PLATTSBURGH — The Senior Serenaders crooned “Pretty Woman,” and a dozen answered the call at Friday’s Senior Celebration 2025 at the Senior Center.
“Out of This World” was the theme, and seniors rocked the morning and afternoon away at the event that drew a steady stream of attendees.
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This was the debut event for Brenda Lewis of Plattsburgh.
“I met a lot of very nice people here,” she said.
“I always thought you had to be a certain age to come here. That’s my stupidity. Since I retired four years ago, I was looking for things to do. I was a teacher at Beekmantown School. I taught second grade. I love second graders. I taught for 31 years.”
Retirement was a little difficult at first.
“Then, you had to fill your time with okay, what am I going to do all day?” she said.
“There’s only so much housework you can do. My passion is travel. So that’s what I do now that I’m retired, and I can go anytime that I want. I just love travel.”
At the Senior Celebration, Lewis learned of the plethora of local services for senior citizens.
“It’s really nice to see all of these organizations out today giving out information and the raffles,” she said.
“I hope I win something. I put my name into everything.”
Plattsburgh resident Ray Mitchell, a former Senior Center employee, was making the rounds on Friday afternoon.
During his 18-year tenure, he went from bus driver to maintenance, computer, and front office.
“Until COVID come along,” he said.
“They sent me home.”
Why Mitchell came today?
“Everybody is having a good time,” he said.
In front of him, Nell Sherman, 81, listened to the Serenaders chant, “I draw the line.”
“A man that I used to see used to come here,” the Peru resident and former banking associate and bar manager, said.
“He liked to play shuffleboard. So I came, and I learned to play shuffleboard. They do this every year and a couple of other functions that they do every like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, whatever. They always have something like this.”
At the celebration, Sherman took in all the people.
“You always see a lot of the same people, but there’s always some new ones you get to know,” she said.
When raffle numbers were called out, Ronald Parmeter had the winning ticket for a basket of growing things, seed packets and little pots.
“We came last year and had fun, so we came this year,” the Beekman Towers resident, 90, said.
In his career, he was a welder/mechanic, heavy duty construction worker for 44 years.
“I’m a ‘35 model.”
Beside him, Paul Fowler, 78, kept a close watch over his booty as there were several highly interested in his box of Lake Shore chocolates and two bottles of wine, which he scored right after his buddy’s win.
Fowler wanted one of the 90-plus coffee cups, but he wasn’t old enough.
“I’m just interested in senior activities since I became a senior,” he said.
“I retired 15 years ago, self-employed.”