Living At Lakeside News

We kicked off 2026 with a “Happy Noon Year Celebration” followed by a few games to celebrate, such as “our Ball not Dropping but rather being on the move to find a winner” and “Confetti Pick Up,” which had residents doing all sorts of tasks for a grand prize basket. These games were fun, but the highlight of the month had to be our “Old Fashion Show & Tell Day.”

Residents were asked to bring a treasured item to share with the group and to tell us a story. One of the oldest items shared was by Peggy Work. She is 91 and she brought her grandmother’s hand-crafted footstool. Just imagine the memories of a sweet lady at the end of a hard workday resting her feet as children sat around listening to stories and songs.

Earl Ray Kee, who is 89, brought his High School Class Ring and we reminisced about “Going Steady” and wearing your boyfriend’s ring and letterman jacket. Do kids still do this? He also brought a signed Bill Gaither t-shirt.

Workers got in on the action, too, and Lisa Griffin brought a new item, a gun that shot a floating string. We all gave it a try, and it made us feel like a kid at heart. So many memories, laughs and tears were shed at this event, and I look forward to seeing what everyone brings next time.

Another activity that took us back in time and then led us right back was National DJ Day, where we played the top hits from the 1940s through the 1980s. We started off with the Big Band Era, crooned with some Crooners and then boogied on down (literally) to the 70s and ended with the 80s dance craze.

These Lakeside residents were challenged to name the song and artist and didn’t miss one, and the dance moves brought on spectators from every department and some visitors too.

You all know we like to stay on the go, and this month was no different. We attended the Monday morning Hometown Clinic Breakfast Club, and we had some new people attend from our home as well as the community. This is a great opportunity to socialize, exercise, work on memory skills, play games and enjoy free coffee and a light breakfast.

One week this month, we built bird houses, bird feeders and banks. As each kit was opened you could hear the “I don’t think I can do this,” to the, “Can you help me a little?” to, “Look at mine,” as the pieces of wood and nails began to take shape. The picture of the completed projects can be viewed on the Lakeside Senior Living Facebook page. We all laughed and said it sounded like we were building a new wing onto the clinic with all the hammering we did, but, boy, were we proud of our accomplishments.

We attended the Sr. Dance at the Carroll County Civic Center, and we agreed that we had so much fun partnering with Carroll County Office on Aging and McKenzie Senior Center in December we decided to do it again with a Big Valentine Dance. The night will be February 3. We will serve a lasagna dinner with salad, bread and dessert.

The first 50 guests will receive a Valentine gift sponsored by Dr. Merrick and Hometown Health Clinic. There will be a guessing game with the lady and gentleman best guesser receiving a prize, and there will be lots of socializing and dancing for a free, fun-filled night. We hope to see you there.

We also attended another exciting game at Bethel University as we cheered on the Lady Wildcats. We can’t thank Bethel Coach Chris Nelson enough for this opportunity. He has made this outing so accessible for the residents, and they are loving being in the stands cheering for his team this winning season.

One resident being in their 90s said they didn’t think they would have an opportunity to go to a big game ever again and to that we say, “Never Say Never.” Thank you to Richard and Sonya Ozment who assist in getting us to and from our bus as well as to our seats safely.

We honored Martin Luther King and reflected on his days as a young minister before becoming the Civil Rights activist we think of today. We decoupaged an old Harlem Hymnal onto a stained canvas and decorated it with a twine bow and dried flowers for a memorial craft.

National Activity Director Day fell on National Pie Day, and Director Cris Stafford went above and beyond to recognize Sheila Willis. She decorated a pop-up bakery table and set up her homemade strawberry and cherry pies and put together a recipe book of sweet things the residents had to say about their Activity Director. Then we played rounds of Minute to Win It games where residents challenged Sheila for a win. There were several photo finishes and a lot of laughs.

We celebrated four birthdays this month: Maxine Garner, Thelma McCain, Janet Duck and Freddie Brooks.

Thank You to Ella Page, an 11-year-old Bruceton student who bakes, decorates and donates the cupcakes each month, for our resident birthday recognition as part of her BETA Community Service Hours.

With sadness we said farewell to fellow resident William H. Smith (95) as he went to his heavenly home on January 25, 2026.

The last week of the month proved to be a challenge not only for us but for our town. Some workers couldn’t make it in. Several workers stayed for days knowing it would be impossible to get back and forth. We lost internet but never lost power. Some activity volunteers couldn’t make it in, and we compromised. Our management and team did all they could to prepare for the worst and pray for the best. We at Lakeside want to thank the emergency workers, linemen and everyone who put forth efforts to keep our community safe and going for this week. Thank You.

“It does not matter how long you live, but how well you do it.”- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Until next time...