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 May 23-27

*A reminder this week that the senior center will be CLOSED on Monday, May 30, in observance of MEMORIAL DAY.

*Mark your calendars: The annual Newtown Senior Center Picnic will be on Thursday, June 23, from 10 am to 3 pm. Join us for a fun outing at Dickinson Park. We’ll be there rain or shine.

Cost is $5 per person, which includes hot-off-the-grill hot dogs and hamburgers, cole slaw, macaroni salad, baked beans and watermelon. Bring a dessert to share.

*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 pr person/twin, $199/triple or $269/single. Enjoy reserved seats at Saratoga Racetrack, an excusion 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.

This Week’s Programs

*The next TRIAD S.A.L.T. COUNCIL MEETING will be Thursday, May 26, at 3:30 pm. Please call the senior center if you are unable to attend.

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REMINDERS: The next AARP 55 ALIVE DRIVING COURSE in Newtown will be Monday and Tuesday, June 13-14. The class will be from 9 am until 1 pm each day and you must attend both days in order to receive credit for the course.

Pre-registration is required, and space is limited to 25 people. Call the senior center to sign up.

*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.

*Back by popular demand: ETHEL KAUFMAN is at the senior center every Monday at 1 pm to lead a CHORUS GROUP. Come enjoy some festive music with your friends.

*A new series of COMPUTER CLASSES are being offered on Mondays and Tuesdays from 3 to 4:30 pm. All levels of computer users are welcome.

This class will deal with email, Word and the Internet. Stop in for details.

*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!

*On the second, third and fourth (and fifth, when applicable) Tuesdays of each month, FLORAL ARRANGING workshops will meet with Marianne Imhoff. These sessions will begin at 1 pm. Please call to sign up.

*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 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.

*UPCOMING TRIPS for Newtown senior citizens include an Ace in The Hole lunch-theater production of VIVA LAS VEGAS on Wednesday, May 25 (departure is 9 am, and cost is $69 per person); something called “LOBSTER & LIVE MUSIC” at The Log Cabin on Wednesday, June 8, featuring live music by the nationally acclaimed band Eight To The Bar ($73 per person, 8 am departure); THE ADIRONDACKS, June 21-23, including overnight accommodations at The Queensbury Hotel and a tour of Saratoga Springs among other highlights, $229 per person/double; and a STATE OF LIBERTY AND ELLIS ISLAND outing on Wednesday, June 29 ($77, departure at 7:30 am).

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 May 23-27

Reservations must be made one or two days in advance.

Meals are subject to change.

Monday, May 23: Beer battered fish with tartar sauce, and tater tots with ketchup OR Chicken salad on Portuguese roll with lettuce and tomato, dinner roll, oatmeal cookie;

Tuesday, May 24: Stuffed pepper, mashed potatoes, diced carrots, rye bread, butterscotch pudding with topping;

Wednesday: Escarole bean soup, unsalted crackers, chef salad (ham, turkey, egg wedge, lettuce and tomato) with French dressing, club roll, fresh fruit;

Thursday: Pot roast with gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, French green beans, whole wheat bread, birthday cake;

Friday: Memorial Day Special – Foot long hot dog with roll and chili, mustard, potato salad, pickle, apple pie.

Also, for planning ahead—

Monday: No lunch today. The senior center will be closed in observance of Memorial Day.

Tuesday, May 31: Cheese lasagna, Parmesan cheese, Caesar salad with dressing and croutons, soft breadstick, vanilla pudding with fruit topping.

Activities Schedule, May 23-27

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

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

Wednesday: AM Pinochle, exercise; PM Bingo;

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

Friday: AM advanced mah jongg, sewing, quilting, health screenings (by appointment only); 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.