NEWS:

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Be the first to find out what is going on at the senior center. If we have your email address, we can send you information about new classes, events, and trips even before they make it into the newsletter. You can also choose to receive the newsletter on-line if you would like. Just send your email address to jantalik@orange-ct.gov and let us know if you would like to be notified of upcoming events or if you want to receive the newsletter on line.

Summer Cookout

Our Summer Cookout will be held on Monday, July 20 (rain-date: July 21) from 5 to 8 pm under the High Plains Pavilion. Hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken will be grilled and served by Frankies Restaurant. Wine, beer and soda will be available. Entertainment follows by the Frank Porto Band. Wear your dancing shoes. Tickets are $10 pp. Don’t hesitate. This is always a sold-out event!

Interested in Playing Pinochle or Canasta

Call the center if you are interested in becoming a part of Pinochle or a Canasta group on Tuesdays from 1 to 3. We have several members who have expressed an interest in finding partners for either of these card games. If enough people call we will set aside some tables in the senior lounge for these games.

Nature Walks

On July 13, walkers will return to Bethany to hike along the shores of Lake Chamberlain. Walkers will also explore a loop trail south of the reservoir if there is time and interest. The trail around the reservoir is mostly level.

On July 27, we will return to New Haven to visit some points of interest including Hillhouse Avenue where we hope to find street parking. An English author in the 1800’s referred to this street as the most beautiful in America. Most of the homes are now owned by Yale and include the residence of Yale’s President. We will also explore part of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, a one and a quarter mile asphalt paved urban path running through this area. The Grove Street Cemetery, established in 1796 and the burial place of many prominent historical people is also near by.

ConnPace CT. Prescription Program

A six-month residency, 65 years or older, or disabled under Social Security, an income of $25,100 for a single person or $33,800 for a married couple, are requirements to be eligible for this program. There is an annual registration fee of $30.00 and the card you receive can be used as documentation for doctors to accept Medicare assignments as full payments. For additional information and/or an application, contact Dennis Marsh at the 891-4788

Statewide Senior Outing at Holiday Hill on Monday, August 24

This is always a popular all-day outing at Holiday Hill in Prospect, CT. with entertainment by Vinnie Carr, raffles, food, bingo, bocce, horseshoes, shuffleboard, mini golf and a heated swimming pool with lifeguards. The cost is $27 if you drive on your own and $37 if you want to use our van. If more than 20 people sign up for transportation, we will see about getting a yellow school bus. If you are using our transportation, two checks are necessary, one to the Town of Orange for the transportation and one to Holiday Hill for the outing. Deadline for registration is Friday, August 14. No reservations will be taken without payment.

Friday Afternoon at the Movies – Night at the Museum

The movie this month will be “Night at the Museum” on Friday, July 24 at 2 pm. The movie stars Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, and Dick Van Dyke and is about a newly recruited night security guard at the Museum of Natural History who discovers that an ancient curse causes the animals and exhibits on display to come to life and wreak havoc. You will laugh and enjoy this humorous film. Soda and popcorn are served. Reservations suggested.

Applications for the Orange Leadership Class of 2010 now being accepted

Application for the Leadership Class of 2010 are available in the Community Services office for residents who are 55 years of age or older. This popular program, now in its fifth year of existence, meets one Wednesday a month for 9 months from September to May and covers topics such as the history of the town, its economic development, education, community policing, communications and the media, the arts, state government, town government and regional issues. Graduation is held in June. The Orange Leadership Program offers a great opportunity to interact with other persons in the Orange Community to get an insider’s view of the issues that are shaping our community. The Leadership Program offers retired or semi-retired persons a chance to use their life skills while giving back to their own community in a positive way. The program is funded by the town of Orange, United Way of Greater New Haven, and the $100 tuition paid by each of the participants. Applications are accepted through August 7. Please call 891-2154 if you would like to have more information about the program.

