Please visit granby-ct.gov/senior-services or check your Center Life Newsletter for a complete listing of health services, support groups, clubs and ongoing activities.
If you are a Granby Senior Center member, please register for programs through SchedulesPlus.com/granby If you are not a member of the Granby Senior Center or you do not have access to a computer, please call 860-844-5352.
Special Event
Thanksgiving Luncheon: Thursday, Nov. 16, 12 p.m. We can’t have Thanksgiving without a feast! We will serve a traditional turkey dinner with stuffing, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and pumpkin pie for dessert. Instrumental entertainment by the Mass-Conn-Fusion Duo. Cost: $5.
Trips
Blown Glass Ornament Making at Silver Street Glass: Wednesday, Nov. 1, van departs at 9:45 a.m. All glass blowing classes start with introduction and safety talk followed by a demonstration of your class topic. With instructor’s assistance, you will apply color frit to hot glass, melt the color and shape your item. Please wear clothing of natural materials, tie long hair back and wear closed shoes/no high heels. You must wear safety glasses in studio at all times. Clean safety glasses provided during your visit. Limited to eight, $40 cost includes class and ornament. Additional items can be purchased on-site.
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner: Thursday, Nov. 9, bus departs at 8:45 a.m. All around the Blackstone Valley, north of Providence, the nation’s smallest state sports big restaurants that serve gigantic meals built around boundless bowls of roast chicken. One of the biggest restaurants on earth, Wright’s Farm serves this classic chicken dinner, all-you-can-eat. Your meal consists of dinner rolls, salads with Wright’s Farm classic Italian dressing, pasta with red sauce, French fries, and Wright’s famous, tender and juicy baked chicken. After time in the gift shop, we will keep our winning streak going with a visit to Bally’s Twin River Casino, with over 4,000 slot machines and live table games. Cost: $90.
Lifelong Learning
A History of Huskies’ Hoops: Legacy of Greatness: Friday, Nov. 3, 10–11 a.m. Celebrate the history and greatness of the UConn basketball teams with this fun, lively and enlightening presentation hosted by award-winning sportswriter and author Marty Gitlin. Take a journey from the beginning of the men’s and women’s programs to the present with video highlights of the greatest teams, players and events from the turn of the twentieth century to today. The presentation will also feature fun trivia questions for patrons to ponder and answer, as well as a Q & A following. Free.
Ways of Listening, The Music of Mozart: Monday, Nov. 6, 2–3 p.m. David Stein will explore Seven Gran Partita for Winds, a Mozart masterpiece that plays a crucial role in the movie Amadeus. The program uses video clips of performances and animations combined with live illustration at the piano. It is non-technical and accessible to anyone with an interest in classical music. Free.
Seven Connecticut Inventions: Wednesday, Nov. 8, 10–11 a.m. To be an innovation that helped to change the world, the invention must extend beyond delivering a better solution—these innovations often disrupt or radically alter how a problem is defined, perceived and solved. Join us as we uncover some of the background stories about several Connecticut innovations that changed the lives of people around the world. Presented by John Cilio, a historian and storyteller. Free.
Origami Boxes with Gail: Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2–4 p.m. Each participant will make a decorative box using modular origami and receive complete written instructions to take home in time for the holidays. Instructer, Gail Altschwager. Free.
Holiday Card Making: Thursday, Nov. 30, 1–3 p.m. Stamps, scrapbook paper, buttons and ribbon are just a few materials used to create a 10-piece set of handmade holiday cards just in time for the holiday card sending season. Instructed by local artist Katherine Tolve. Cost: $10.
Ongoing Programs
CRT Hot Lunch: Every Tuesday and Thursday, 12–1 p.m. Community Café offers a healthy, low-cost lunch for seniors 60+ and the opportunity to join with others. Monthly menus are available at the Senior Center. All participants are required to complete a one-time informational survey. A donation of $3 per meal is suggested to help cover costs, however no one is denied a meal if unable to pay. Reservations are accepted until noon on Friday for the following week by calling 860-844-5350.
Ask the Attorney: Wednesday, Nov. 1, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. By appointment at the Granby Senior Center. Specializing in Elder Law. Please call to set up an appointment for a free half-hour consultation.
Cribbage: Fridays, 3–5 p.m. and Tuesdays at 6 p.m. Experienced players will assist with refreshing your game play. Free.
Set Back: Tuesdays, 1–3:30 p.m. Free.
Music Jam, Back in Time: Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Bring your instrument and join in. Music from 60s to the 80s. Open to any type of musicians. Free.
Makers Club: Mondays, 10 a.m. Bring your latest project to work on and enjoy some great conversation. Free.
History Revisited: Tuesdays, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. Jerry Perkins, former professor and high school history instructor, has a way of bringing history to life. Join this information and fun view of events from Pre-Columbian times to the present. Class attendees will have the opportunity to request specific subjects to review. Free.
Camera Club: Monday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m. The club for photography enthusiasts—each month a different topic of interest is discussed. Annual membership is $10.
