September 1, 2010
Friendship Retirement Community's Residents' Center hosted more than 200 people for the 2010 Mayberry-themed Senior Extravaganza. The event was sponsored by Mental Health America of Roanoke Valley with funding provided through Foundation for Roanoke Valley's "Belonging Initiative" to keep older adults in our community healthy, safe, and connected.
Those attending were greeted at Friendship with a cup of old-fashioned lemonade and a schedule of the day's events.
The five-hour event included numerous activities and information available to seniors at no charge. Exhibitors included health-related services such as vision and hearing screenings, chiropractic scans, pedicures, and booths with information about basic first aid for seniors; accessing resources through 211; and self-management for cancer survivors. Other activities included chair yoga, ballroom dancing, healthy cooking demonstrations, jewelry making, indoor gardening and more. The chair yoga proved popular, with nearly 50 people in the class.
Country Cookin' provided free blue plate lunches in the Mayberry Diner, while diners listened to live blue grass music and a mini-concert by The Friendship Singers. And it wouldn't be Mayberry without a visit from Barney, the Mayberry deputy, who helped deliver door prizes and provided a safety update.
And if you just wanted to take it easy, you could sit back and watch old episodes of The Andy Griffith Show. (But watch out for the deputy handing out citations.)
"What a great way to showcase the many services in our community for seniors," said Danna Owen of Friendship Retirement Community, who helped organize the event.