Rockin’ out with The Refreshments, a Swedish rock group, and their hit song “55 Ford” on You Tube, brings back memories of rolling through Louisiana in a 1954 Ford convertible. That was then and time marched on. Fifty years later, I need to make some changes in my life.
How about you? Tired of walking around all alone? The Yukon Senior Center has just your ticket – everything from health to history this month.
You’re invited to join us for National Senior Health & Fitness Day, Wednesday, May 25 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. We’ll have local vendors providing information on everything from exercise to diabetes to insurance to hearing and chiropractors. There will be demos as well of Zumba Gold and Line dance. We’ll have foot assessments for diabetics from Angels Care Home Health and blood pressure checks from Integris.
On this day, the Yukon Senior Center will join with an estimated 100,000 seniors across the country expected to help promote active, healthy lifestyles through physical fitness, good nutrition and preventive care. According to Manager Casey Barnett, “Our planned activities are a wonderful opportunity for seniors to make, renew, and revitalize their commitment to live healthier lives through better health and fitness.”
National Senior Health & Fitness Day is always held on the last Wednesday in May in support of Older Americans Month and National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. NSHFD is coordinated by the Mature Market Resource Center.
Want to have fun but don’t have a motor of your own? Let us introduce you to Big Rob, our 14-passenger Ford Starcraft bus with retractable seatbelts and a wheelchair lift. Big Rob gives seniors door-to-door service to the Center on week days, with a fare of $2. Most Fridays there’s a trip to Wal-Mart, for an extra $1.
Special Note: Big Rob goes to Wal-Mart on Thursday, May 19, because Friday, May 20, is spent soaking up Oklahoma’s colorful history at the T.B. Ferguson Museum in Watonga, Roman Nose State Park, and the Parker House and Museum in Hinton. Hours for this trip are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the bus fare is $10.
T.B. Ferguson was a newspaper publisher and Oklahoma’s first territorial governor. His family inspired Edna Ferber’s 1929 novel, “Cimarron.” Lunch on your own will be at Roman Nose State Park, named after Chief Henry Roman Nose of the Southern Cheyenne – not to be confused with the famous warrior “Hook Nose” of the Northern Cheyenne, who lived in Colorado and Kansas. The state park was created in 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps as part of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal programs.
Last stop on the way home: The Parker House and Museum in Hinton is home to many artifacts of life in the early 1900s. Check out the antique cars from Model Ts to Edsels (even a 1903 "Horseless Carriage" Oldsmobile), plus the collection of farm equipment dating back to the 1800s, and authentic Indian Ceremonial items.
Then we’re off to Moore on Wednesday, May 25, for lunch at Furr’s Fresh Buffet, followed by a movie at the splendiferous Warren Theatre. The theater has 14 auditoriums for showing the latest movies, so take your pick.has 14 luxurious auditoriums offering a wide selection of today’s current movie releases, so take your pick.
A recent addition to the regular schedule is the 20-minute Post-Lunch Promenade. Parade around the parking lot if you can handle it. Earn a free lunch after 15 walks. Also new is Mahjong, the ancient Chinese table game using tiles, at 12:30 on Fridays. A full schedule of regular activities comes under the heading of You Name It, We Probably Do It. You can pick up the monthly calendar and menu at the reception desk.
The Robertson Activity Center is at 1200 Lakeshore Drive, phone number 350-7680, open Monday through Friday except for holidays. Two for the price of one note: Yukon’s library – the Mabel C. Fry Library – is in the same building with the Robertson Activity Center.
-- With Pat Browning
-- Yukon Senior Center
