Lately, the Utica Senior Center has been buzzing with double the cards on the tables, fuller lunch crowds and steady conversation.
In November of 2024, the Utica Senior Center served 136 meals and hosted 121 people across its activities. This past November, it served 264 meals and hosted 218 people across its activities. Participants were counted each time they attended an activity.
The center hosts coffee and conversation followed by cards before an 11:30 a.m. lunch every Wednesday and Friday. Then, it leads into chair yoga, a scheduled activity and cards. About 40 people attend each day, which is about twice as many as last year. The center is also open from 9 - 11 a.m. for cards on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Utica Senior Center manager Cortney Williams started her role six months ago and said everyone was welcoming. She enjoys planning activities, decorating the center and visiting with as many people as possible.
She said she tries to ensure there are always new, varying activities happening at the center. For example, the center has hosted a cribbage tournament, holiday giving projects, crafts, card games, music, speakers, Family Feud and Price is Right games, bingo through Kinship Pointe and more.
Lyn Hemphill of Utica has been a center regular for more than seven years. She said the center is fortunate to have so many members, especially as it is a small town. She loves welcoming new people into the fold and showing them all that is available for them at Utica Senior Center.
“We don’t have to drive 10 miles or five miles or whatever; we can just go uptown and enjoy each other’s company and play cards and have different tournaments and stuff like that,” Hemphill said. “I enjoy the socialization and getting to know new people and doing the different activities and enjoying the lunches.”
The center suggests that people pay $8 a meal, and Williams has worked to give the seniors a wider variety of options for quality food, such as fried catfish, chili, shrimp pasta and more. Their food comes from Anniebel’s in Goehner and other local establishments, and Williams said the seniors have loved the new meals.
Williams said all of this would not be possible without the group of seniors who regularly volunteer on Wednesdays and Fridays. They bring a morning snack, serve food and help clean up after meals.
The building itself is clean and full of light, Williams said. Both the look of the space and the liveliness of its people give the center an upbeat, colorful atmosphere.
“They did upgrades over the last two years with new carpet and painted walls,” she said. “It’s really a nice, open, comfortable place.”
The Utica Senior Center will host its next Sunday Night Sundaes event, a free-will donation meal with ice cream for dessert, on Sunday, Feb. 15, from 5 - 7 p.m. Its next free-will donation potato bake fundraiser will be Sunday, March 8, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Williams said anyone can attend the center, regardless of whether they are a senior citizen. Some people travel from Seward, Goehner, Beaver Crossing, York and more to spend time there. When necessary, the seniors drive each other to the center. They also deliver meals to those who need them.
“Sometimes, for some of them, the senior center might be their only interaction with others during the week, if their spouse is gone or their kids aren’t around here, so it keeps them going,” Williams said. “It keeps their mind working. They love the cards and they love seeing each other and checking in on each other.”
