The Portage County Department on Aging invites people age 60 and over to take part in the fall season of senior center classes and activities at Lincoln Center, 1519 Water St., for new challenges.
Registration will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 8 and 9, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with free refreshments and prize drawings. People may also register by mail using the form in the "Autumn Offerings 1999" catalog.
The catalog includes descriptions and schedules for upcoming activities and is available at Lincoln Center, the Portage County Public Library, and area pharmacies. Classes begin Sept.13.
"We all continue to grow no matter our age," says Senior Center director Carol Moore. "Lincoln Center provides opportunities for seniors to be challenged intellectually and physically - try something new, keep fit, express some artistic creativity, share skills and knowledge gained over a lifetime."
The center will have several new offerings this season. Richard Feldman will take a look at the greatest plays of ancient Greece. In "Mystery: Murder They Wrote!" Hazel Koskenlinna will review how the genre has changed from Conan Doyle and Poe to Grafton and Hillerman. Gil Halverson will take a historic look at some of the people for whom Stevens Point streets were named. Ruth Steffen will show some good Websites on the Internet from which to begin as a useful genealogical tool. "Our Fellow Immigrants" will focus on Stevens Point's sister cities in Russia and Nicaragua.
Among the topics in the "Get to the Point" Friday morning series will be some aspects of old Portage County buildings with Wendell Nelson; a physics demonstration by UW-SP students; a state legislative update with Rep. Julie Lassa; Scott Rifleman on the role of the county coroner; and map reading. Jim Rasmussen will provide some advice on what to look for when buying a Medicare supplement insurance policy.
Returning in the education and information category this semester will be Internet and e-mail tutoring, map reading (new), "For the Love of Opera," antique identification and evaluation, sharing and writing your life stories, play reading, 55 alive safe driver course, Polish, Spanish, English for elder Hmong, and the durable power of attorney for health care.
In health and fitness, there will be a new support group for diabetics, information on "The Aging Eye" with Dr. Matthew Hattenhauer, cooking with tofu, "Herbal Basics: Aromatic, Medicinal and Culinary," and "The Woman Within." Other offerings include Aerofit, PACE, and Tai Chi exercise classes. There will be free screenings for hearing, depression, and glaucoma, visual acuity and macular degeneration.
Support groups begin their new season in September: Alzheimer's Caregiver, Arthritis, Laryngectomy, Living With Cancer, Loss of Spouse, Parkinson's, Self-Help for Hard of Hearing People, and Visually-Impaired Persons.
Arts and crafts offerings will include beginning quilting, watercolor and oil painting, interior decoration, folk art, simple bookbinding, flower arranging, woodcarving, pottery, ceramics, sewing, and mixed media art.
Upcoming special events include a harvest luncheon and Halloween party. Seniors may join one of the card clubs (cribbage, pinochle, smear, bridge, novice duplicate bridge) or play some Scrabble. Dancers can take part in beginning and advanced square or galaxy round dancing.
Moore extends a special invitation to people who haven't been to Lincoln Center before. "We'll be happy to give newcomers a tour of the center.
People can bring a friend but needn't be concerned about coming alone - the atmosphere is friendly and casual." She adds that "The Aging Resource Center is the 'Information Place' where seniors can find out about the range of services available to them in the community. They might want to
explore volunteer opportunities, get some help with a confusing Medicare claim, speak with a counselor about a personal problem, or find out about respite for caregivers. We're here to answer those and other questions."
Lincoln Center and Department on Aging offices are open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The telephone number is 346-1401 (TTY for the hearing-impaired is 346-1632).
Information and assistance is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day at 346-1405. People may also call the Lincoln Center Hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for a recorded update on senior center activities. From within the Stevens Point telephone exchange, dial 346-1432, or from outside toll-free at 1-800-586-5055. The email address is dept.aging@co.portage.wi.us.