A Special Section Highlighting Senior Lifestyles
November 23, 2012
This monthʼs focus: Traveling
The Big Apple is terrific destination for seniors tour BY EMILY HEDGES CONTRIBUTING WRITER Curtis Hedstrom, 68, had always wanted to travel to the Big Apple. When he saw a notice in the Lakeville Senior Center about an upcoming trip, he thought the time was right to finally go. “I had wanted to go to New York City, but I didn’t know where to stay, or what parts were safe. I thought if I go with a group, I won’t have those issues,” he said. Creating turnkey travel experiences for seniors like Hedstrom is a priority for Senior Center Coordinator Linda Walter. “They have no worries about booking sightseeing tours, where to eat, etc. It’s all taken care of up front. They have the chance to meet new people and enjoy the company of others rather than just going on a trip by themselves,” said Walter. The 40 seniors who toured New York City together were from all over the country, including seven from Minnesota. Also traveling from the Lakeville Seniors was Kathy Hames, 67, who like Hedstrom had never been to Manhattan before. “I had wanted to go to New York for a long time,” she said. “My friend, Bev Sellentine, and I went together and just had a blast.” Both Hames and Hedstrom said the vibrancy and energy of the city was their favorite part of the experience. “I loved going to Times Square. There were people everywhere. I liked the action,” said Hames. “When we
Kathy Hames poses with “King Kong” found at the top of the Empire State Building during her trip to New York City with the Lakeville Seniors.
went to Ellis Island, and I found my father’s family name on the wall.” She also loved seeing the 911 Memorial. “It was touching. All the names of the victims were there,” she said. “We went into the museum and watched a film about the experience. It was hard to watch.” During the group’s backstage tour of the theater where they saw Mary Poppins, she was able to live out a life-
long fantasy. “I broke into a little soft shoe on stage and sang New York, New York,” she recalled. “Now I can tell people I sang and danced on Broadway.” Hedstrom particularly enjoyed walking the city streets and seeing so many sites he’d always heard about, including Grand Central Station, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, the Ed Sullivan Theater and Carnegie Hall. He found a few things
he saw were not what he expected. “Taxis were cheaper than I thought they would be. The restaurants weren’t as big, and the number of them was amazing,” he said. Hames said that she can now mark New York City off of her bucket list, and that traveling with the Lakeville Seniors is as easy as it gets. “A shuttle bus comes to your home to pick you up. It’s all included in the price of the trip,” she said. “I feel it is important to offer trips like this to the community,” said Walter. “If we didn’t, some people would not get the chance to go. Our trips are so convenient for people. All they have to do is pay the money and everything else is taken care of.” Upcoming trips planned with the Lakeville Seniors in 2013 are: Hawaii, Jan 31 to Feb. 9; a riverboat tour of the upper Mississippi River, July 4-13; Canada and New England cruise, Aug. 31 to Sept. 8; and a Bahamas cruise, Nov. 10-17. The mission of the Lakeville Senior Center is to focus on the wellbeing of individuals aged 50 and older in order to enhance the emotional, physical and psychological aspects of their lives. The Center strives to provide programs of interest for seniors of all ages and to be a fun, friendly place for seniors to come to meet friends and enjoy the day. The Lakeville Senior Center is located in downtown Lakeville, just behind the Post Office at 2011 Holyoke Ave. It is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday Friday. For more information, call (952) 985-4622 or go to www.lakevillemn.gov.
2 Mature Lifestyles – Friday, November 23, 2012
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Mary Wanderers travel extensively BY EMILY HEDGES CONTRIBUTING WRITER Mary Odell may have the best job in the world. In fact, she says if she ever retires, the City of Golden Valley should auction it off. “I enjoy my job. I’ve met some truly wonderful people,” she said. Odell serves as the escort for Golden Valley’s popular travel program. If you ask Jeanne Fackler, senior citizens coordinator with the City of Golden Valley, she’ll tell you that Mary is one important reason for the program’s success. In fact, she is such an integral part, the program has taken on the name Mary Wanderers. For more than 20 years, the Crystal resident has led excursions all over the country. “Mary is the perfect escort. She has a positive attitude, pays attention to details, can ‘go with the flow’ if there is a glitch, and has a great laugh,” said Fackler. “Our participants, some of whom have traveled
The “Mary Wanderers” are pictured during a bus trip to Chicago earlier this year. Photo provided by Golden Valley Seniors Program. with her for 20 years, have shared her joys and sorrows. Plus, when a trip ends with chocolate, it has to be good, right?” Mary and Jeanne plan trips with
the help of Alice Norman from Medicine Lake Tours. Mary says that ideas come from her and Jeanne, along with suggestions from their seniors. She finds the most popular
experiences include boat and train rides, home tours, and anything involving music. Some of her recent favorites have been a train trip to Chicago; Mackinac Island; a boat ride up the Mississippi River; Bayfield, Wisconsin; Washington D.C.; and Nashville. “Every trip I take is one of my favorites,” she said. “This has been a very good year. I especially love holiday trips. They really get people in the mood,” she said. Barb Bailey, longtime recreation director for Golden Valley, began the travel program more than two decades ago that has grown in popularity each year. “Our trips are very popular with Golden Valley seniors, but we get a lot of people from the other suburbs,” said Odell. “We have a wonderful following. It keeps growing and we have new people all the time.” Mary believes meticulous planWANDERERS: TO NEXT PAGE
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Mary Odell has served as tour escort in Golden Valley for more than 20 years. Photo provided by Golden Valley Seniors Program.
