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 August 9-13

*We have a NEW ART TEACHER!

Join us on Monday, August 16, at 1 pm, when SUSAN WASHBURN stops by to meet us. Join Susan, and our current teacher Terry Gunger, to meet this talented lady.

Her first class will be the following week, on Monday, August 23, at 1.

Susan has been an art teacher of grades K-12 in various school systems within the area, and she holds a master’s degree in art.  Who knows, there may be another Grandma or Grandpa Moses within you. And remember, art is always a true form of therapy. It can be very relaxing.

*Mark your calendar for a HAWAIIAN LUAU at the senior center. Put on a grass skirt, your favorite floral shirt, and join us on Thursday, August 26, at 1 pm, for some Hawaiian fun. We will have hula and limbo contests. Please call to sign up.

*FIT AT 60 AND BEYOND: Seniors need to know the score.

Not just your blood pressure, and not only your cholesterol level.

Join us on Wednesday, September 1, at 1 pm, for a preview of the upcoming Senior Fitness Day. Maredith Spector, PT, MS, a network education coordinator from Carlson Therapy Network, will conduct a lecture on the upcoming fitness tests that will be given on November 10. Her seminar will explain in detail what seniors can expect during their fitness tests.

There are six parts to the fitness test, involving arms, legs and walking. The test will help assess current and potential mobility problems before they impact your lifestyle; assess developing problems with lifting, carrying, balance and gait, flexibility and stamina; point out issues that you may need to bring up with your doctor, and offer suggestions and advice on prevention and therapeutic treatment for the problems identified.

The September program will offer a full preview of the November tests. Please register if you plan to attend.

This Week’s Programs

*Plan to visit the senior center for AN HOUR OF ENTERTAINMENT by BOB GIANOTTI on Wednesday, August 11, beginning at 1:30 pm.

All selections are arranged, programmed and produced in their entirety. Bob has been in the music business for 30 years playing keyboard, piano and flute. Bring a favorite request and join us for singing and dancing.

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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.

*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. 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. 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 – a low-level class that’s perfect for those who haven’t exercised in a while and those who would like some additional upper body stretching – on Mondays at 1 pm and Wednesdays at 9:15 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!

*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.

*ART CLASSES are Monday afternoons at 1.

* 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.

*Also available for Newtown’s senior citizens: SAIL ABOARD A SCHOONER. Join us for a fun-filled day on Wednesday, September 8, when we travel to Abbott’s in the Rough, a great restaurant in Noank, for lunch of lobster, filet of fish or BBQ chicken, complete with all the trimming (including clam chowder). Then enjoy a three-hour cruise out of Mystic aboard the 81-foot Argia, an authentic replica on a 19th Century gaff-rigged schooner.

Cost for this trip is $80 per person, and departure will be at 8 am. Stop in or call the senior center for details.

*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

August 9-13

Reservations must be made one or two days in advance.

Meals are subject to change.

Monday: Rib-B-Q sandwich, grinder roll, roasted potato, cole slaw, apricots;

Tuesday: Italian wedding soup, unsalted crackers, stuffed salmon, rice pilaf, broiled tomato, seedless dinner roll, blueberry pie;

Wednesday: Vegetable lasagna, turkey sausage, Parmesan cheese, tossed salad with Italian dressing, Italian ice, low sodium V-8 juice;

Thursday: Pot roast with gravy, mashed potatoes, broccoli florettes, whole wheat bread, diet fruited Jell-O with topping;

Friday: Garlic herb chicken quarter, buttered noodles, diced carrots, pumpernickel bread, seasonal fruit.

Activities Schedule,

August 9-13

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

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

Wednesday: AM Pinochle, chair exercise, line dancing; PM music by Bob Gianotti;

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

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.