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. 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 60¢ 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 June 7-11

*UPDATE ON 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. Also learn how to use all the muscles in your body through relaxation. Helen Herbold is our yoga instructor.

Maybe LINE DANCING is your thing. Each Wednesday from 10 to 11:30 am, you can find Jane Dwyer dancing to all types of music. Lessons are given every week if needed; the rest of the time is open for dancing.

We also offer CHAIR EXERCISE for the senior citizens who haven’t exercised in a while, and an AEROBIC-RESISTANCE BAND class for those who are on the go and still exercise regularly. Instructor Debbie Kenyon leads the chair classes on Mondays at 1 pm and Wednesdays at 10 am, and the resistance band classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 am.

Call the senior center to find out more, or just stop in and be ready to move!

*LONG TERM CARE SEMINAR: Join us on Wednesday, June 16, at 1 pm, for a program on long term health care. In just about one hour we’ll sort through the sometimes confusing and contradictory information you may have encountered about long term care. We’ll also show you what some of your options are. Call the senior center to sign up for this informative workshop.

*Get out of the sun and keep cool for an hour: Join us on Wednesday, June 23, at 1 pm, for BINGO.

*Spend a day around Boston: Newtown senior citizens can spend their day on a WHALE WATCH. Departure is 6:30 am on Tuesday, August 10, when we will leave Newtown and head towards Boston, where we will board a high-speed Catamaran for a whale watch. There are three outside decks for viewing and a comfortable cushioned area inside the boat, complete with a snack bar.

Upon returning to dry land plan to enjoy a wonderful lunch at The Living Room. Entrée choices are Boston haddock, grilled chicken breast or Yankee pot roast. After lunch there will be time to browse at Quincy Market and Fanueil Hall.

Call the senior center for cost information and other details.

 

This Week’s Programs

*A reminder that OUR ANNUAL PICNIC at Dickinson Park has been scheduled for Thursday, June 10, from 11 am to 3 pm. Cost is $5 per person, which includes hot dogs, hamburgers and salads for lunch. Please bring a snack or dessert to share.

Bring a lawn chair, sunglasses, maybe some playing cards and certainly a smile. 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 MARY MATERN’S BRIDGE GROUP.

*CHAIR EXERCISE: Debbie’s chair exercise class is offered twice each week. Join us Monday afternoons at 1 pm and/or Wednesday mornings at 10.

This is a low-level chair exercise class. We target the seniors who haven’t exercised in a while and those who would like additional upper body stretching.

*Our SEWING CLASS is working on chemo caps, totes for cancer patients, and trach bibs. If you are interested join us on Mondays at 1 pm.

*HATHA YOGA CLASSES are Monday and Thursday mornings at 10. Bring a mat or towel to lie on and wear loose clothing (no belts; sweats are perfect).

*ART CLASSES are Monday afternoons at 1.

*Join Debbie Kenyon on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 10 am for EXERCISE CLASSES that are vigorous yet gentle, with lots of stretches. The class incorporates resistance band work with some low-impact cardio and lots of stretches. Participants are encouraged to go at their own rate and finish feeling refreshed, invigorated and with more energy.

* 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 and the cost is only $1.25 per game.

* CHORUS GROUP is at the senior center each Thursday afternoon at 1 pm. Pianists are also invited.

*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.

*“Today, Tomorrow and Forever… Patsy Cline” is the program Newtown seniors can enjoy on Tuesday, July 6. Cost is $73 per person and departure will be 8:45 am.

Participants will head to Agawam, Mass., for a lovely day of delicious food and wonderful entertainment. Enjoy a buffet of savory appetizers and a combination platter of chicken marsala and lemon-herb baked scrod with all the trimmings.

The performance that afternoon will be Today, Tomorrow and Forever… Patsy Cline, featuring the international recording artist Donna Lee and an all-star band, who will re-create the legendary music of Patsy Cline.

Call the senior center for details or to sign up.

*BRUNCH, BOAT AND BOUTIQUES is a day trip scheduled for Tuesday, June 22. Departure is at 7 am, cost is $65 per person, and we will enjoy a few hours in Rhode Island.

Participants will travel to Warren, R.I., where they will board Bay Queen’s Vista Jubilee, a vessel that features two plush carpeted decks that are climate controlled. Enjoy live music while relaxing and enjoying the scenic beauty of Narragansett Bay. A buffet brunch will complete the cruise.

The Vista will then dock in Newport, where there will be time for two hours of shopping and sightseeing. Then it’s back to the dock and a return cruise to Warren.

Call the senior center for additional information.

*Trips scheduled for later in the year include a four-day trip to Washington, D.C., in September (four days, $389 per person/twin) and a cruise onboard the Norwegian Cruise ship Norwegian Crown, also in September (seven days). Call or visit the senior center for details on either of these trips.

Menu For Week of June 7-11

Reservations must be made one or two days in advance.

Meals are subject to change.

Monday: Pork chop, scalloped potatoes, peas, grape juice, tropical fruit salad;

Tuesday: Tuna salad plate with lettuce and cucumber, pasta salad, Portuguese roll, fresh fruit;

Wednesday: Chicken cacciatore, penne pasta with sauce, broccoli florettes, oatmeal bread, lemon pudding with topping;

Thursday: Escarole and bean soup, unsalted crackers, southern breaded fish, ketchup and tartar sauce, Italian vegetable medley, soft breadstick, oatmeal cookie;

Friday: Meatloaf with mushroom gravy, baked potato, diced carrots, whole wheat bread, ice cream cup.

Activities Schedule, June 7-11

Monday: AM Bridge, hatha yoga class PM Bingo, chair exercise class, art class;

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

Wednesday: AM Pinochle, chair exercise, line dancing; PM;

Thursday: AM Pinochle, exercise, hatha yoga class; PM bowling (at Brookfield Lanes), annual picnic (at Dickinson Park);

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

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