December 2015
Volume 3 • Issue 12
Toppenish Train Museum is a special holiday stop
Crosby performs Celtic Christmas
West Richland woman creates cross-stitch patterns
Don’t miss it Friday, Dec. 4 & Saturday, Dec. 5 7:30 p.m. Mid-Columbia Mastersingers Holiday Concert Central United Protestant Church, Richland
Commercial kitchen and café on the way for Meals on Wheels By Mary Coffman It was an exciting and long-awaited day when Senior Life Resources broke ground on a new 6,000-sq.-ft. commercial kitchen and café for Meals on Wheels. Senior Life Resources, which operates Meals on Wheels in the Mid-Columbia, bought the 2.2-acre site at 1824 Fowler St. in Richland in 2012. At some time in the future, the lot will have three 6,100-sq.-ft. buildings: the Meals on Wheels commercial kitchen and café, a Senior Life Resources administrative building, and an administrative office for SSR’s Home Care Services supervisors. Right now, SLR is starting construction on two of the buildings — the Meals on Wheels kitchen and café and the SLR administrative building. Marcee Woffinden, the Meals on Wheels director, is especially excited about the new kitchen and café. “We prepare about 160,000 meals each year and we have outgrown the kitchens that we have leased and borrowed for years,” Woffinden said. And with the Baby Boomer generation moving into their senior years, demand is expected to double over the next 20 years, she added. Initially, the plans were to build one large building on the site, but the costs were much higher than anticipated, so that idea was scrapped. Leaders began rethinking the project and decided to develop the property using a campus approach — building three small buildings, each with a specific purpose. Construction of the new kitchen and café will cost about $975,000, and through fundraising efforts, Meals on Wheels has that portion covered. uMEALS, Page 8
The Tri-Cities Academy of Ballet’s annual Nutcracker performance is comprised of more than 150 dancers. Pictured above is a scene from the 2014 Nutcracker production at the Richland High School Auditorium. Contributed photo.
Nutcracker dances its way into family holiday traditions By Jessica Hoefer for Senior Times The Nutcracker is as synonymous with the holidays as gingerbread cookies and pumpkin spice mochas. For many families, attending a holiday performance is as significant as putting up the Christmas tree. “The Nutcracker is unique unto itself because it doesn’t really attract a ballet audience,” said Joel Rogo, co-owner of the Tri-Cities Academy of Ballet. “It’s a holiday audience — and the Nutcracker has become part of the holiday season around the country.” The first national Nutcracker performance took place at the San Francisco Ballet in 1944, said Rogo. It quickly went nationwide, dancing its way into the Tri-Cities about forty years ago.
Rogo runs the Tri-Cities Academy of Ballet, while his wife, Debra, is the artistic director of the Mid-Columbia Ballet—the nonprofit arm that produces the Nutcracker each year. Both organizations operate out of the same building at 21 Aaron Drive in Richland. While the Tri-Cities Academy of Ballet offers private dance instruction, the Mid-Columbia Ballet is comprised of about 60 amateur ballet dancers, separated into senior, intermediate and junior companies. The annual Nutcracker production is the Mid-Columbia Ballet’s main fundraiser and is projected to bring in $118,000 this season. That money is used to pay for various dance activities and expenses. uNUTCRACKER, Page 14
Ben Franklin Transit offers many options for those who can’t drive By Loretto J. Hulse We all like our independence and freedom to come and go when and where we want. So when it comes time to hang up the car keys for good because of failing health or to save money, questions are going to race through your mind. How will I get to the grocery store, the dentist or get my dog to the vet? The answers are driving Tri-Cities’ streets right now — Ben Franklin Transit buses and vans. For anyone who’s never used mass transit, or if it’s been a few decades,
there’s also help for learning to navigate the system, “Travel Training,” courtesy of Ben Franklin Transit. “We have a fairly robust and free travel training system,” said Christy Watts of Ben Franklin Transit. The company has three trainers; two speak Spanish as well as English. They help transit customers map out routes to where they need to go, learn which buses to catch and how to read the schedules. Then they will even ride with you until you’re comfortable using the transit system, Watts said. uTRANSIT, Page 2
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