From its beginnings in the 1960s, the Newburgh Senior Center has seen a lot a people pass through its doors. Many of those people have passed away or moved on to other living situations.

Happily, there is a new crop of seniors coming along and they are bringing their own fun ideas when they join the crowd. The organization started at Zion United Church of Christ on October 11, 1966.  The group met once a month. Katherine Esche was the first president of the group. Anthony (Tony) Behme served as first vice president and treasurer, while Katherine Schneider was secretary and Oscar Brizius was second vice president. There were 23 charter members.

The motto, as garnered from an old scrapbook, was “To know how to grow old is the master work of wisdom.” That’s a partial quote from Swiss philosopher Henri Frederick Amiel.

The group eventually moved to the Old Lock and Dam Park, then to the Ohio Township Fire Department, and finally, in 2004, to the current building on the corner of Jefferson and Third Streets.

Members and friends are invited to gather at the Senior Center on April 6, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of having a place of their own.

Kicking off the party, the Little Old Dam Band will start playing out front at about 10:45. Following the invocation, history will be shared and volunteers will be honored. A brief slide show will show the construction progress from the first shovel turned until the grand opening in April 2004.

Sylvia Smith was the first manager of the Senior Center, according to her son John Smith, overseeing its early years and subsequent moves. She served on the committee that worked to get the funding for the current structure, along with Suzanne Sorensen, Harry Thompson, Bob Seibert and Town Manager, Mae Mason. Carl Conner, Jr., of Conner and Associates, served as the architect and sat on the committee as well.

Funding for the structure was provided through a federal HUD Community Focus Fund grant of $480,000. The Town of Newburgh kicked in another $254,000 and change.

When they moved to one of the Lockmaster Houses at the Old Lock and Dam Park, they learned that was not an accessible location, so then-Trustee, Pat Brooks helped the group get into the activity building of the Ohio Township Fire Department on Epworth. It wasn’t long before that space began to get tight, so members and friends approached the Town Council about getting a building of their own. The Town optioned the property at Jefferson and Third streets for the new facility, but it took a couple of years from thoughts to fruition. The building was officially opened in April 2004.

Mrs. Smith will be one of the people recognized at the open house ceremony. “She said she’d retired and they asked her to (serve as the manager),” said long-time volunteer member, Agnes Spillman, whose aunt was one of the founding members.

Not only have many friends passed through the doors, but lots of food, fun, programs, and projects have been experienced. Clabber has been a favored card game of members. They play on Mondays.

Bingo is another standard fun activity and is played on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Euchre players gather on Thursdays.

Puzzles are always out, tempting those with the patience to work them. Rumikub has been a favorite game for many years.

Exercise is a mainstay every day for 30 minutes and crafts are available on a monthly basis, as is a book club. Scrabble is another popular pastime, played a couple times a week.

Bridge, Rook and Hand & Foot have been played at different stages. Line dancing was once practiced there. Tai Chi classes began there but soon outgrew the space and moved to the Zion UCC church up the street where they meet on Thursdays under the instruction of Ron Weatherford. Computers are available for members’ use.

Before Covid, members from the Senior Center would join a group of seniors from the area for bus trips, mostly to the Derby Theater in Clarksville, IN.

Birthdays are celebrated with special cake once a month.

By far the most popular event every week, by attendance figures, is Free Lunch Friday. Sometimes there is a carry-in lunch on Friday, while community sponsors provide the cuisine the other Fridays. It’s always an adventure.

The longest sponsoring group for the free lunches is the Islamic Center of Evansville. Their volunteers usually bring at least one ethnic dish for diners to try and fill in with other familiar foods. Folks will vouch that they love the dishes and the volunteers who bring them.

The Center is open most weeks Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. SWIRCA Meals on Wheels lunches are served at 11:30. Anyone 55 and older is welcome to participate in any and all the programs and projects. Except for the SWIRCA lunches, most programs are free or affordable.

Please rsvp to Linda Nottoli, Senior Center manager either at 812-853-5627 or manageratnsc@gmail.com if you’d like to attend the open house.