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By Carrie Miller
Davie Senior Services

Are you looking for ways to kick off the New Year and stay active?
Davie County Senior Services is the place to be if you are 55 or older. Each week holds events and classes as well as a daily lunch for folks 60 or better.
The weekly classes include: Art, Quilting, Woodcarving, Crocheting, Chorus, Knitting at the Main Campus on Meroney Street while the Brock Campus stays busy with SilverHealth, Morning Wake Up, Yoga, Line Dancing, Zumba, Chair Yoga, Pickleball Open Play, Intro to Pickleball Basics classes, Evening Cornhole Open Play, Walking Hours, and more.
The monthly activities include: a social event such as a party, bingo, Senior Writing Group, Got Plans, Crafting Extravaganza, the Monthly Movie, Caring with Cards, Senior Book Club, Seminars, Sports Tournaments, What’s Cooking: Foods, Fads, & Helpful Home Hacks, Veterans Socials, Bunco, Blood Pressure Screenings, Tech Tuesdays, Parkinson’s Support Group, Chat with Your Senior Tar Heel, Day Trips, Theatre Club Trips and more.
The quarterly activities include: Grandparents & Me, Intergenerational Walks, Crafternoon, Diabetes and Nutrition Classes, Senior Games and Special Olympics Cornhole, Memory Café, Theatre Club, craft classes, and more.
On Jan. 30, Senior Services will host a Senior Expo, Shred Event, and Senior Games Kickoff at the Brock Recreation Center from 1-3 p.m. The gym will be filled with more than 25 vendors with information geared toward seniors from noon-3 p.m. It is free, so bring documents to dump into the shred truck.
Senior Games 32nd season is this year. Find forms at the Senior Services table as well as Senior Games ambassadors who will be able to answer questions.
To join Davie Senior Games, one must live in Davie County for at least three consecutive months and be 50 or better by Dec. 31. This is a state-wide program, and to qualify for the state games, one must play at the local level first.
The registration fee is $15 on paper and will be $16 if registering online and includes many sporting events, two meals (opening and closing ceremonies), and several arts events.
The following sports are included:
Track and Field Events: Discus, Shot Put, Running Long Jump, Standing Long Jump, 50 Meter Dash, 100 Meter Dash, 200 Meter Dash, 400 Meter Dash, 800 Meter Run, 1500 Meter Run, 5K Run (Shamrock Run – $30 additional fee), 1 Mile Silver Striders Fun Walk, and 1500 Meter Power Walk.
Individual Events: Basketball Shooting, Football Throw, Golf ($35 additional fee), Mini Golf ($7 additional fee), and Softball Throw.
Bowling ($7 per event): Singles, Doubles, and Mixed Doubles.
Team Sports: Basketball
Swimming (limit of 6 events per person): 50 Yard Backstroke, 50 Yard Breaststroke, 50 Yard Butterfly, 50 Yard Freestyle, 100 Yard Backstroke, 100 Yard Breaststroke, 100 Yard Butterfly, 100 Yard Freestyle, 100 Yard Individual Medley, 200 Yard Backstroke, 200 Yard Breaststroke, 200 Yard Butterfly, 200 Yard Freestyle, 200 Yard Individual Medley, 400 Yard Individual Medley, 500 Yard Freestyle.
Tournament Sports: Bocce, Disc Golf, Horseshoes, Shuffleboard, Badminton Singles, Badminton Doubles, Badminton Mixed Doubles, Pickleball Singles, Pickleball Doubles, Pickleball Mixed Doubles, Table Tennis Singles, Table Tennis Doubles, Table Tennis Mixed Doubles, Cornhole Singles, Cornhole Doubles, Cornhole Mixed Doubles.
For sports, you may enter in to as many as you would like to participate in.
The following SilverArts categories are included:
Heritage Arts: Basket Weaving, Crocheting, General Fiber Arts, Jewelry, Knitting, Needlework, Pottery (thrown & hand built), Quilting (hand stitched), Quilting (machine stitched), Stained Glass, Tole/Decorative Painting, Weaving, Woodcarving, Woodturning, Woodburning.
Literary Arts: Essay (not autobiographical), Life Experiences (autobiographical), Poem, Short Story (fiction).
Visual Arts: Acrylics, Drawing, Digital Art, Mixed Media 2D, Mixed Media 3D, Oil, Pastels, Photography – Digital, Photography – Film, Sculpture, Watercolor.
Performing Arts: Solos, Small Groups, Large Groups in the following categories: Comedy/Drama, Vocal, Dance, Line Dancing, and Instrumental.
Cheerleading – Small Group, Medium Group, Large Group.
For SilverArts, you may enter one piece in each category.
One of the most common misconceptions about Senior Games is that a 50 year old man will be competing with a 99 year old woman. This is not the case. For Senior Games, you compete with your age category, so starting with 50-54, 55-59, etc. until you get to 100+. Next, you will be broken down into categories between men and women, so the 50-54 aged men will play against each other and the 50-54 women would play against each other, for each age group.
Davie County Senior Games and SilverArts Registration will kick off Jan. 30, and run through Feb. 21. Registration forms can be picked up at the Senior Services Main Campus, Senior Services Brock Campus, Davie County Recreation and Parks, Davie County Public Library, RISE Indoor Sports Complex, and Davie Family YMCA beginning January 31, 2025.
There is something for everyone 50 or older (or 55 and older for Senior Center activities) to become involved in, and you do not want to miss this season. Grab a friend and join in the fun.
To learn more about participating in Davie County Senior Services activities or Davie County Senior Games, contact Senior Services Program Coordinator/ Senior Games Local Coordinator, Carrie Miller, at 336-753-6230 or cmiller@daviecountync.gov.