SailorMature11-22-12

A Special Section Highlighting Senior LifestylesThis month’s focus: Traveling

BY EMILY HEDGESCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Chanhassen seniors are able toexperience the history of the HolyLand, man a remote Icelandic weatherstation, sail the fjords of Norway, andtake many more memorable journeyswithout ever leaving their own neigh-borhood, thanks to travel program-ming offered by the ChanhassenSenior Center.

“Our Passport to the World pro-gram is kind of like armchair travelerseries,” said Sue Bill, Senior Centercoordinator for the City ofChanhassen.

The popular lunchtime series fea-tures a different country and culturefour times a year. A person who hastraveled to or lived in the featuredcountry leads each talk. Attendeesreceive passports and a sticker identi-fying each presentation they attend.Food and drink native to that landcomplete the experience.

“Four or five years ago, when fuelcosts began to rise, I found peoplewere traveling less and less because ofthe expense,” she said. “Why not offerthe chance to sit down in comfort andexperience sights and sounds of vari-ous countries?”

According to Bill, the communityhas embraced the series. Each presen-tation fills up quickly, drawingbetween 40 and 50 seniors.

“People love hearing the experi-ences of other travelers. The pro-grams are such a success,” said Bill.“Topics will change as presenters

become available.”Chanhassen resident Fran Sheffel

serves on the Senior Advisory Board.When her husband was alive, the cou-ple loved to travel, visiting every U.S.state except Hawaii, and all of theCanadian Provinces.

“It gives you the opportunity to seefirst hand a lot of countries that youmay have an interest in. You’re hear-ing from people who have been there,”said Sheffel. “It’s wonderful for a lot ofpeople who can’t travel anymore.”

Fellow Advisory Board memberMarlyn Mauritz also tries to attend asmany travel series presentations aspossible.

“It’s wonderful seeing people expe-rience places they can no longer trav-el to,” said Mauritz. “We usually have

a waiting list. Those programs go soquickly.”

Mauritz credits Bill, the city staffand community of Chanhassen forthe success of this and many otherprograms at the center.

“We have quality help from thecommunity. Sue does an excellent job.The community and the city are sosupportive,” said Mauritz.

The Senior Center added anotheropportunity for armchair travelthrough Lifelong Learning presenta-tions offered through AugsburgCollege, College of the Third Age.Retired professors from the TwinCities come and give presentationsapproximately one-and-a-half hoursin length on topics selected by Billfrom a list of more than 75 options.

The next presentation in this seriesis called Jerusalem: The City of God.Taking place on Dec. 4 at 10 a.m., atten-dees will learn about the city that isviewed by Jews, Christians andMuslims to be the City of God. Thelecture will give an overview of theancient and modern day history ofJerusalem, including pictures and sto-ries from recent travels to Jerusalem.Reservation deadline is Nov. 27. Theprogram fee is $3.

The Chanhassen Senior Center islocated in the lower level of City Hallat 7700 Market Boulevard. Residentsfrom surrounding communities arewelcome. For more information, call952-227-1124 or go to www.ci.chanhas-sen.mn.us.

Senior center offers great ‘armchair’ travel opportunities

Susan Baker shares herexperiences about hertrip to Morocco duringChanhassen SeniorCenter’s Passport LunchProgram. Photo byChanhassen SeniorCenter.

November 22, 2012

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sailor.mnsun.com Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012– Mature Lifestyles 3

The Big Apple is terrificdestination for seniors tour BY EMILY HEDGESCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Curtis Hedstrom, 68, had alwayswanted to travel to the Big Apple.When he saw a notice in theLakeville Senior Center about anupcoming trip, he thought the timewas right to finally go.

“I had wanted to go to New YorkCity, but I didn’t know where to stay,or what parts were safe. I thought ifI go with a group, I won’t have thoseissues,” he said.

Creating turnkey travel experi-ences for seniors like Hedstrom is apriority for Senior CenterCoordinator Linda Walter.

“They have no worries aboutbooking sightseeing tours, where toeat, etc. It’s all taken care of upfront. They have the chance to meet

new people and enjoy the companyof others rather than just going on a

trip by themselves,” said Walter.The 40 seniors who toured New

York City together were from allover the country, including sevenfrom Minnesota. Also traveling fromthe Lakeville Seniors was KathyHames, 67, who like Hedstrom hadnever been to Manhattan before.

“I had wanted to go to New Yorkfor a long time,” she said. “Myfriend, Bev Sellentine, and I wenttogether and just had a blast.”

Both Hames and Hedstrom saidthe vibrancy and energy of the citywas their favorite part of the experi-ence.

“I loved going to Times Square.There were people everywhere. Iliked the action,” said Hames.“When we went to Ellis Island, and Ifound my father’s family name onthe wall.”

NEW YORK: TO NEXT PAGE

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KathyHamesposeswith“KingKong”found atthe top oftheEmpireStateBuildingduringher trip toNew YorkCity withtheLakevilleSeniors.

She also loved seeing the 911Memorial.

“It was touching. All thenames of the victims werethere,” she said. “We went intothe museum and watched a filmabout the experience. It washard to watch.”

During the group’s backstagetour of the theater where theysaw Mary Poppins, she was ableto live out a life-long fantasy.

“I broke into a little soft shoeon stage and sang New York,New York,” she recalled. “Now Ican tell people I sang anddanced on Broadway.”