Business Bingo Sponsor for the Month

David Cowan of the Legacy Retirement Group in North Haven is the Business Sponsor for Bingo on Thursday, July 23 at 1 pm. Come play Bingo this and every Thursday at the center. It’s a nice way to get out of the heat and into the air-conditioning, meet new friends, and have fun. Refreshments are served and there is a special raffle prize on the Business Sponsored Bingo day.

Parlez-vous Francaise?

Do you speak French or would you like to learn? We will be starting a beginning French Class in September if we have enough people interested in the class. Cindy Brand, who teaches a class at the Milford Senior Center, will teach the class. The class will meet one hour a week for 10 weeks and cost $35 per person. Classes will be held on Wednesdays from 2 to 3 pm in one of our classrooms. Call us to sign up if you are interested.

Orange Visiting Nurse Association

The Orange Visiting Nurse Association (OVNA) has a new program available to all senior residents. The “Home Sweet Home Program” helps older residents stay in their own homes for as long as possible. The OVNA will send a health care professional to the person’s home to do a physical assessment, review medications, complete a home safety assessment, institute a home exercise program if appropriate, recommend needed resources, and conduct safety teaching to prevent falls. All of this can be done in conjunction with the person’s primary care physician and health care insurance. If you are interested in the “Home Sweet Home Program” or any other services, call the OVNA at 891-2165.

Summer Concert Series at the Gazebo

Bring your chair and your refreshments and come enjoy Concerts arranged by the Town’s Special Events Committee on the following Wednesdays at 7 pm.

· July 1st- Uppercut- Covers Chicago, Earth Wind & Fire & Steely Dan
Orange Congregational Church will be selling Ice Cream

· July 8th- The Truth- Jazz, Blues & R&B
Timothy's Gourmet will be selling summer fare, Orange Lion's Club will be selling Bottled Water & Soda

· July 15th- Boogie Chilin'- Funk
Timothy's Gourmet will be selling summer fare, ARAC Swim Team will be selling Snow-Cones and Orange Lion's Club will be selling Bottled Water & Soda.

· July 22nd- The Black Moon Band- Country
Timothy's Gourmet will be selling summer fare, Orange Lion's Club will be selling Bottled Water & Soda

Orange Farmer’s Market

Starting on Wednesday, July 8 and continuing on each Wednesday from 3:30 to 6:30 until September, CT. grown produce and products will be available for sale by local farms under the High Plains Pavilion. The benefits of buying local food are that it is fresher than anything in a supermarket and it helps keep local farmers in business. Vendors are chosen because of the high quality of their products. The Orange Farmer’s Market will be the perfect spot to shop, meet friends, and have something great to eat.

Save the Date – August 29 – Open Farms Day

More about this will be in the next newsletter.

Wii Bowling

We have Wii Bowling in the Senior Lounge on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 1 to 3 pm. Come and join us. Wii is easy to learn and so much fun. In the fall, we will be sending our top bowlers to other senior centers to bowl against their teams. We will pick our top 6 bowlers to represent our center. Come to see what Wii is all about.

Line Dancing

Come join our Line Dancers on Fridays at 1 pm under the direction of Evelyn Hahn. Learn new dances and practice those you already know. It is always lots of fun and good exercise. New members are always welcome. Each person pays $2 each time they come.

Combined Ladies Lunch and Learn & Men’s Club

On Thursday, July 16 we will combine Ladies Lunch and Learn with the Men’s Club for a very interesting presentation and slide show by John Caldwell and Baxter Walsh from 10:30 to 11:30 in the senior lounge about their efforts in Biloxi, Mississippi. John and Baxter have volunteered over the past few years along with 50 other local people to help out after the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina has been in the news so much in the past four years that most of us have become somewhat hardened to the plight of the residents of the Gulf, whose homes were damaged or destroyed by the storm.  Some people, however, are still very much engaged with the rebuilding of those homes.  John and Baxter continue to go to Biloxi, Mississippi and perform volunteer work to reconstruct damaged and destroyed houses.  They will describe the experience and explain just how a volunteer spends a week there. Interesting subject, good fellowship and snacks!  All are invited.  Call to let us know you will attend.