Women’s Breakfast: Wednesday, Nov. 1, 8:30 a.m. “Connecticut’s Changing Landscape and the Impact on Wildlife” with Conservationist Ginny Apple. Cost: $5.
Men’s Breakfast: Friday, Nov. 3 at 8:30 a.m. A week earlier because of Veterans Day. Granby Grunts Robotics Team will present. Cost: $5, Veterans free.
Health and Wellness
Chair Massage: Tuesdays, Nov. 7 and 21, 10 a.m.–12:45 p.m. by appointment only. Bev offers 15-minute chair massages for $10. Must have a current Senior Center membership to participate.
Blood Pressure/Blood Sugar Clinic: Thursdays, 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. No appointment needed. Courtesy of the Farmington Valley Visiting Nurses Association. Held in the Senior Center Community Room.
Healthy Minds: By appointment only. Situations such as the death of a loved one, failing health or strained family relationships can be daunting to face alone. Working with a Marriage and Family Therapist may help you move forward with the better part of life. To schedule a confidential appointment, call 860-844-5350.
Tibetan Singing Bowls with Brian: Friday, Nov. 17, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. Soothing sounds of Tibetan singing bowls help to reduce stress and to create a deep sense of peace and well-being. This ancient practice has been handed down from generation to generation by the Tibetan Buddhist monks. Participants are welcome to bring a yoga mat; chairs will also be available. Cost: $5.
Exercise Programs
See the current Center Life newsletter for cost on all programs.
Gentle Movement: Mondays, 11:15 a.m. Class currently in session, next session starts Dec. 4.
Gently increase your strength, help your ability to balance, and provide stretching to maintain and increase mobility. Instructor, Paula Pirog.
Chair Yoga: Tuesdays, 2:30 p.m. Class currently in session, next session starts Dec. 5. Enhanced breathing, seated and standing classic Yoga poses, plus balance training and core strengthening. Guided meditation finishes the class in a calm and relaxing manner. Instructor, Paula Pirog.
Yoga: Thursdays, 4 p.m. Class currently in session, next session starts Dec. 7. Strength building sequences, standing and on the mat. Includes balance and Pilates floor work. Instructor, Paula Pirog.
Chi Gong–Virtual: Wednesdays 9–9:45 a.m. via Zoom. Class currently in session, next session starts Dec. 6. The practice of Chi Gong helps us to feel grounded, nurtured and relaxed so that the body’s energy can be naturally directed to help our organs function optimally, create flexibility in the muscles, suppleness in the joints and bring balance to our emotions. Instructor, Mary Ellen Mullins.
Line Dancing with Jim: Wednesdays, 1:30–2:30 p.m. Next session is Nov. 1–Dec. 27, 9-week session. Instructor Jim Gregory’s expertise will have you learning the steps in no time and having a blast too. This class is for beginners to advanced dancers.
Tai Chi Yang Style 24 Forms 1-6: Wednesdays, 2:45–3:45 p.m. Class currently in session, next session starts Dec. 6. Suitable and encouraged for beginners. Tai Chi is a practice that involves a series of slow, gentle, low impact movements, a relaxed, meditative mind set and controlled breathing. The balanced work of Tai Chi can also help reduce inflammation, improve mental health, chronic pain and increase longevity. Instructor, Mary Ellen Mullins.
Tai Chi/Qi Gong: Thursdays, 9 a.m. Class currently in session, next session starts Dec. 7. Continuing the forms learned in previous sessions, this class will teach forms 9–12 of the Yang style Tai Chi. The first half of class will consist of Qi Gong warmups suitable for abilities. Experience in first eight forms required to participate. Instructor, Mary Ellen Mullins.
Everybody’s Exercise: Thursdays, 1:30–2:30 p.m. Next session is Nov. 2–Dec. 28, 9-week session. This class will include strength and weights, some cardio, balance and flexibility. All movements can be modified for chair or standing. Mary will personalize your routine based on current flexibility, strength, etc. Instructor, Mary Root.
All About Balance: Thursdays, 2:45 p.m. Class currently in session, next session Nov. 30– Dec. 28, 5-week session. This class focuses on strength for balance efficiency, such as squats, handheld weight maneuvers and walking drills, as well as core conditioning. Instructor: Paula Pirog.
Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance
Evidence Based Program: Wednesdays and Fridays, for 24 weeks. 9:30–10:30 a.m. This free class is possible due to a grant from the CT Healthy Living Collective.
Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance® (TJQMBB) is a research-based balance training regimen designed for older adults at risk of falling and people with balance disorders. Fuzhong Li, Ph.D., a senior scientist at Oregon Research Institute, developed the program.
Although its origin can be traced to the contemporary simplified 24-form Tai Ji Quan routine, TJQMBB represents a significant paradigm shift in the application of Tai Ji Quan, moving the focus from its historical use as a martial art or recreational activity to propagating health by addressing common, but potentially debilitating, functional impairments/deficits. Instructor: Marcey Hickey.