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By Carrie Miller

Davie Senior Services

Program Coordinator

September is National Senior Center Month, and Davie County Senior Services is proud to serve the seniors of Davie County, not only in September, but year-round.

“We would like to thank all of the volunteers, participants, and community for sticking with us while the doors were closed to the public last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and for supporting the seniors in Davie County,” said Kim Shuskey, director.

When Senior Services re-opened on July 1, expanded offerings included two buildings filled with daily, weekly, and monthly activities as well as educational opportunities, crafts, and more.

“The Oct.-Dec. Senior Connection was released on Sept. 1, and Senior Services hopes all of their friends 55 and older will read the newsletter, sign up for the activities, and join for an endless amount of fun and fellowship.”

The first day of September brought back the long awaited arrival of weekly Duplicate Bridge, a card game played each Wednesday afternoon at Davie Senior Services, and the first time back there were 16 attendees. According to the 2017 Britannica Encyclopedia, Duplicate Bridge received the name “Duplicate Bridge” because each hand is played twice, by different players, under the same conditions, with the same cards in each hand, same dealer, and same vulnerability. The object of the game is to bid and play the hands dealt better than all of the other pairs who play them. Senior Services invites all levels of players and their partner to join them for Duplicate Bridge for a fun Wednesday afternoon of cards and fellowship.

On Thursday, Sept. 2, Senior Services held a fun-filled blueberry party.Sept. 2 was National Blueberry Popsicle Day, so Senior Services celebrated with blueberry appetizers and not-so-blue themed music from Davie County Commissioner Benita Finney. The blueberry appetizers consisted of blueberry cream cake, blueberry Jello, Chex mix, and a blueberry nutrition bar, boxed up in a safe, no-contact delivery method. Volunteers served blueberry lemonade to go with their treats. Finney sang several crowd pleasers for the seniors and was met with a solid round of applause.

Bocce League began on Tuesday, Sept. 7 at the Davie County Community Park. Bocce league meets every Tuesday and Thursday mornings and is a great time for friendly competition and spending time outdoors. There are several folks on the bocce league that have never played before and are learning.

Keeping active is a healthy part of aging. Senior Services sports leagues are great for anyone 55 and older who want to learn and grow in sports. No prior knowledge of the sport is required. It is great to be able to learn, practice, and improve skills while enjoying the fellowship with others.

Also on Sept. 7, the Bermuda Run Garden Club stopped by with individual flower arrangements for every one of Senior Services’ homebound meal clients. These flower arrangements consisted of live flowers wrapped in a patterned fabric and tied for a gift. The club creates a holiday-themed arrangement each quarter for the homebound meal clients in Davie County.

On Thursday morning, Sept. 9, the Davie County Singing Seniors filled the senior center with music for the first time since the senior center closed last March. The Singing Seniors will meet every Thursday at the main campus at 10 a.m. The chorus will be the entertainment spotlight at this year’s Senior Services Christmas Party, and they could not be more excited to perform together once again. This group is open to any and all adults 55 and older that love to sing, so if interested, come to Senior Services on Thursdays at 10 to be a part of this fun group.

On the afternoon of Sept. 9, senior services held a bingo event with Mark Childers from Community Home Care and Hospice as sponsor and a grand prize of a Mr.Coffee Coffeemaker.This was well attended and enjoyed by many seniors. Next month, Barnette Heating & Air will be joining Senior Services for a Halloween Bingo event. Senior Services offers monthly bingo events with sponsorships. If interested in sponsoring a bingo, give Senior Services a call.

On Friday, Sept. 10, Senior Services held a hat contest prior to lunch in which many participants showed off their creativity. Following lunch, the monthly Crafternoon event featured DIY Terrariums. The Crafternoon events are held in partnership with the Davie County Public Library and taught by Jazmyne Baylor, adult services librarian. Crafternoon is so well liked that the event will now take place once a month, so be sure to check out the latest Senior Connection and register.

Call 336-753-6230 for more information.