Gladstone Seniors Entertain Railroad Men
The first Wednesday of each month is Railroad Day at the Gladstone Senior Center in Gladstone, Virginia. Seniors come from Appomattox, Nelson, and Amherst Counties to socialize and enjoy a lunch with friends and neighbors.
The seniors meet every Wednesday but they entertain railroad workers once a month. The Senior and Youth Center is located in a building that used to be a hotel for the use of railroad workers back in the day when everything moved by freight train. Gladstone was a railroad town and supported a large population of folks who were either railroad workers or their immediate family. The tracks are still there and there is still a fair amount of freight traffic so it only seemed right to invite the men to lunch once a month.
The weekly meetings begin at 10 AM and everyone is welcome to come by and pass some time. You don’t have to be a senior citizen to participate and the more the merrier according to Kitty Lyle, current President of the group. “All you have to do to join is show up!” Lyle said cheerfully.
Entertainment in the form of bingo, occasional field trips to interesting locations, sing-alongs, arts and crafts, and story-swapping are all part of the fun. Guest speakers are often invited as well.
On Wednesday, April 2, the guest speaker was Pete Perdue, a senior advocate from Rockaway County, Virginia. Pete brought a computer expert along, Joe Steel, to work on the Center’s online access. Like most such organizations, the Gladstone Senior and Youth Center relies on state funding and volunteer help to keep things working.
Perdue informed the group of several field trips being planned in the coming months and reminded everyone that they need to file a tax return if they want to receive the economy incentive check in May. Karen Mullins, accountant and daughter of group member Frank Dobbs, offered to help anyone who needed assistance in filing their return.
Many seniors have been receiving scam letters containing checks or money orders for thousands of dollars. Perdue had two such scam letters and showed them to the group. One was for nearly five thousand dollars, money that anyone cashing the check and following the instructions to wire it to another location, would be out of. Con artists target seniors with this particular scam because they expect to be able to fool them into playing along.
The seniors also run a thrift shop, filling several rooms in the back of the hotel. Currently all items are half price and there are many bargains to be had, even at full price. All proceeds go towards the expenses of running the Center and item donations are always appreciated.
Lunch is served every week and food is purchased with funds provided by a state grant. Members either bring a dish or pay $3 for their meal. On Railroad Day, the members bring desert or a side dish and the center provides the main course and several vegetable side dishes. Railroad workers are welcome on the first Wednesday of every month and their lunch is only $6 per man. Meals are served buffet style and feature real down-home country cooking and yummy home made deserts.
If you are a senior in Appomattox, the Gladstone Senior Center is the place to be every Wednesday. Everyone is welcome to join in the fun!
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