Submitted by Marge DeBold
(April 4, 2023) — Haddam is a town treasured with many groups and organizations that enrich our lives, and also benefit the town by their activities. One of the many long-lasting associations is Haddam Club 60. Scrapbooks, from the “old days” found at the Haddam Senior Center recently, suggest that the Club began about 1980. It might be interesting to put together a history of the group. However, it is more important here to tell all local seniors, both current members and other interested seniors about what is planned for this Spring.
Spring is here! The days are longer and brighter. Haddam Club 60 members are looking forward to programs that are coming up:
· On April 3, the Club was invited to have its business meeting at the Haddam Senior Center. At that presentation many interested seniors met with Regional School District 17 Superintendent Jeff Wihbey in order to receive information and ask questions about the upcoming RSD 17 Board of Education request for funding for next year. (The school budget referendum will be on Tuesday, May 2, 2023.)
· On Monday, April 17, Haddam Club 60 will meet again at the Community Center at 1:00 pm to hear Tom Piezzo, the Director of Brainerd Memorial Library. Tom will talk about the newly renovated building and various programs that are now going on. Library usage and offerings have changed greatly from when we were younger. We’ll learn about some changes and the many programs that benefit seniors.
May will soon be upon us. And special plans are being made for Haddam Club 60 and the Haddam Senior Center to work together to bring an interesting and educational combination of programs about the Amistad to all interested seniors. There’s the history to be learned; there’s information about the replica built in Mystic of the now famous slave ship; there’s the movie (with the same name, telling a story about the slave trading ship in 1839) to be viewed; and there are the personal experiences of one of the crew members who has sailed on that replica of the 120 foot-long, two-masted schooner, the Amistad.
Also, this month there will also be an opportunity for seniors to enjoy a high school production, a musical familiar to many of us. May will be an active month:
· On Monday, May 1, Haddam Club 60 will have its regular business meeting at the Community Center at 1:00 pm.
· On Thursday, May 4, Haddam seniors are invited, as guests, to attend a 6:00 p.m. dress rehearsal of “The Sound of Music.” The show will take place at the Haddam-Killingworth High School Auditorium.
· On Thursday, May 11 at 12:00 noon, the Haddam Senior Center will host “Pizza and a Movie.” Seniors will enjoy eating pizza while viewing the film “Amistad.” There will be pizza for all those seniors who attend the Senior Center that day. The pizza that day will be provided by Haddam Club 60.
· On Monday, May 15 at 1:00 pm, Haddam Club 60 will meet at the Community Center. Joy Collins, daughter of Art and Barbara Collins, will discuss her experiences aboard the replica Amistad, and we will learn more about the schooner, its current location and status.
June will feature the important Annual Meeting for Haddam Club 60 members and, later, on the third Monday of the month, the Club’s participation at an event sponsored by Haddam’s Committee on Aging. It will be the club’s last meeting of the year:
· On Monday, June 5 at 1:00 pm, Haddam Club 60 will meet at the Community Center to have its Annual Meeting. Installation of new officers will occur, and party refreshments will be served.
· On Monday, June 19, Haddam Club 60 members, as their last meeting of the year, will take part in the town-wide Senior Picnic sponsored by Haddam’s Committee on Aging. This year’s picnic, which is open to all Town seniors, will be held at St. James Church Parish Hall.
So, mark your calendars. Enjoy the Spring season. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Club’s president, Mary Pierce at 860-685-1783.
And then Summer will arrive. Haddam Club 60 members will take a pause during July and August, looking forward to returning to Club participation in September, when Club activities begin again.
