The Philomath Sensational Senior Society was up to a lot of good this past month! On Dec. 2, we had our first arts and crafts experience at Maxtivity: Creative Space for Community Arts, located at 1604 Main St. in Philomath. It was an absolute success and we all wanted more.
Psss members, Jan and Diane who are reluctant crafters at best, found joy and success, and the “real” crafters found a home. It was so fun, we have decided to make it a monthly thing. We will meet at Maxtivity every first Tuesday of the month at 10 a.m. If you are a senior (over 55) and would like to join us — come on by. The cost is free, but donations will be accepted to help pay for materials.
This next month’s meeting will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at 10 a.m.
Our other December meeting was just as well received and well attended and that was a fire safety, fire extinguisher and home door, window and lock safety presentation at Philomath Fire and Rescue on Dec. 9. It was a fabulous two-hour presentation that had us all on the edge of our seats learning new information.
Rich Saalsaa, retired deputy fire chief who continues to lead classes at the local fire station, was up first teaching us the three things needed to start a fire (fuel, heat and oxygen) and how to knock fire out quickly, by reducing any one of the three.
We practiced pulling the pin and aiming an extinguisher at the base of the flame and had a good time learning. Rich is an excellent teacher who really knows his subject matter well. We would recommend all citizens look for opportunities to learn from him.
Next up was James Hamilton, co-owner of Bashful Bob’s, a very reputable local door, window and lock company, started by his father, Bob. James taught us about many options for safe doors and locks especially designed for seniors, and that the No. 1 failure of windows is when owners forget to lock them properly. There are many new designs in window locks that can combat that problem.
Our January offerings include two meetups::
- Jan. 6, 10 a.m. for arts and crafts at Maxtivity.
- Jan. 13, 10 a.m. at Philomath Community Library in the conference room. This meeting is a puzzle exchange — so bring a puzzle to trade — and a social hour. Seniors are invited to bring a half-dozen cookies to share but that is not required. If you are not a puzzle enthusiast, please come along to meet and talk with your fellow community seniors.
The Psss is a senior group open to all seniors in the general Philomath area. It was started out of the city’s Inclusivity Committee, aimed at serving under-represented groups of people in our community. Since there is no senior center or community organization, we started this group back in June. This serves as your invitation to join us!
(Diane Crocker is a co-organizer of the Philomath Sensational Senior Society. She can be reached at 6cr@peak.org).