Come 4 Fun to Open Again for Area Seniors
By Robin Vinci at May 15, 2024 | 1:00 am | Print
Are you over 50 and looking for something new to do outside in the months of May and June?
The New Britain Parks and Recreation Department is bringing back for its second year “Come4Fun”, a program designed to introduce new and exciting opportunities for seniors ages 50 and older.
“Last year when we started it, the initial thought was to allow opportunity for all generations in the neighborhood to embrace the park,” said Barbara Zakrzewski, recreation supervisor. “A few registered, but more people just dropped in. It’s a great ice breaker to get to know people.”
“Come4Fun” is scheduled to run on Thursdays starting May 19 through June 9 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Willow Street Park. Admission is free. The number in attendance varies by week.
The Willow Street Neighborhood welcomed this new addiction in 2010. Besides boasting New Britain’s first “Splash Pad”, (interactive water playground)” other components include play fields, playgrounds, bocce courts, shuffleboard courts, basketball courts, life size chess and checkerboard, and a 70-ft picnic pavilion for community gatherings. Come4fun activities include cards, shuffle board, chess, checkers, flash scrabble, trivia and more. A light lunch along with coffee and refreshments are provided.
City Dial-A-Ride Transportation from home is available at no charge for seniors 60 and older and seniors 55 and older with a disability.
“It’s a great afternoon and peaceful with the children still in school,” said Zakrzewski. “It’s an opportunity for retired or not even retired to come even if it just for lunchtime.”
Hot dogs are served and patrol officers are on the premises.
“We want people to see it as a place to hang out and play cards,” said Zakrzewski. “The City can only do so much, residents need to embrace it.”
Registration for Come4Fun can be done online, through the mail or in person at the Parks and Recreation Office from 8:15am to 3:45pm in room 302 of City Hall, 27 West Main Street. Call the Recreation Hotline at 826-3360 for a brochure, registration forms, and more program information or visit us on the web at www.new.britain.net/parknrec.
Come4Fun was designed as a way to meet new people, socialize, and interact with each other at Willow Street, New Britain’s newest innovative park.
