STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
Lunch and literature.
That’s what’s on tap for Wood River Valley seniors as The Senior Connection and The Community Library team up to provide a weekly social gathering at the library’s Cimino Plaza on the corner of 4th and Walnut street. The Thursday events will include lunch, a reading and an opportunity for social mingling.
Take-out starts Thursday, May 6, with seniors able to pick up lunch and written readings to take with them to read. Beginning in June the Thursday event will expand to Lunch, Lit and Linger as people get an opportunity to eat lunch on the patio while listening to music and other entertainment and enjoying the company of others.
It will be the first chance for seniors involved with The Senior Connection to enjoy food and fellowship again following a long dark winter during which COVID safety measures shut down daily lunch gatherings, exercise classes and other activities at The Senior Connection.
“We have been wanting to have more of a visible presence in the north valley for several years now,” said Teresa Beahen Lipman, executive director at The Senior Connection. “The Community Library is a great resource to let seniors know the resources we have available.”
The Senior Connection will provide meals between 11:30 a.m. and noon on Thursdays at a cost of $5 for adults 60 and better and $8 for those under 60 years of age outside the children’s library entrance. Meals for kids are $4, and scholarships are available if cost is a barrier. Reservations are required and need to be made by Mondays at noon by calling the Senior Connection at 208-788-3468 or emailing stephanie@seniorconnectionidaho.org.
Would-be diners can check on the menu by going online at www.seniorconnectionidaho.org/menu. Participants are encouraged to bring their own reusable bag for their takeaway lunch.
The Community Library will provide a reading each week. And beginning in June, as the COVID situation permits, take-out diners will be encouraged to linger and enjoy lunch on the patio. Wi-Fi is available and people can engage with each other while following social distancing protocols.
“Over lunch, with the elders of our community, we can connect with each other through casual conversation, things we’ve read, and news we’ve heard--right in the heart of downtown Ketchum,” said Jenny Emery Davidson, executive director at The Community Library. “This is how community happens!”