat bread, canned peaches;

Wednesday: Italian wedding soup, unsalted crackers, baked penne with cheese, tomato and basil, creamed spinach, Italian bread, fresh fruit;

Thursday (Hanukkah special): Pot roast with gravy, potato latkes, carrots, applesauce, rye bread, jelly donut;

Friday: Spaghetti and meatballs, broccoli, tossed salad with Caesar dressing and croutons, garlic bread, diet fruited Jell-O with topping.

Also, next week…

Monday, December 13: Cranberry juice, roast pork with gravy, roasted potatoes, wax and green beans, rye bread, chocolate pudding with topping;

Tuesday, December 14: New England clam chowder, unsalted crackers, French dip sandwich on grinder roll, mashed potatoes, fresh zucchini and yellow squash, raisins.

Activities Schedule,

December 6-10

Monday: AM Bridge, yoga, exercise; PM art class;

Tuesday: AM Pinochle; PM bowling (at Brookfield Lanes), floral arranging, pot luck dinner;

Wednesday: AM Pinochle, line dancing, senior fitness tests, exercise;

Thursday: AM Pinochle, hatha yoga class, Municipal Agent visits, annual holiday party (at Fireside Inn); PM bowling (at Brookfield Lanes), TRIAD/Yellow Dot photos taken, special diabetes clinic;

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