After year-long break, activities resume at Senior Center

In the last month, the Lincoln Senior Center has starting hosting some of the weekly activities that had been canceled during the pandemic.

Dominoes has not yet returned, but pinochle and wood carving are both meeting weekly again. Pinochle meets at 7 p.m. on Tuesday evenings, and wood carving is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Wednesdays.

"We're encouraging people to start using the facility," said Kathy Reeves, who coordinates the pinochle evenings.

"We are looking. If you want to play pinochle, you are more than welcome. It's open to anyone that wants to play," she said, noting there's no age requirement to join in the activity at the Senior Center.

"I have a grandson that when he's up here, he always plays," Reeves added.

There is a 75-cent charge to play each evening, and prizes are awarded at the end of the games. The group usually plays six rounds, said Reeves, and tables rotate between hands. Attendance fluctuates between six to nine right now, she said.

"Our oldest member is Harry Arvidson, and he's 96. He and Lola played forever. When I first started playing, there were probably 20-30 people playing," Reeves said.

Wood carving is also open to all ages, said organizer Ann Pryor, and anyone who isn't old enough to be a member of the Senior Center can make an annual donation to support the activity.

Pryor said everyone learns from each other during wood carving.

"We just kind of all work together. We teach each other. We help each other. We do all kinds of things. One man carves on cottonwood. He does vases. We carve birds and fish and Christmas ornaments," said Pryor.

Regular visitors to the Lincoln Senior Center have been excited to have activities opening back up.

"It's taken everybody a little while to get back into things, but everybody's kinda glad that things are going again," said Pryor. She said that in addition to the events at the Senior Center, the Community Hall quilting group has started meeting again, and that anyone is welcome to join from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. every Thursday.

Anyone interested in the weekly activities at the Senior Center is encouraged to contact the coordinator for each activity for more information. Kathy Reeves can be reached at 362-4858, and Ann Pryor can be reached at 362-4438.