by Roberta Krieger
I try not to be a "last minute" person, so in order to get a head-start on this article, I'm writing while on the bus heading to Shady Maple Smorgasbord (our first stop of the day) on Wednesday, April 27th. Although the sun was shining, the sky a beautiful shade of blue, the grass so green and flowers blooming, the weather did not reflect our vision. It was quite chilly and windy. However, this did not take away from the beauty of the surrounding landscapes of beautiful farmland, so picture perfect, it reminded me of some paint by number pictures that I did as a child.
After lunch we ventured down to the lower level of the restaurant to their gift shop, which is over 40,000 square feet.
Our next stop (main reason for our trip) was to the Fulton Theatre, where we saw Smokey Joe's Cafe. The cast was an amazing group of dancers and singers. It was a very entertaining show and a good time was had by all.
On Tuesday, April 26th, after going "cold turkey" without Norman's delicious meals, it was great to return to normalcy. Once again, John Maietta had our undivided attention while he spoke about the history and culture of Russia. This was part one of a two-part lecture. As you all know, John never disappoints us. Hopefully, you won't miss part two, on Tuesday, May 17th.
Prior to John's lecture, Norman, our amazing caterer, made sure we were well-fed with a great lunch of fish, orzo, salad, and dessert. A shout-out is warranted for the "sous chefs," Barbara and Dian, whose culinary abilities deserve much credit. Of course, it takes a village to keep things running smoothly, and without the help of our Senior Advisor, Cheryl Yablon, and volunteers from our Senior Club, Marcy Flicker, Linda Rosenblatt-Shapiro, and Lois Morgan, there would be a huge glitch in the system.
On Thursday, April 28th, another of our faves, Dr. Donald Koones, presented a program on Sidney Poitier, to a much larger-than-normal Thursday group. It was a win-win - Dr. Koones and Sidney Poitier. How could we possibly lose? Of course Norman's delicious lunch was chicken. As most of you are aware, if Dr. Koones is with us, it's a given that lunch will be chicken.
There are many great programs scheduled for May, a few of which you can still sign up for. On Tuesday, the 24th, Rabbi Peter Kessler of Temple Ohev Shalom will explore the importance of laughter in our lives. On Thursday, the 26th the Susquehanna Middle School's Strings and Orchestra will entertain and on Tuesday, the 31st, the Silver Academy students will perform Honk, Jr.
Other programs scheduled for May are: Tuesday, the 3rd, Current Events with Jeff Jacobs; Thursday, the 5th Cheryl will show the movie "The Last Time I Saw Paris"; Tuesday, the 10th will have installation of officers for 2022-2024. Thursday, the 12th, Lillian Rappaport’s long-awaited first class on Holocaust Education; Tuesday, the 17th, John Maietta will do part two of his lecture on Russia and on Thursday, the 19th, Rabbi Muroff will speak about getting ready for Shavuot. The above-mentioned programs will take place after this article was written and I will give you the highlights in the next issue.
Hope you all stay well, are properly vaccinated, and responsibly wear masks.
We are looking forward to seeing you at lunch.
Take care.