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

*The senior center will host an APPLE BAKING CONTEST on Thursday, September 22.

Cook or bake up your best apple recipe and plan to drop it off at the center by noon that day. Judging will take place at 1.

Come for lunch and stay to sample the goodies after the judges announce and award their prizes. Call for details and to sign up.

News For Week of

September 19-23

*FLU SHOT CLINICS have been scheduled at the senior center on Wednesday, October 5, and Tuesday, November 1.

The clinics will run from 10 am to noon, and appointments should be made in advance; call 270-4910 as soon as possible to set up yours. This clinic is for senior citizens and those who are at risk.

*Bingo on October 5 will be sponsored by HEALTHNET. Join us for some healthy snacks and fun.

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REMINDERS: ConnPace/MEDICARE PART D: If you do not understand the letters from Social Security pertaining to changes in Medicare Part D, call 270-4330 for help.

If you need help with your prescriptions and your income is less than $21,400 (single person) or $28,900 (couple), you should apply for ConnPace. You will still sign up for Medicare Part D and if you qualify for ConnPace, you will not pay the $37 monthly premium.

*Join us on Tuesday, September 27, at 1 pm, for a PERFORMANCE OF BARRYMORE by Richard Clark.

Attendees will enjoy a special performance depicting the life and times of John Barrymore, the original bad boy actor of the early 20th Century.

Have a great time as Richard takes us down memory lane. Call for a performance reservation, and don’t forget to make one for lunch.

*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.

Join Lynn for a fun hour of line dancing which includes the following steps: the slide, cha cha, vines, shuffles, kickball change, fan and waltz. Enjoy the music of Kenny Rogers, Patsy Cline, Tanya Tucker, Billy Ray Cyrus and Alan Jackson.

*QUILTING CLASS meets on Fridays at 10 am.

*Our next POT LUCK DINNER will be on October 4.

These dinners are held on the first Tuesday of each month; call for the start time.

In the fall we’re going to have themes for the monthly dinners. On October 4, join us for Pumpkin Surprise; November 1, Harvest Gathering; and December 6, Holidays.

*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), Monday through Friday. 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.

*In the fall Newtown seniors are invited to participate in a four-day trip to THE ERIE CANAL, leaving Sandy Hook on October 7 ($579/single, $459/double or $449/triple); and/or a four day trip to WASHINGTON, D.C., departing Sandy Hook on November 10 ($569/single, $419/double or $399/triple).

Upcoming day trips include OCTOBER FEAST at Wright’s Mill Farm in Canterbury on October 12 ($73 per person), OCTOBERFEST at Platzl Brauhaus on October 20 ($68 per person), and gambling at MOHEGAN SUN on November 3 ($24 per person).

Stop by the senior center for full details for any of these outings.

Menu For Week of

September 19-23

Reservations must be made one or two days in advance.

Meals are subject to change.

Monday, September 19: Veal parmesan with mozzarella cheese, penne pasta with sauce, Parmesan cheese, spinach, Italian bread, diet fruited Jell-O with topping;

Tuesday, September 20: Grilled chicken Caesar salad with romaine lettuce, croutons and Caesar dressing, soft breadstick, fresh melon wedge, mixed fruit juice;

Wednesday: Beer battered fish and chips with tartar sauce OR hamburger, French fries, cole slaw, pickle, whole wheat bread, hamburger roll, ketchup, pears;

Thursday: Meatloaf with onion gravy, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, rye bread, birthday cake;

Friday: Chicken noodle soup, unsalted crackers, spinach-mushroom quiche, broiled tomato, green beans, dinner roll, ice cream sandwich.

Also, for planning ahead—

Monday, September 26: BBQ chicken quarter, macaroni and cheese, fresh zucchini, corn bread, fresh fruit salad;

Tuesday, September 27: Spaghetti with meatballs, tossed salad with Italian dressing, garlic bread, parmesan cheese, Italian ice.

Activities Schedule, September 19-23

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

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

Wednesday: AM Pinochle, exercise; PM ;

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

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.