Hedstrom particularlyenjoyed walking the city streetsand seeing so many sites he’dalways heard about, includingGrand Central Station, theEmpire State Building,Rockefeller Center, the EdSullivan Theater and CarnegieHall. He found a few things hesaw were not what he expected.

“Taxis were cheaper than Ithought they would be. Therestaurants weren’t as big, andthe number of them was amaz-ing,” he said.

Hames said that she can nowmark New York City off of herbucket list, and that travelingwith the Lakeville Seniors is as

easy as it gets. “A shuttle bus comes to your

home to pick you up. It’s allincluded in the price of thetrip,” she said.

“I feel it is important to offertrips like this to the communi-ty,” said Walter. “If we didn’t,some people would not get thechance to go. Our trips are soconvenient for people. All theyhave to do is pay the money andeverything else is taken careof.”

Upcoming trips planned withthe Lakeville Seniors in 2013are: Hawaii, Jan 31 to Feb. 9; ariverboat tour of the upperMississippi River, July 4-13;Canada and New Englandcruise, Aug. 31 to Sept. 8; and aBahamas cruise, Nov. 10-17.

The mission of the LakevilleSenior Center is to focus on thewellbeing of individuals aged 50and older in order to enhancethe emotional, physical and psy-chological aspects of their lives.The Center strives to provideprograms of interest for seniorsof all ages and to be a fun,friendly place for seniors tocome to meet friends and enjoythe day. The Lakeville SeniorCenter is located in downtownLakeville, just behind the PostOffice at 2011 Holyoke Ave. It isopen from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.,Monday - Friday. For moreinformation, call (952) 985-4622or go to www.lakevillemn.gov.

New YorkFROM PREVIOUS PAGE

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Mary Wanderers travel extensively BY EMILY HEDGESCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Mary Odell may have the best jobin the world. In fact, she says if sheever retires, the City of GoldenValley should auction it off.

“I enjoy my job. I’ve met sometruly wonderful people,” she said.

Odell serves as the escort forGolden Valley’s popular travel pro-gram. If you ask Jeanne Fackler,senior citizens coordinator with theCity of Golden Valley, she’ll tell youthat Mary is one important reasonfor the program’s success. In fact,she is such an integral part, the pro-gram has taken on the name MaryWanderers. For more than 20 years,the Crystal resident has led excur-sions all over the country.

“Mary is the perfect escort. Shehas a positive attitude, pays atten-tion to details, can ‘go with the flow’if there is a glitch, and has a greatlaugh,” said Fackler. “Our partici-pants, some of whom have traveledwith her for 20 years, have sharedher joys and sorrows. Plus, when a

trip ends with chocolate, it has to begood, right?”

Mary and Jeanne plan trips withthe help of Alice Norman fromMedicine Lake Tours. Mary saysthat ideas come from her and

Jeanne, along with suggestions fromtheir seniors. She finds the mostpopular experiences include boatand train rides, home tours, andanything involving music. Someof her recent favorites have been a

train trip to Chicago; MackinacIsland; a boat ride up theMississippi River; Bayfield,Wisconsin; Washington D.C.; andNashville.

“Every trip I take is one of myfavorites,” she said. “This has been avery good year. I especially love hol-iday trips. They really get people inthe mood,” she said.

Barb Bailey, longtime recreationdirector for Golden Valley, began thetravel program more than twodecades ago that has grown in popu-larity each year.

“Our trips are very popular withGolden Valley seniors, but we get alot of people from the other sub-urbs,” said Odell. “We have a won-derful following. It keeps growingand we have new people all thetime.”

Mary believes meticulous plan-ning is one of the reasons seniorskeep coming back to the program.And she agrees with Jeanne that

The “Mary Wanderers” are pictured during a bus trip to Chicago earlier this year. Photo providedby Golden Valley Seniors Program.

WANDERERS: TO NEXT PAGE

We are looking forfitness centers who have

special programs for seniors!

We want to talk to you for our January issue, which willfocus on Health & Wellness.

Please contact Krista Jech at 952-392-6835 or [email protected]

MATUREA Special Section on

Active Adults

2 0 1 3


Mary Odellhas servedas tourescort inGoldenValley formore than20 years.Photo pro-vided byGoldenValleySeniorsProgram.

chocolate doesn’t hurt.“I always have special

treats, and I like to stay posi-tive. Things are well planned,and people like that. It’s thepeople that really make it forme,” she said.

Odell wasn’t always a trav-eler. In fact, she didn’t fly in anairplane until she was 40 yearsold. She and her husband tooktheir three children on smallvacations. Now, when she isn’ton the go, she is probablyspending time with her threegrandchildren, who she saysmakes her heart smile. Sheespecially loves to take them toGopher football games. She isa season-ticket holder,although she will admit, shegoes mainly to hear the band.

Mary may also be foundleading a crafting group at theSenior Center. Volunteershand-make a variety of papercrafts for local groups, such asthe Good Samaritan Home,Golden Valley Rehab, and theDinner at your Door program.

“I just like doing things. Ihave a very good time, and Ijust love this job,” said Mary.

Golden Valley SeniorCenter will host a travel showat the Senior Center located at200 Brookview Parkway inGolden Valley on Jan. 28 at 1p.m. Seniors are invited tocome hear about upcomingtravel opportunities over cof-fee, pie and ice cream. There isa small fee to attend. Thegroup also hosts a travel showat the Hopkins Senior Centerthe end of March.

For more information, call(763) 512-2339 or go towww.goldenvalleymn.gov.

FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

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