Seniors Socialize at Dennis Center

DENNISVILLE – The crowd at the food line had filed back, plates full, to settle in at their tables to eat and socialize before hearing the featured speaker at the MAC (Municipal Alliance) luncheon with the Dennis Township Senior Citizen Association Nov. 6, prior to the association’s monthly meeting.
For Rosie Essig, it was part of another busy and satisfying day as the senior center’s director. Essig’s has been the friendly face at the Dennisville-based facility for nearly a decade. The Clermont resident is enthusiastically happy to be a part of the lives of this particular segment of her community. A glance at the list of activities offered at the center is proof of her commitment.
Whether it’s reading the works of John Steinbeck at “Rosie’s Monday Book Club,” exercising Zumba-style, or participating in an assortment of games ranging from “card shark” pinochle, to pool and regulation shuffleboard, the center at the municipal complex, 571 Petersburg Road, Dennisville is a busy place to be, and Rosie’s usually in the thick of things.
She’s quick to acknowledge that she couldn’t do it alone and credits a host of senior volunteers who pitch in to keep the place running smoothly. “There are my kitchen stars, Alice Dohlman and Betty Lafferty,” she points out, and sure enough that pair was busily making meatball sandwiches for that afternoon’s crowd.
She rattled off a few other names, “Ruth and Leo Rainey, Flo Jones.”
“All the volunteers were a big help when I was out sick recently,” Essig said, recalling her recent stay at Atlantic City Medical Center for a major procedure.
She paused for a moment and added Jeannette Roberta “Bobbie” Babbitt’s name to the list. “Bobbie reorganized our library,” she said. Babbitt passed away Oct. 18.
Essig then handed this writer a sheaf of papers of upcoming trips. Each week the senior center offers modestly priced bus excursions to places like Atlantic City, Lancaster (Pa.), and Broadway.
“The trips are very popular, these guys love to travel,” she said.
Dennis Township Senior Citizen Association meets monthly at the center. It is an independent organization of Dennis Township residents and is not directly connected to the municipal facility.
The center is open to all county seniors age 50 and over, Essig said.