On Saturday, October 21, the gym at the Sweden Clarkson Community Center was filled with displays of quilts, knitted and crocheted items, wall hangings, jewelry, and many other handmade articles. The colorful goods with their vendors, plus roaming shoppers, made for a festive “Holiday Bazaar.” The event was sponsored by the Sweden Senior Association, Inc. (SSAI).
Of the 24 vendors present, five were SSAI senior citizens who originally were located at The Center on State Street, Brockport, now called The Lodge on the Canal. Those five were Dress-a-Girl, knitters, quilters, bakers, and the “Next to New” table. The other 19 vendors were not affiliated with SSAI.
The move from The Center for all senior groups and activities had been completed just three weeks prior to today’s event. For the seniors, the move was mixed with regret, yet with resilience and openness to the new management and facility. “Everyone is up here and we are very positive,” Joyce Henion said about the state of the move that day. “When you have to change your situation in life, you have to accept and adapt, no matter what your age.” Henion is a member of SSAI and former treasurer. She organized this event as she has in previous years when it took place annually at The Center.
From the beginning …
The Holiday Bazaar had been a tradition for many years at the canal-side building owned by the Town of Sweden on Brockport’s State Street. It was originally called the “Sweden Senior Center” when it opened in 1980. In 2014, its purpose widened to serve the whole community and was called “The Center.” In the past year, the Town of Sweden leased the facility to Lifetime Assistance, Inc., and it is now called “The Lodge on the Canal.” The leasing is a culmination of a years-long disagreement between the town officials and the participants regarding the legitimate use of the facility provided by tax payers.
The senior groups and activities from The Center were transferred to the “Rec Center” (as it’s commonly called) by the end of September this year. The Rec Center building and programs are provided by the towns of Sweden and Clarkson and managed by the Sweden/Clarkson Recreation Department. SSAI, a not-for-profit 501c3 organization, continues to fund the group’s expenses as they did at The Center.
The Lounge – a touch of home
Besides rooms made available for various SSAI activities, the Rec Center has provided a room to serve as a lounge. “I wanted to create a gathering room for the Seniors as well as anyone else who attended the Rec Center,” Lori Skoog said. “Seniors want to participate in recreational activity…, but they also want to be around their friends and have the opportunity to socialize in a welcoming setting.” Skoog, a Town of Sweden trustee, has been a long-time advocate for seniors and the SSAI. She has worked with The Rec Center staff and the seniors to create a comfortable room with a rug, sofa, arm chair, card tables and chairs. Adding to the ambience are paintings which originally were in The Center; a huge, mural-like cheerful painting of seniors is included. A display case/buffet, custom-made for the Senior Center, has been moved to the lounge to become a coffee bar. “The space is now being used by all age groups: home schooling, book club, games and cards, meetings and more,” said Skoog who has urged that wider usage.
What the SSAI groups do
The handcrafters represented, besides enjoying socializing and creativity, are contributing goods to the needy locally and around the globe. The Dress-a-Girl group makes dresses for girls in challenging conditions locally and worldwide. The quilters make quilts and give them to an estimated 25 community organizations, such as battered women’s shelters, Hillside Children’s Center, and the Veterans Administration. Knitters make chemo caps, baby sweaters, hats and booties, scarves, hat and mitten sets, etc.; they are taken to several hospitals and given to the homeless and others.
The bakers are members who volunteer to bake goods for various SSAI fund raisers and today they were selling in the foyer where lunch was available.
Besides the groups represented at the Holiday Bazaar, two others have moved to the Rec Center. The Sweden Senior Singers, directed by Maryellen Giese, rehearse on Wednesday mornings and perform at adult care facilities in the area, plus the Batavia Veterans’ Home. The Elderberries meet twice a month for activities that include day trips, lunches, games and basket raffles.
Settling in and prospects for the future
Joe Kincaid is a recreation assistant and in charge of accommodating the seniors at the Rec Center. Asked how the move is progressing, he said, “Great! I like hearing their stories and their suggestions. It’s really a breath of fresh air for me.” About the future, Kincaid said, “I am hoping to expand, create new things, and just have a great environment here for the senior population.”
