Ashburnham COA events for April

The Ashburnham Council on Aging (COA) provides numerous services for the senior citizens in town, most at little or no cost.

The Ashburnham Senior Center is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is located on 1 Memorial Drive in the same building as, and next to, the Ashburnham Police Department.

All Ashburnham Senior Citizens are welcome to drop in. They have a lot of information that you might find of interest and you may have a good time just getting together for a cup of coffee and a chat.

The following are some of the services and activities available at the Senior Center: Meals-on-Wheels are available to those unable to get out. MOC Nutrition Lunch Meals are served at noon. You must reserve the day before by calling the meal-site at (978) 827-5735. Cost of meals is a donation of $2.

If you need transportation, call (978) 827-5000. Transportation on the Senior Van costs $0.25 each stop intown and $0.50 each way to Fitchburg or Gardner.

Additional activities include: lunch, bingo, arts & crafts, Forever Young Club meetings and events, line dancing, speakers, blood pressure clinics, exercise, and the Tax Work Off Program.

For more information, contact Mary Lee Muesel at (978) 827-5000.

The Ashburnham COA (Council on Aging Center) can now take seniors and disabled town residents to medical appointment throughout Massachusetts. Contact the COA at (978) 827-5000. Please call as soon as you know your appointment date.

The Ashburnham Council on Aging provides transportation Monday through Friday mornings through afternoon. Town seniors and those with disabilities can have the van pick them up and bring them wherever they need to go in the tri-city area for medical appointment, rehab, shopping, errands, lunch, the hair dresser, etc. Please call to schedule (978) 827-5000.

Upcoming Events The Forever Young Club will meet at the center on Monday, April 7, starting with a lunch of lasagna at noon. Entertainment starts at 1 p.m. with Joe Foster at the mike playing the guitar and singing songs from the Old West. The meeting will be held after the entertainment and the gathering will conclude with a celebration of April Birthdays complete with cake (no candles) made by Eula Buckwalter. A $2 donation is requested for lunch (entertainment is free). Reservations requested.

The COA now has exercise groups and classes three mornings per week from 10 to 11 a.m. Line dancing meets Monday morning. Stretching and aerobics meets Wednesday morning and Thursday morning is a combination of both line dancing and aerobics. No need to call. Stop in any morning. Take all the breaks you want.

The Ashburnham Council on Aging will conduct a blood pressure and well adult clinic from 11 a.m. to noon Tuesday, April 8. The nurse also will be available during this time to discuss issues of senior abuse and neglect. This service is offered in partnership with the Nashoba VNA. Health questions are welcome at these testing. Anyone over age 55 may participate in the program.

See the beautiful stained glass window hanging you can make with instructions from Phyllis Antidormi at the center. On Tuesdays, April 15 and 22, at 1 p.m. Phyllis will teach you how to craft a a eye-catchi ornament. Free; materials and tools provided. Space is limited.

A Spring Celebration Luncheon will be held at noon Tuesday, April 23, at the center. The lunch features baked ham in pineapple sauce, baked macaroni, green bean almandine, and cherry turnovers. A $2 donation is requested and a two-day advanced reservation required.

"Pizza and Bingo for a Buck" will beheld at noon Tuesday, April 29. One dollar buys your lunch, dessert and a bingo card. All seniors welcome. Rides avail- able.

For more information on these events, or to make reservations, call (978) 827-5000.

Upcoming trips

The Forever Young Club announces the following trips: Thursday, April 17 - Bingo at Wright's Chicken Farm, $41; Thursday, May 22 - Twin River, Lincoln, R.I., includes buffet, $5 cash and scratch ticket; Wednesday, July 16 - Horizon Edge Casino Cruise, cost includes $34 luncheon buffet; Thursday, Aug. 7 - Foxwood's Casino and Resort, $25; Sunday, Aug. 24 - Tangelwood Concert, includes ticket, bus and dinner at Old Country Buffet, cost is $67; Sept. 24 through Sept. 26 - Lake George, N.Y., cost is $299 (deposit of $25 is due on or before May 1). For information, call Mary Lajoie at (978) 827-4882.