PALMER – This summer, the Palmer Senior Center has some action-packed activities and programming in store for their seniors. From line dancing to Wii bowling, Tai Chi and Zumba classes, dominoes, bingo and cornhole, along with painting, crafting, knit and crocheting. As well as a movie night every other Friday from 1 p.m.- 4 p.m. and a field trip to the Westview Farms Creamery in Monson. The Palmer Council on Aging and the Palmer Police Department have set up the Alzheimer’s Alert Program. In the event your family member wanders, the Palmer Police will have the registration on file to safely locate your loved one.

Executive Director Marlene Johnson said, “Since COVID [-19] some still are taking their time coming in. This year, we’ve been drawing our original participants back.”

The Palmer Senior Center offers transportation, meal delivery, events, educational programs, trips, and all medical and insurance needs. Their mission is to promote new and existing activities, provide services and education to enhance seniors’ quality of life and assist them to age with dignity and independence.

Even though the center was closed due to COVID-19, they were able to provide a broad range of services to Palmer’s 60-plus populations during fiscal year 2021. “Of the 2,496 senior citizens of Palmer, approximately 1,066 unduplicated elders received a direct or indirect service from the Council on Aging,” said Johnson. “In the beginning of COVID [-19], we had to form a way that staff could work from home and still provided our original services for our seniors.”

They provided Grab and Go meals three days a week and special gift bags that included cleaning supplies, mask, and hand sanitizer on a weekly basis. By the time COVID-19 began to wane, the center distributed over 2000 bags. Slowly, staff members came back when they started to open. The center continued with their same routine of grab and go meals and was able to start their transportation program again.

On July 14, the center will be hosting a Hot Diggy Dog/Ice Cream party from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. They will have an ice cream truck and hot dog truck with entertainment under the big tent. Gift bags will be provided by a grant that the center received from Greater Springfield Senior Services, Inc.

On July 22 and Aug.19, the center will have Terry Skaza, a professional scrapbooker from Palmer teaching a class on both those dates from 1-3 p.m. She will provide all the supplies needed to make one scrap book. Those that are interested can sign up in advanced and bring some photos they would like to work with.

The center’s big event is the Annual BBQ Picnic at Pulaski Park in Three Rivers on Sept. 9 at 11:30 a.m.- 2 p.m. They’ll have hamburgers, hotdogs, salads and desert. In addition to entertainment by Memory Lane and a corn hole competition. There will also be several informational booths available including Health New England, the Hampden County Sheriff’s department and the Palmer Public Health Dept. The deadline for sign up is the second Monday in August.

“We want to stay open without any more COVID [-19] issues and continue to serve our seniors in the Palmer area,” Johnson said.

The Palmer Senior Center is located on 1029 Central St. They’re open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. To sign up, call 283-2670 or stop at the front desk.