Elgin senior citizens center holds open house

Six years after the fire that took the American Legion building, which housed the Wichita Mountains Area Senior Citizens Center, the organization has found a new home in the Old Stoney Point School in Elgin.

They’re even having an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 1696 Meers Porter Hill Road.

After a February 2019 fire completely destroyed the old Legion building, the center found a temporary home with the First Baptist Church of Medicine Park.

“The preacher came down while I was looking at the ashes and said, ‘We want you to come and meet in our fellowship hall until you can find another place,'” Tom Spears, Treasurer and Public Relations officer at the center said. “Five years we looked for another place and suddenly Eddy (Edward) Hilliary heard that we were looking for a facility. He owned a building that he didn’t want to get rid of and wanted it occupied because an occupied building lasts longer. He asked us, we came and looked in August. It was beautiful (but was a work in progress).”

The center has been operating even after the fire, Spears said. After they got the temporary location, they obtained the new location in November.

The center also has a food program for seniors, offering meals three times a week with entertainment such as dominoes, Mexican Train, pool, leatherwork, a lending library and even exercise equipment and dances.

“Once our building burned down and we were in our fellowship hall, which we were grateful to have, because it was such a smaller facility we couldn’t do (a lot of the activities),” Cheryl-Ann Fogle, Public Relations officer for the center said. “A lot of the people then dropped out and kind of forgot about it. What we’re trying to do is reintroduce it to the community and say, ‘Hey, we are here again for your loved ones.’ For a lot of seniors, these may be the only good meals that they get during the week, it may be the only socialization they get, some of them don’t want to travel all the way to Lawton. This is more middle of the road for the people in our small rural communities.”

One of the up and coming activities include a Cardio Drumming class and other important classes.

The building doesn’t just cater to seniors, the community can also use the facilities for other purposes.

“No one, I don’t think, wants to have their wedding at the senior center, but they might want to have their wedding at Stoney Point,” Spears said. “Strategically, we want to have the building that the community wants to use and advertise and that we can present to them. We will charge a fee for use of the building because it costs us not to, but it’s not one of our income producers. It gives us more leeway in our utilities and other expenses.”

The center’s Open House will include refreshments and activities including meals Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, according to a press release. Anyone 60 years old and older is a member by coming in the door.

The Stoney Point ballroom is available for community use for occasions such as receptions, family reunions and special occasions, the release said. Country dances for everyone start Feb. 14 with Coyote Moon Band playing a Valentine’s special night. Regular weekly dances on Saturdays begin Feb. 22.

The center is completely volunteer-run. All of the activities, memberships and food are free. Donations are accepted, which are used to keep the premises running. The Association of South Central Oklahoma Governments (ASCOG) also provides funding for food.

For more information, contact Spears at (580) 574-1942.