WAILUA — About 140 senior citizens were greeted by summer weather as they gathered from senior centers around the island for their annual Senior Field Day at Lydgate Park on Friday. The annual gathering is one of several events planned
WAILUA — About 140 senior citizens were greeted by summer weather as they gathered from senior centers around the island for their annual Senior Field Day at Lydgate Park on Friday.
The annual gathering is one of several events planned throughout the year when all of the senior- center members are able to congregate in a central area for some time and fellowship together.
Coordinated by leaders in the county’s Agency on Recreation, the event sees seniors enjoy time in the outdoors as well as in the main pavilion at Lydgate, where the order of the day was rounds of hanafuda, a Japanese card game.
Marilyn Wong, the county’s youth and senior programs coordinator at the Agency on Recreation, was able to find some time to chat with attending seniors between coordinating the arrival of lunch and keeping track of the various decks of hanafuda cards that were on loan from participating senior centers.
Wong explained that Friday’s event was without representation from the Waimea Senior Center, whose members were on a trip to Las Vegas.
“We need more seniors to participate,” said Ulu Breen of the Kaumakani Senior Center.
Breen, who is visually impaired, said she lives in Hanapepe, but goes to the Kaumakani center because that center is flat and the facility is smaller, and it also has a gym.
“Seniors can just go to any neighborhood center where a senior center is located, and join the fun,” she said.
Costs are minimal for participating seniors, Breen said.
“There is a minimal membership, and of course, lunch! But, the monies from the membership fees stay at each respective center and is used to help offset trips as well as obtain new equipment.” In addition to the field day, Wong said that the Agency on Recreation also hosts the annual Valentine’s Day dance at the Kekaha Neighborhood Center, as well as the annual Senior Extravaganza that features the many talents of Kaua‘i’s kupuna.
The senior bowling program as well as the ballroom-dancing program are is also under the Agency on Recreation, Wong pointed out.
For Friday’s outing that was briefly interrupted by a midmorning shower, Wong said that outdoor activities included lawn bowling, horseshoe pitching, tic tac toe where individual seniors would toss bean bags onto a giant grid in hopes of trying to form the traditional tic-tac-toe’s three in a row.
Additionally, bouts of laughter emanated from the senior relay races, where groups of seniors would try and move a softball through an obstacle course using nothing more than a tethered softball tied around their waists.
Wong said that Friday’s event was made possible through the generosity of Ara’s in Hanama‘ulu “who always comes through with great bento lunches,” and the donation from Na Kupuna Council that made possible the generous door prizes that are always a hit at senior-center functions.
Na Kupuna Council is made up of leaders from each of the senior centers on Kaua‘i including Lihu‘e, Kekaha, Koloa, Waimea, Hanapepe, Kaumakani, Kalaheo, Kilauea, and Kapa‘a.
Cindy Duterte is the head of the Agency on Recreation, and got support from the leaders of each of the neighborhood centers for the Friday event.
