Senior Connections Offers Fun, Fellowship Across Fayette County

Senior Connections is the perfect place to beat the heat this summer for anyone 55 years and up. You have five locations to choose from, so there is no excuse not to get out, mingle, challenge your mind, enjoy great homecooked, nutritious food, and win awesome bingo prizes. You can even learn new things, go on adventures, and learn a new art form. Membership is free, so there is no excuse not to get out of the house.

Senior Connections meets in Schulenburg at 1111 Bohlmann Ave. in Wolters Park on Mondays and Wednesdays, in Weimar at the First United Methodist Church at 301 W. Saint Charles St. on the first and third Tuesdays, in Flatonia at Flatonia Methodist Church at 403 E. North Main St. on the second and fourth Tuesdays, in La Grange at the Randolph Recreation Center at 653 East Pearl St. every Wednesday, and on Fridays at 1206 Lyons Ave. for our Artful Friday program.

Our latest location in La Grange opened on Aug. 5 and was well received. If you would like to join as a member, get involved as a volunteer or bingo caller, provide a lunch-and-learn program about yourself or your business, present health information, or even entertain with music, contact Denise Roberts at (832) 641-8733.

On Aug. 20, seniors will visit the Czech Heritage Center Museum in La Grange and not the new hospital. We will still visit the Polka Museum too.

Join us in Schulenburg on Aug. 10. Doors open at 9 a.m. and volunteers will happily serve you a hot cup of coffee as you find a table to play your favorite games. At 11:15, it’s time for prayer concerns, the pledge, a blessing, and current announcements. You’ll want to get there before then to get a seat and a cool drink. The menu features King Ranch Chicken by Connie Koopmann Catering that our chefs in the kitchen will pair with a seasonal salad and garlic bread. Members bring the desserts for which we are so grateful. If you bake and happen to be baking cookies anytime soon, consider baking some for Senior Connections for our bingo callers and speakers.

After the delicious meal, we will have a treat from the La Grange Roadrunner Square Dance Club for our program. They will be performing foursquare dances. You’ll see a lot of them if you visit our different locations because they’re on the schedule for all four. Maybe you’ll find an interest in joining their club. At 12:30 p.m., Labrittany with True Care Living Center in Columbus will join for bingo.

Join in Flatonia on Aug. 11. Hours are the same, 9 a.m. till 2 p.m., and the day’s dish is tamale pie made byAmanda Kridel. You can’t have tamale pie without rice and beans, so that’s what’s on the menu, and of course there will be desserts. The La Grange Road Runner Square Dance Club will be in Flatonia too and then we get to see Hayley with Crown Hospice for the bingo game following the demonstration.

We are back in Schulenburg on Wednesday, Aug. 12. Today is blood pressure check day from Crown Hospice, so arrive by 9:30-10:30 a.m. to get your blood pressure checked. Don’t worry, they will not bother your domino game because they are very patient and will quietly take your blood pressure while you continue to play your game. Wednesday is our biggest day of the week, so get here early, before 11 a.m. to find a seat and get your drink before we start lunch prep. Fried fish, coleslaw, and macaroni and cheese from Oakridge Smokehouse are on the menu, and you know it will fill the house. The desserts will be delicious because members bake them with love. And we go straight into bingo on Wednesdays with Chyla from Wellsential in Hallettsville calling the bingo game.

Also on Wednesday, Aug. 12, join us in La Grange. It will be the second day to gather at the Randolph Rec Center in La Grange. We are just so excited about having this new addition to our satellites. The menu will feature enchilada casserole by Amanda Kridel with rice and beans to complete the menu. And of course there will be desserts. Kelly Sobotik with Crown Hospice will be doing a program on chair and breathing exercises you should do at home. Fayette Public Library will be coming to call the bingo game from 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Do you have a suggestion for an educational program for any of our locations? Or are you interested in calling bingo? We would love to have your input on these things as we develop this new location. You can contact Denise to share your input.

Artful Friday at Arts for Rural Texas continues on Aug. 14. We are into our second week of acrylic painting from Susan Grooms and junk jewelry crafts with me, Stephanie Shroyer. You must be registered for the classes, and if you cannot make it to the class, please let us know so we can let another person take your spot. We have a long waitlist for these popular classes. We serve a light lunch after classes from 10 a.m. to noon and then we have open studio until 2 p.m. for students to work on unfinished projects.

We are now accepting artwork for our art show, Ageless Artistry Showcase. Artwork should be ready to hang, meaning it has a wire on the back or is ready for display. Drop-off opportunities are every Friday inAugust at 1206 Lyons Ave. in the Arts for rural Texas classroom space from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Contact Stephanie at (979) 702–1246 to make other arrangements. This opportunity is for any Senior Connections member. You do not have to be in our classes to be a part of the art show. And we are extremely excited to be collecting donations of art for our online auction for our capital campaign to get our building going at the old Galipp’s grocery store in downtown Schulenburg.

Many people ask us if once the new/old building in Schulenburg is completed, and we move into it, will we close our other satellites? Absolutely not. We have opened these satellites because transportation is such a huge issue for many of our seniors. We want to provide our programs close to home for everyone and will continue to do so.

If you would like more information on any of our programs, call (979) 743-3227, visit srconnections.org, or follow us on Facebook.