HILLSBOROUGH: Senior citizens’ column for week of May 12

CHAPTER A
   Chapter A meets the first Thursday of the month in the municipal complex. We are open to new members. Doors open at 11:30, allowing you time to review the activities, sign up for our many trips and visit with friends. We have coffee and doughnuts at the end of the meeting.
   The meeting begins at 12:30 p.m.
   Dick Meier is president; you can ask him a question at 908-359-6948.
   The lawn is mowed and the fragrance of new-mown grass is pleasant to me, as is the lilac bush. Just walking past it fills the air with sweetness. Lily of the Valley is very lovely, too. It beats any perfume coming out of in a bottle. Purple iris are waving at the sun. Azalea bushes are bursting with color. May is at her best.
   We have so many events coming up:
   • The Sail event Lunch and Laughter on May 12.
   • May 26 — Garden State Arts Center to see “The Four Lads.” Box lunch and show is $13. There is quite a lot of walking required, so it’s not good for the handicapped. We ride the Hillsborough bus, leaving at 10 a.m. from the Pathmark lot.
   • June 7 — Garden State Arts Center to see “Cameos.” Cost is $13 for show and box lunch. Bus departs at 10 a.m. Great value for your money. Relive some great music.
   • June 9 — The comedy “Blithe Spirit” at Hunterdon Hills Playhouse. Lunch and the comedy show for $55. Depart at 10:15 a.m. from the Pathmark lot. Limited space. This destination fills quickly.
   • July 6 — “Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang” at Fulton Theater, Lancaster, Pa. This is a new place for us. Cost is $82 for show and lunch at Willow Valley. Bus departs from the Pathmark lot at 9:30 a.m.
   • July 10 — Anniversary party at Falcons Camp, noon to 4 p.m. Lunch and entertainment. You can dance or watch those who do. Cost of $25 is refunded for members. It’s $35 for guests (not refunded). What a feast it was last year — all that shrimp!
   • Friday, Aug. 12 — Monmouth Race Track. Bus leaves at 10:30 a.m. from Pathmark lot. Cost is $70 for admission and a great meal at Basile’s. Large bus, so you can snooze on the way back.
   • Aug. 14 — Annual picnic at Polish Falcons from noon to 4 p.m. Cost is $15, which is refunded on your arrival. Festivities start at noon and go on till 4 p.m. with two seatings of food. When you leave, you are full.
   • Sept. 15-19 — Boston and historical environs. We’ll have a guided tour of Lexington and Concord; a visit to Cambridge, home of Harvard University, and trips to Salem and where all that history was made; Gloucester, “America’s Oldest Seaport” with Old Ironsides. We’ll have a couple Step-on guides will fill us in. Some of those step-ons are a walking encyclopedia. You learn so much.
   The Boston trip will have five days and four nights, and include four breakfasts and four dinners. Cost is $440 for a double and $575 for a single. $75 is due at the time of sign up.
   Come and see where our Founding Fathers put all they had on the line to secure the freedoms we have now, though I wonder what they would think if they were here now.
   The card players are in high gear on Tuesdays from 1 to 4 p.m. in the senior room. Come and join them. You don’t have to be a member of the club.
   On Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to noon or longer, the mah jongg players are in our senior room. Come join. They’ll show you how it plays.
   Need transportation? Call 908-369-3880 for Hillsborough bus service for seniors. Sometimes, when the car breaks down and you need to get somewhere, know that this service is there.
   We go to Atlantic City on the first Monday of the month, departing from the Pathmark lot at 9 a.m. You don’t have to be a member; this is open to everyone. It must be very pleasant at the shore on these warm, sunny days. Call Jo for details at 908-359-6418.
   ”I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.” — Thomas Edison.— Elsie Slusser (908-369-4478)
CHAPTER B
   Our next meeting for Chapter B seniors will be held today, May 12. Meetings are held in the Municipal Building on the second Thursday of each month unless otherwise specified. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. and meetings start promptly at 12:30 p.m.
   We have two requests of members.
   First, please wear your name badge to each meeting. These are helpful in identifying you to other members of the club.
   Second, we ask that you use only one door upon entering the meeting — the one where and that door enters the room where the sign-in table is located. Since you must attend five meetings per year to maintain membership, it is important for you to sign in and get credit for your attendance. Thank you for your cooperation.
    Bingo has been suspended until the fall.Tickets available:
   • Garden for Sculpture in Hamilton Township on Tuesday, June 21. After an extensive guided tour, we will head to Mastoris Restaurant in Bordentown for a delicious lunch. The gardens are a spectacular place with beautiful sculpture and many benches to sit if the walk is too much. The lunch will also be something not to be missed. Cost is $56.
   • Tickets are on sale for our June 9th anniversary luncheon at the Somerville Elks Club on Route 28. The committee has selected a country western theme. Cost for luncheon will be $30; upon attendance you will receive a refund of $20. The May meeting is cut-off date to purchase tickets.
   • Tickets for Monmouth Raceway on Friday, Aug. 26, include bus, admission, program and a buffet lunch for a cost of $40.
   • Tickets to our Aug. 11 picnic at Falcon Hall are on sale for $20. As per request of some members, some salads have been added to the menu and I think you will be pleased with the changes.
   • Breakfast With Seniors will be held at the Municipal Building on Thursday, June 23. Cost is $3. This is our annual breakfast where invited guests from Emeritus Assisted Living and Avalon Assisted Living attend. Pancakes, eggs, pastry, bagels, coffee and juice are on the menu.
   Need more information? Call 908-359-8412.
— Nancy Greggo
Hillsborough Senior Center
   The center at 339 South Branch Road is open from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.
   Its phone is 908-369-8700.Blood pressure screenings are the third Tuesday of the month at 10:30 a.m. Caram (East Indian game, similar to billiards) and other games are played every Thursday.Cards are played daily.
   Flex, stretch and tone with Rose on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
   Upcoming programs:
   May 13 — Walking club.
   May 16 — Pen Pal project. You’ll be matched with homebound elderly to correspond by mail or phone.
   May 17 — “Name that Tune” with Rich Saracino.
   May 18 — Trip to Manville Senior Center for “Bone Up on Osteoporosis.”
   program. May 20 — Wii baseball.
   May 23 — Performance by the Franklin Hi Steppers.
   May 24 — Introduction to chair yoga by Raji Murthy.
   May 25 — Hand exercises.
   May 27 — Art of the Masters: “The Life & Work of Georgia O’Keefe.” Lecture and oil pastels workshop (registration is required.)
    May 30 — Center closed for holiday.
   May 31 — “Foods that Help Fight Pain” by Lisa Pupa, Natural Medicine and Rehabilitation.