Come use our new Billiards Room

We don’t know how many of our members know that we have two very nice pool tables in our newly designated Billiards Room. The are a couple of groups that come to shoot pool on Monday afternoons and Tuesday and Friday mornings. We invite other members to come to make use of the pool tables on the other days, or drop in and see if you can join these existing groups. The men are always looking for more players. Women are welcome too!

Memories from the Past

Someone asked the other day, 'What was your favorite fast food when you were growing up?' 'We didn't have fast food when I was growing up,' I informed him. All the food was slow.' 'C'mon, seriously. Where did you eat?' 'It was a place called 'at home,'' I explained. 'Mom cooked every day and when Dad got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate I was allowed to sit there until I did like it.'

Some parents owned their own house, never wore Levis, set foot on a golf course, traveled out of the country or had a credit card. In their later years they had something called a revolving charge card. The card was good only at Sears Roebuck. Or maybe it was Sears & Roebuck. Either way, there is no Roebuck anymore. Maybe he died.

My parents never drove me to soccer practice. This was mostly because we never heard of soccer. We didn't have a television in our house until I was 19. It was, of course, black and white, and the station went off the air at midnight, after playing the national anthem and a poem about God; it came back on the air at about 6 a.m.

I was 21 before I tasted my first pizza; it was called 'pizza pie.' When I bit into it, I burned the roof of my mouth and the cheese slid off, swung down, plastered itself against my chin and burned that, too. It's still the best pizza I ever had.

I never had a telephone in my room. The only phone in the house was in the living room and it was on a party line. Before you could dial, you had to listen and make sure some people you didn't know weren't already using the line.

Pizzas were not delivered to our home. But milk was. All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered newspapers --my brother delivered a newspaper, six days a week. It cost 7 cents a paper, of which he got to keep 2 cents. He had to get up at 6AM every morning. On Saturday, he had to collect the 42 cents from his customers. His favorite customers were the ones who gave him 50 cents and told him to keep the change. His least favorite customers were the ones who seemed to never be home on collection day.

National Do Not Call Registry

The National Do Not Call Registry is open for business, putting consumers in charge of the telemarketing calls they get at home. The Federal government created the national registry to make it easier and more efficient for you to stop getting telemarketing calls you don’t want. You can register online at www.donotcall.gov or call toll-free,

1-888-382-1222 from the number you wish to register. Registration is free.

TRIPS:

SAIL BOSTON 2009 – TALL SHIPS – Thursday, July 9, 2009. See the 2009 Tall Ship fleet in Boston on a leisurely 90 minute cruise through Boston Harbor which departs from Rowes Wharf (amidst many of the tall ships.) Trip includes lunch at Phillips Old Colony House, a classic New England restaurant. Time permitting; we’ll visit exciting Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Cost: $83 pp.

Trip departs from the Orange Congregational Church.

This trip has a waiting list.

“I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE” AT THE WESTCHESTER DINNER THEATER – Thursday, July 30, 2009. Enjoy this hilarious, most entertaining show on or off Broadway after a delicious lunch featuring your choice from a variety of entrees. Cost: $78 pp.

This trip departs from the Congregational Church.

This trip has a waiting list.

NEW YORK RAIL & SAIL IN THE ADIRONDACK AND GREEN MOUNTAINS AND LAKE CHAMPLAIN – Wednesday and Thursday, August 12-13, 2009. Take a motorcoach to Albany, NY and then board an Amtrak for a Scenic Mountain Rail Journey to Plattsburgh, NY. Then ferry to Burlington, VT and board the Ethan Allen Dinner Cruise Boat for an onboard Wine & Cheese Reception and a sunset cruise on Lake Champlain where dinner will be served while you are entertained by a Jazz group. The cruise will return about 9:30 pm when we will check into our hotel, the Best Western Wind Jammer in Burlington. Next day after a continental breakfast enjoy free time at Burlington Church Street Marketplace and shop at Lake Champlain’s Chocolates. Then have a gourmet lunch prepared by graduates or students of the New England Culinary School before boarding our motorcoach for our return home. Cost: $303 pp double. Full payment is due at registration.