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ning is one of the reasons seniors keep coming back to the program. And she agrees with Jeanne that chocolate doesn’t hurt. “I always have special treats, and I like to stay positive. Things are well planned, and people like that. It’s the people that really make it for me,” she said. Odell wasn’t always a traveler. In fact, she didn’t fly in an airplane until she was 40 years old. She and her husband took their three children on small vacations. Now, when she isn’t on the go, she is probably spending time with her three grandchildren, who she says makes her heart smile. She especially loves to take them to Gopher football games. She is a season-ticket holder, although
she will admit, she goes mainly to hear the band. Mary may also be found leading a crafting group at the Senior Center. Volunteers hand-make a variety of paper crafts for local groups, such as the Good Samaritan Home, Golden Valley Rehab, and the Dinner at your Door program. “I just like doing things. I have a very good time, and I just love this job,” said Mary. Golden Valley Senior Center will host a travel show at the Senior Center located at 200 Brookview Parkway in Golden Valley on Jan. 28 at 1 p.m. Seniors are invited to come hear about upcoming travel opportunities over coffee, pie and ice cream. There is a small fee to attend. The group also hosts a travel show at the Hopkins Senior Center the end of March. For more information, call (763) 512-2339 or go to www.goldenvalleymn.gov.
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Friday, November 23, 2012– Mature Lifestyles 5
Area recreation department offers great travel opportunities BY EMILY HEDGES CONTRIBUTING WRITER Seniors John and Karen Eggert will tell you that traveling with the Spring Lake Park Recreation Department is one of the best deals around. Given the value, they were surprised to learn that part of the proceeds go to benefit youth and adult recreation programs in the community, a fact that makes them feel even better about getting out of town. “The trips are so economical for what you get to do. If they are also raising money for kids programs, that’s wonderful. Both of us have tried to support our local community, and there are so many in need these days,” said Karen. When the City of Spring Lake Park faced budget shortages, city staff realized that recreation programs would probably be the first thing to go. “We’d been doing one-day trips, but some of the seniors began to request more extended trips. At the same time, our staff was trying to come up with some new ways to bring in dollars,” said Marian Rygwall, director of parks and recreation for the City of Spring Lake Park. Rygwall and her staff realized they had knowledgeable people who could plan and lead some extended trips for competitive costs and raise enough to help keep taxes down. “Our playground program, skating rink for the kids in winter, these are the sort of
programs being covered by fees from our travel program,” said Rygwall. The department offers three to four extended trips a year to appeal to different tastes. Travel insurance is always included, so seniors put down a deposit knowing they can always receive a full refund if necessary. “Our goal is education, socialization and enhancement of life experiences, all at the pace each individual wants,” said Rygwall. “Some of the trips are for active seniors and some are more relaxed. They always stay in nice properties that cater to their needs. We program for the comfort of our seniors.” The trips are multi-generational, with many seniors bringing along their children and grandchildren. However, for singles a group like this can offer the perfect option when traveling alone. “Seniors feel comfortable traveling with a local group. When they lose a spouse, or they don’t wish to go alone, they feel comfortable going with us. Neighbors come together and develop travel groups. It eases them into the travel experience,” said Rygwall. The Eggerts have gone on three extended trips with the Spring Lake Park senior group. “We saw this program when we retired,” said Karen. “We had always wanted to go to Graceland, so we signed up for RECREATION: TO NEXT PAGE
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Seniors from Spring Lake Park travelled to the Pacific Northwest for 16 days. Here, John and Karen Eggert pose by a sign near Mount St. Helens in Oregon.
Recreation FROM PREVIOUS PAGE the Memphis trip. We loved it so much we went to New Orleans.� Their most recent trip was a16-day excursion through the Pacific Northwest. The group made up of seniors ranging in age from 60s to 90s traveled through North Dakota, Montana, Washington, Oregon, and California, touring a number of major cities and National Parks. John’s favorite stops were Mount St. Helens and Yosemite National Park. For Karen, images of the Columbia River Gorge and the amazing waterfalls are the ones she’ll never forget. “It was mind boggling. I just loved the water,� she recalled. The Eggerts credit tour planner and escort Sharie Linke with the success and quality of the excursions. “Sharie does an excellent job of pre-planning the trip,� said Karen. “John and I are both retired math teachers. We’re concrete, sequential people who like to have the daily itineraries.� For John, the best part about traveling with Sharie is
the time savings and variety of experiences. “It’s a really good bargain. For the cost, we were amazed at all we got to do,� he said. “You may do it yourself for less money, but you’d have to do so much work and research, and we’d never have known to do half the things we did.� For Linke, it’s people like the Eggerts who make her job so enjoyable. “I find it absolutely fascinating interacting with people that have so much experience and knowledge. On a tour, I always try to use their knowledge and have them share their personal experiences,� said Linke. “We always have such kind and caring people on our tours and why wouldn’t they be – they’re from Spring Lake Park and the surrounding communities.� Spring Lake Park Recreation Department has the following trips planned for 2013: Deluxe California FlyAway, Jan. 20 to Feb. 3; NYC and Washington D.C. March 1728; Canadian Atlantic Maritimes, Sept 7-22; and Branson Holiday Tour Nov. 2025. For more information on travel opportunities, call 763792-7231 or go to www.slprec.org.
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Friday, November 23, 2012– Mature Lifestyles 7
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