Arden_seniors

Jeff Green | Feb 15, 2007

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Arden Happy Gang Seniors

The Arden Happy Gang Seniors started the year off by electing as new vice president Rick Brown, since Lynn Smith's term had come to an end.

Then in February they held a St. Valentine's dance, which was a Senior's Games Fundraiser and may I add that a nice bit of money was raised for that purpose--proof of how popular the Seniors' sponsored dances are.

When plans were made to revamp the kitchen, the Seniors were there to help out financially and some came in to help paint the walls a beautiful sunshine yellow shade. The whole project was led by Dianne Nicolson who is always ready to roll up her sleeves to tackle the next project.

The Arden Seniors are well named as "The Happy Gang” as most of their meetings are full of hilarity, not least of all due to the recording secretary Audr Tompkins and her cohort Betty Garnett, who among other things is the treasurer; not to mention President Jack Patterson, who always has a joke to tell.

However, in spite of, or maybe because of that, a lot gets done. Trips are arranged, theater tickets are booked and charitable donations are made.

One of last year's trips was to Fort Henry's Tattoo, where Ron Henry found out how honest people still are.

He was one of our members who attended the event, and after getting home he realized that he had lost his wallet somewhere. After getting back to Kingston the following day and checking at several places where he had been, he finally made his way to Fort Henry where he was greeted by the ticket vendor with the words “Hallo, Ron Henry”. Someone had found his wallet and turned it in with nothing missing. What a lucky break that was.

In the spring the Seniors went right through the town and picked up as much of the litter as they could. It was a one-day cleanup, but some of our members continue with this job on a semi-regular basis.

I would be remiss if I did not tell you that the bazaars, dances and other fundraisers all are done to aid some charity or other.

Last year’s donations included the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Cancer Society, Northern Frontenac Centre, the Snowsuit Fund, the Festival of Trees and the M.S. Foundation; also financial aid to some of the seniors who needed it to help defray expenses connected with the Seniors Games, which were held in Portage la Prairie in the summer of 2006.

And they did us proud, bringing back 17 medals.

The winners were Norma and Bill Pringle, Jim and Barbara Kirkland, Diane and Jack Nicolson, Doug Smith, Peter Smiley, Tom Christinsen, Marg Smith and Si and Pat Tucker.

We had a piano concert which was very well received and was the brainchild of Larry Lightstone.

The Oktober Fest dance was a great success with an "Old Geezers Idol Search" to the great amusement of all. There was a barbecue and at the end of the year a Christmas dinner, which had to be rescheduled because after all the preparations were made, the power went off, never to return again until the following day. But in spite of this misfortune the Seniors rose to the occasion and the dinner on its new date was a great success.