Some Days, Life Is A Carnival

At Lockwood Lodge

By Shannon Hicks

A carnival atmosphere permeated the first floor of Lockwood Lodge last Friday afternoon, as the staff and residents of the assisted living facility on Toddy Hill Road continued a weeklong celebration of National Assisted Living Week…or was it the smell of popcorn, cotton candy and hot dogs that permeated the main floor?

Either way, members of Lockwood’s recreation department offered a day-long celebration on September 12 that combined a celebration of the life of Walt Disney with a carnival for residents, volunteers and staff, plus their children and grandchildren. The day began with a “Life of Walt Disney” program followed by a Disney memorabilia presentation at 10 and 11 am, respectively.

The carnival was originally planned for outside the Lodge’s main entrance, but threatening skies all morning moved the mid-afternoon event indoors.

Dana Dinho, the director of therapeutic recreation at Lockwood Lodge, and her staff easily moved the planned activities into the Lodge Room and lobby area. Hot dogs and punch were offered, popcorn was popped, and cotton candy was continuously spun and handed out to anyone who wanted a treat. Paper chains in the shape of Mickey Mouse heads were hung all over, as were balloons, and music from Disney films and programs was played in the background.

In the Lodge Room, children were invited to play games of hoops and rubber duck toss, and volunteers Claudia Coopersmith and Linda Pickwick had a table set up for face painting.

The only offering that was affected by the weather was a planned dunk tank, which was too large to transport indoors so it was scratched from the offering. Nevertheless, the young visitors — which for a little while included a group of students from The Children’s Adventure Center in Sandy Hook — and residents alike all seemed to enjoy their afternoon.

“Today’s been fun. We’ve really been enjoying the kids,” said Lockwood resident Betty Tomascak, who was sitting with her friends Betty and Jim MacKerracher. “We have been very busy all week.”

The celebration of Assisted Living Week began on September 8 with England Day and continued on Tuesday with Casino/France, Wednesday with Poland, and Thursday with hoedown/western theme. The week of themed days was to conclude on Saturday, September 13, with New England.