The Senior Citizens Club of Fernie & District is celebrating 60 years of service in 2019 and they could not be more excited! What started as a few tables in Harper’s Pool Hall has grown to the welcoming Seniors Drop-In Centre on 3rd Avenue.
In 1958 Mark Branch and Howard Martin had a dream to create a place for people to gather to play cards, share a meal, and sing a song. The group soon outgrew a few tables and moved to the space formerly occupied by the New Moon Cafe. After moving the club to the Elks Hall in 1978 the members decided that these moves were inconvenient and got to work on what is now the Seniors Drop-In Centre in 1979. After years of hardwork and dedication by the committed volunteers of the Seniors Club, as well as the generosity of almost every citizen in Fernie donating to the project (weekly updates on the building fund were printed in the Free Press listing who donated that week and how much) the current building was constructed and opened in 1984 with assistance from government grants and the the City of Fernie.
The Seniors Drop-In Centre hosts weekly exercise, tai chi, and yoga classes, craft, painting, quilting, and scrapbooking groups, dominoes, bridge, mah jong, and many more activities. We invite everyone to come and get a schedule and check out some of the weekly events. In addition, we also host special events such as the Day of Decadence Spa Day, Fall Tea, Christmas, Halloween, and Valentine parties.
Initiatives new this year are the Fernie Seniors Scholarship and the Seniors Digital Literacy Program (with support from New Horizons For Seniors).
To acknowledge the 60th Anniversary of the Club we are hosting a series of events and activities that celebrate the history of the Club and the people who were instrumental in its success. On Friday, May 12, in partnership with the Fernie Museum, there is a Lunch & Learn led by Lindsay Vallance that will go over the history of the Club and interesting tidbits – did you know that we have a theme song! Tickets are available at the Musuem and include a delicious lunch and lecture and are $13 for Seniors Centre and Museum members and $15 for non-members.
The April 12th Lunch & Learn will also be the launch of the Seniors Drop-In Centre Cookbook! The cookbook will be for sale for $15 and is a terrific way to support the ongoing initiatives of the Seniors Club and Drop-In Centre.
The Senior Citizens Club of Fernie & District continues to be fortunate to have dedicated volunteers and the support of the community and the City of Fernie and we look forward to remaining a place for seniors and friends of seniors to gather for many more years to come!
