Submitted by Doreen Staskelunas, Haddam Senior Center Activities Coordinator
(June 24, 2025) — I hope you all are managing to stay cool in this heat! If you are looking for respite during these extremely hot days, the Haddam Senior Center is open regular hours this week, (Tuesday, June 24, 2025, Thursday, June 26, 2025 and Friday, June 27, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m.). Brainerd Memorial Library is also open as a cooling center during their normal business hours. Here is a link to their website for more information. (They also run some great programs, so please check them out!) Brainerd Memorial Library.
Also, before getting into the July highlights, I do want to promote a recently added program to our June schedule. On Monday, June 30, 2025, Shawna Goldfarb from the RSD17 Board of Education will be on hand at 11:00 a.m. to answer ANY questions you may have regarding the operating budget for 2025-2026. This is an excellent opportunity for you to get clarity and make an informed vote (Yes or No) at the upcoming referendum on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.
Okay. On to the July Highlights! Two big announcements for new programs starting in July!
Beginning Monday, July 7, 2025 our Mobility Class with Jennifer is adding a new weekly session! Due to popular demand, Mobility class will now be offered on Mondays AND Thursdays at 11:15 a.m. This is a fun, all-abilities class to help improve your balance, strength and stamina. Move at your own pace, standing or sitting to a fun and engaging playlist of your favorite tunes.
In addition to Mobility, we are adding a lunch program to our Friday schedule! Beginning Friday, July 11, 2025 we will offer lunch EVERY Friday, not just once a month. This lunch program is separate from our Monday, Tuesday, Thursday lunch program, as the Haddam Senior Center has partnered with our friends at River Valley Provisions in Tylerville to provide delicious and nutritious lunches on Fridays. We are asking for a $5 donation per meal to help offset the cost of these lunches. The menu for Fridays in July is not quite ready to publish, but once it is, I will send it out ASAP. If you are participating in lunch on Fridays, we will follow the same process as lunch on the other days, advanced reservation is required (no later than noon on Thursday) and donations will go in the gray box. If you are paying for the week, please see Doreen, as the money goes to two separate entities. This process may evolve as time goes on, but for now we are keeping it simple. Any questions, please let me know.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled programs!
- Tuesday, July 1st at 11:30 a.m., Sherry Carlson, RN from CRAHD will be here for our monthly blood pressure clinic. This is a drop-in event, no reservation is required.
- Friday, July 4th the Senior Center is CLOSED in observance of the Independence Day holiday.
- Monday, July 7th at 12:30 p.m. come laugh along with Dean Martin and his friends as they take turns roasting the celebrities of their day!
- Thursday, July 10th at 1:00 p.m., our friends from the Lower Valley Care Associates will be here to do balance assessments. Did you know more than one in four people age 65 or older fall each year? This is where our mobility class and things like T’ai Chi can really help you improve balance to prevent falls. Don’t miss this session Advanced reservation is suggested.
- Friday, July 11th at 10:30 a.m. – Stacey Hathaway will be here for our Mini Manicure Spa Day. Space is limited, so please sign up in advance.
- Tuesday, July 15th at 1:00 p.m. – Come help us put bouquets together with Cathy from Cathy & Co. Botanicals for our Senior Center Fundraiser! We will be filling those pretty and fun vases that you decorated earlier this month with flowers donated from Cathy & Co and Wellstone Farms to sell at the Farmers Market on Wednesday, July 16th. (More on that below)
- Wednesday, July 16th 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. – Senior Center Fundraiser at the Higganum Farmers Market! We will be selling your beautiful creations to raise funds for Senior Center programs. We are also looking for volunteers to help us. Whether you can come for 15 minutes or 30 minutes we would love to have you be part of our fundraiser! We will have a sign-up sheet at the Senior Center. Stop by or call Doreen to reserve a time.
- Monday, July 28th at 12:00 Noon – Our monthly Pizza and a Movie! We’ve got a thriller coming up with “Mission: Impossible” starring Tom Cruise. This is the movie that kicked off the monumentally successful movie franchise which, of course, is based on the classic TV series of the same name that ran from the 1960’s into the early 1970’s.
All this is, of course, in addition to all of our regularly scheduled programs. Check out the calendar below for details.