This trip departs from the Orange Congregational Church.

Space available.

TANGLEWOOD – BOSTON POPS WITH JAMES TAYLOR – Sunday, August 30, 2009. Enjoy a buffet lunch at Morgan House before traveling on to Tanglewood in the Berkshires where we will enjoy a fabulous concert by the Boston Pops directed by John Williams and performance by James Taylor. Cost: $121.

Final payment is due by July 30, 2009.

This trip has a waiting list.

ATLANTIC CANADA CRUISE featuring St. John & Halifax. September 7 – 12, 2009. Cruise to Nova Scotia on the Carnival Triumph. Cost for the 5-day cruise from New York City range from $729 to $999 pp. double occupancy depending on the type of cabin chosen. A $380 pp deposit is required to confirm you space. This deposit includes $80 for cancellation insurance. Single rates are available. Call the center to check on space availability. Shore excursions, and fuel charges ($45 pp as of June 11, 2008), meals ashore, beverages, and gratuities are not included in the price.

Check for availability of cabins.

BILLY ELLIOT ON BROADWAY – Wednesday, September 16, 2009. Enjoy lunch at Pietrasanta where you will receive a choice of entrée upon arrival. After lunch, enjoy one of Broadway’s hottest new shows and recent winner of many Tony awards, Billy Elliot, a funny and heart-warming celebration of one young boy’s dream in a gripping tale of triumph over adversity. He loves to dance but his friends are more interested in boxing. A smash hit in London, Billy Elliot reunites the award-winning team behind the moving 2000 film by the same name and the musical mastery of Sir Elton John. This is a feel good, life-affirming musical about a young boy beating all the odds to fulfill his dream. Everyone who sees this Broadway show loves it! Cost: $193 pp.

Final payment is due by August 17, 2009.

This trip has a waiting list.

SAN FRANCISCO AND LAKE TAHOE – September 25- October 1, 2009. This escorted trip flies to San Francisco where you will spend three nights in the beautiful Westin St. Francis Hotel in downtown with sightseeing tours and free time to explore on your own or take an optional tour. Travel to Lake Tahoe by motorcoach, stopping in Napa Valley for a tour of a winery and then on to Reno. Spend three nights at the Horizon Hotel and Casino in Lake Tahoe where you will enjoy a scenic cruise on the sparkling blue waters of Lake Tahoe. Trip includes airfare from NYC, 6 nights in first-class hotels, 4 dinners, and 3 breakfasts, and fuel surcharges (subject to increase until paid in full). Cost: $1949 pp double occupancy. A $100 deposit is due at reservation. Trip insurance can be purchased for an additional $140.

Final payment is due by July 25, 2009.

Space available.

OKTOBERFEST PLATZL BRAUHAUS – Thursday, October 8, 2009. The Platzl Brauhaus in the Hudson River Highlands is most famous for their Oktoberfest program and luncheon. A wonderful menu, an Oompah Band and folk dancing top the day off. Beer, soda, and cider are served throughout the day. Great German entertainment. Cost: $75 pp.

Final payment is due by September 8, 2009.

This trip has a waiting list.

LADY KATHARINE FALL FOLIAGE DINNER CRUISE WITH HILLSTEAD MUSEUM. Thursday, October 22, 2009. Experience a whole new level of luxury as you board the Lady Catherine for a luncheon cruise on the Connecticut River. We depart from Middletown, CT and begin our 2-hour cruise hoping to see some beautiful fall foliage (if it still remains!). After disembarking from the cruise, board the motorcoach again and travel to the Hill-Stead Museum for a tour of this National Historic Landmark for a guided tour. See impressionist paintings by Claude Monet, Edgar Degas and Manet, Mary Cassatt and James McNeill Whistler. Cost: $87 pp.

