Seniors ready for Halloween | News, sports, jobs

TL Photo/JOSIE BURKHART Residents of the Martins Ferry Senior Center practice cardio drumming as they get ready for a Halloween party scheduled for Thursday. The event includes bingo, putt-putt golf and costumes.

MARTINS FERRY – Patrons of the Martins Ferry Senior Center will dress up in costumes and play Halloween bingo and putt-putt golf next week.

The senior center will hold a Halloween party downtown on Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Two other senior centers will also host the celebration, with guests from Bethesda and Colerain.

Costume prizes, bingo prizes and golf gift certificates will be awarded to the winners. Each senior who enters receives a ticket that is placed in a bucket and drawn to see who wins the costume contest. Some prizes include a baking basket and home decor.

Melissa Finney, Martins Ferry’s senior center coordinator, invited Mayor John Davies, Belmont County Commissioner Jerry Echemann and others to attend the party.

Seniors can enjoy one “banana split bar,” where they can build their own banana split, which is provided by Stonerise Hospice. Lunch is at 11:30 am. Then the seniors start with the banana split bar and the award ceremonies.

“The main goal of (Belmont County) Senior Services is to keep seniors active, healthy and in their own homes for as long as it is safely possible because no one wants to end up in an institution,” Finney said.

Finney said the reason the senior center hosts parties, picnics and events is to keep seniors active and healthy.

Seniors typically visit the center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Finney wants people to know the center is there for them and for other seniors who may not know it is there.

Finney is looking forward to seeing the clever costumes and hopes the seniors have fun, enjoy themselves and have a great day that they will remember for a long time.

In the past, seniors loved the Halloween parties, Finney said.

“They love them. They love to dress up, they love to put on costumes,” she said. “Every time there is bingo they are all for bingo, they love to win prizes. The banana split bar will be a big hit and they have also actively helped prepare for this party.”

Seniors made treat bags, placemats and napkin rings to prepare.

“They actively participate in the planning and execution of the party, which I really appreciate,” Finney said. “It’s their time to shine because they’re hosting, so they want it to be good.”

Some of the costumes that the seniors will dress up in are a disabled bumblebee, a Greek lady, an ice cream cone, a sparkly witch, a nun and “rubbish” America.

Finney believes seniors deserve to be cared for because they have spent their lives working, raising children, paying their bills, paying their taxes and doing the right things.

“I like to do things to make seniors happy. I like seeing them all together,” she said. “And maybe having the other senior centers here will give them a chance to meet other new friends.” … It’s just good for them – it’s good for them to socialize, it’s good for them to be so active, and really I just want to make them happy.”

Today’s latest news and more in your inbox