Senior Center News by Mary Recchia,
May 20, 2010, page 17.....

Please look for the Summer Program of Activities inserted in the May 20 issue of The Charlotte News. A reminder: the Center will be closed for Memorial Day on May 31.

Save the date! Our Annual Plant Sale will be held on Saturday, May 29, where you will find buds, blossoms and bargains. Please call Wendy Pierce at 985-8547 if you would like anything dug or divided. She would be happy to meet you at your gardens. Seedling or plant donations will be accepted at the center on Friday, May 28. Hope to see you there!

Thursday Evening Bridge begins May 20 from 6:30- 9:00 p.m. All are welcome to join others for an evening of fun, non-competitive bridge. No fee.

Our Annual Summer Walking Program will take us down Old Route 1 from Maine to Florida this year. This “virtual” walk is a great way to increase your fitness and improve your sense of well-being. Go at your own pace and ability, do your daily routine and just keep track of the steps you take each day using your pedometer. You will become part of a team, and your combined steps will form the miles traveled down Route 1. Pedometers are available for purchase; our “walk” starts Sunday, June 6, and ends Saturday, July 31. Sign-ups have begun and culminate at the Strawberry Shortcake kick-off on June 6 at 2 p.m. No fee.

Sunday, June 6, at 2 p.m. will be our Strawberry Shortcake Kick Off for Route 1 Walkers and Walking Buddies - Meet your teammates and walking buddies. Learn to use your pedometer. Feast on Strawberry Shortcake. Have fun! No fee.

Walking Buddies complements our annual summer walking program. Organized walks will be held every Wednesday morning before the luncheon beginning June 9 at 9:30 a.m. The sites are planned so that you can do a short, medium or long walk with the short walks being fairly flat. Our first walks are: Demeter/Charlotte Park, Thompson’s Point and Shelburne Farms, and sign-ups are posted at the center. No fee.

The Mandala – Universal Spiritual Art Form with Sabina Evarts begins Monday afternoons from 1:30-4 p.m. Dates: June 7, 14, 21, 28. Mandala is a round art form found in many cultures around the world and is used for healing, personal growth and spiritual understanding. The process includes the instruction on how to create the mandala along with how to “connect” with the energy of what you will be drawing through a short, simple meditation. Mandala is not about drawing skills or for paeople with serious problems. It IS about learning more about yourself on all levels:  mental, emotional, spiritual and physical, and how these levels are interconnected. Materials list provided. Registration required. Fee: $45 for four classes.

Join Annette Zeff for a French Conversation Group on Wednesday mornings from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Dates: June 9-July 28. Challenge your brain! Practice your conversational French and have fun at the same time. Come to the first get-together and tell each other about yourself in French. Each week the group will choose the next week’s conversation topic and group activities could include role-playing and games (charades, spelling bees, scrabble, etc.). Join the fun and sharpen your mind. Registration required. No fee.

A Visit to the Morgan Horse Farm with Barb McDonald departs from the Senior Center at 9:15 a.m. on Thursday, June 10. Tucked away off a long, winding road in picturesque Weybridge is the world-renowned UVM Morgan Horse Farm with its palatial 19th century Victorian barn. It is serene and beautiful, the grounds are gorgeous, the foals are romping in the pastures, and the horses are always in beautiful shape. During the 30-minute, guided walking tour we will meet the mares and stallions used in the breeding program, observe up close the beauty and intelligence of the Morgan horse and maybe see a Morgan in the training circle being put through its paces by an apprentice, on voice command alone. There are sumptuous lawns with picnic tables for an al fresco lunch and a gift shop full of goodies for horse lovers. Barn clothes and mud boots recommended. Registration required. Fee: $5