Final payment is due by September 18, 2009.

Space available.

“A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM” AT GOODSPEED WITH LUNCH AT THE GELSTON HOUSE – Wednesday, November 4, 2009. Non-stop laughter awaits you with America’s Funniest Musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Winner of tons of Tony Awards including Best Musical. Before the show, enjoy a delicious lunch in the beautiful Gelston House, Cost: $99 pp.

Final payment is due September 15, 2009.

This trip has a waiting list.

MAGIC WINGS, LUNCH AT CHANDLERS, YANKEE CANDLE, AND BRIGHT LIGHTS BUS TOUR AT FOREST PARK – Wednesday, December 9, 2009. See beautiful indoor gardens filled with color and butterflies at the Butterfly Conservatory. Then have lunch at Yankee Candle’s own fine dining restaurant, Chandlers. After lunch browse through Yankee Candle and smell all the delicious scents for the holidays. The last stop is a ride through the amazing Bright Nights display in Forest Park, New England’s largest lighting display, featuring more than two and a half miles of magnificent lighting and whimsical places. Cost: $77 pp.

Final payment is due November 12, 2009.

Space available.

11 DAY CRUISE FROM NY TO THE SUNNY CARIBBEAN – Feb. 3 – 13, 2010. Board the New Norwegian Gem in New York and sail to the Caribbean where we stop at St. Thomas, Antigua, San Juan, St. Maarten, and Tortola. Trip includes transportation to the NY pier, all meals with Freestyle Dining in 12 restaurants, first bowling alley at sea, Broadway style shows, 2 pools and fitness center, exclusive Open Bar Party and all port and government taxes. Prices start at $1405 per person. $500 pp is due with your reservation. Deposits are recommended as soon as possible to assure the cabin of your choice. Final payment is due by Nov. 6, 2009. Trip protection insurance at an additional charge is strongly recommended. For more information call the Senior Center or The Ship Shop at Friendship Tours (1-800-243-1630).

WASHINGTON, D.C. FOR THE CHERRY BLOSSOMS AND THE TERRA COTTA WARRIORS EXHIBIT – March 25-27, 2010. Enjoy great sightseeing, entertainment, and one of the greatest archeological finds of the 20^th Century on this trip to our nation’s capital. We stay at the Embassy Suites for two nights with nightly cocktail receptions at the hotel. Trip includes 2 breakfast, 2 dinners, one show at the Lazy Susan Dinner Theater and a tour of Washington, D.C. with a step-on guide, including many of the memorials and museums. A relaxing cruise on the Potomac River is included prior to an evening dinner on the Washington waterfront. See the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit at the National Geographic Museum before they are returned to China. Price: $399 pp based on a double, $549 single, and $369 pp for a triple. Trip insurance is included in the price. A $50 deposit is due with registration and the balance is due Feb. 15, 2010. This trip has a waiting list.

Fliers with complete information on each trip are available from the Community Services office and in the senior café trip rack. Reserve far enough in advance to assure that you will be assured a spot. All trips must be paid in full by the deadline noted on the flier. We ask that you make a $25 deposit on day trips when you make the reservation. Deposits are specified on longer trips. Separate checks are needed for separate trips. Checks for day trips are made out to Treasurer, Town of Orange. We rely on our members to make final payments on trips without reminder phone calls. Cancellation waiver fees are due at the time of deposit for overnight trips. No refunds can be issued for any cancellations made less than 20 days before a scheduled trip or event, unless we have a waiting list and are able to find a replacement. If there is no waiting list, we encourage you to find someone to take your place. All trips depart from the Orange Senior Center, unless otherwise noted. Park in the rear of the parking lot on the side of the senior café as far past the building as possible. Do not hesitate to put your name on a waiting list, as we use this list for replacements when needed. The first two seats on each side of the bus are reserved for persons with special disabilities and for the group leader. We are able to accept payment for trips on Visa or MasterCard. Driver’s gratuity is usually included in the cost of the trip.