WS Chronicle

By Judie Holcomb-Pack

When Serena Mumford, the supervisor of the Brown and Douglas Active Adult Recreation Center, decided to host a Senior Soiree at the Marina at Salem Lake, she knew she was stepping out on faith. Would anyone buy a ticket to come? A few days after the announcement was made, ticket sales were slim. Serena waited a couple days and checked again and to her amazement they were sold out! There was no doubt that older adults were ready to rock and roll!

The Marina’s meeting room is a beautiful space with large windows and doors opening onto a patio overlooking the lake. The Soiree, held on September 17, was a perfect end of a summer’s day with mild weather and blue skies. Several sponsors had tables set up at the entrance to the event. Humana, who not only supports local senior events but corporately sponsors the state and national Senior Games/SilverArts, had a table to introduce their Medicare Advantage programs. Joe Thomas, Humana rep, said, “We like to help seniors and be part of the community, to be a resource to help seniors have a better life.”

Cigna also had a table to hand out information about their Medicare program. Kevin Shockley, Cigna rep, said, “We do about four or five events a year to help older people in the community with their Medicare needs.”

Angela Maxie of Maxie Insurance Consulting and Sales was on hand to discuss Medicare, as well as other life and health insurance options. Dedicated Senior Medical Center’s Kenan Carter and Heather Beck had a table to announce the opening of two new healthcare centers that will be located in the Northside and Southside areas of Winston-Salem that will serve seniors age 65 and older. 

One of the most popular sponsors was the Capture photo booth that took pictures of attendees and printed out high quality photos while you waited. Porche Thompson made sure that everyone looked like a model when she was through helping them pose for their portrait. 

Over 85 older adults filled the room at the Marina, lining up to get plates of the delicious dinner provided by Twin City Catering. While everyone was dining, DJ Lemon-Lyme of 5 Star Quality professional disc jockeys played music to get the party started. He mentioned that he has been spinning tunes for parties and special events for over 25 years. 

Among the attendees at the event were Rev. Curvy Buford and his wife, Yveline. Yveline said she coordinates the weekly seniors lunch program held three days a week at Brown and Douglas through Senior Services and she invited some of her participants to enjoy an evening out. When Rev. Buford was asked if he planned to dance later on, he replied, “I love to dance and I have the best partner in the world!” Indeed, they proved that during the line dances when they had no trouble keeping up with the slides, kicks and turns. You could tell they were enjoying every minute on the dance floor.

Edith Joyner remarked that she had nothing special to do that evening, so she decided to come out. She was glad she did: “It has been a good outlet for me.” 

JoAnn Agnew, dressed to impress in a beautiful flowing deep purple outfit, agreed that she was glad to be there. “This has been awesome! The building is so pretty and seeing people, especially seniors, has been great!”

Smiling throughout the entire evening, you could tell that Serena was pleased with how the event went. From dinner to dancing to door prizes, it rose to its name of a soiree. Serena said, “I am so happy to have everyone here and I’m looking forward to making this an annual event.” Then she hinted, “Or maybe semi-annual. I’m thinking about doing it again next spring.”

There are a lot of seniors who would eagerly add, “Amen, sister,” to that!