Share

Image

Westmeath – There’s a piece of folk wisdom that says “You don’t stop having fun because you get old; you get old because you stop having fun.”

If that’s the case, there is a group of seniors in Whitewater Region that should stay young for a very long time.

During the second-last week of October, members of the Westmeath-based Riverview Seniors Social Club filled the Westmeath Recreation Hall with wall-to-wall laughter three times for performances of “Livin’ and Laughin’ in a Small Town,” a play comprised of a series of vignettes on that theme. 

The script was created by three of the members of the club, Cathy Williamson as lead writer, supported by Shannon Dunfield and club president Linda Mills. The three also collaborated to produce and direct the play. 

The presentation as a whole involved more than 40 volunteers, encompassing, besides the cast, musicians, makeup artists, creators of costumes, set designers, lighting and sound technicians, greeters, hostesses – and kitchen workers, to provide and serve the light refreshments included in the price of admission.

True to its title, the production not only depicted small-town living but also literally had the audience laughing throughout. It was made up of a series of individual skits focused on real people who live or have lived in the community, with scenarios loosely based on real events which occurred – or may have occurred – over time. So audience members recognizing themselves or acquaintances triggered much of the merriment. 

“One lady said she can’t remember the last time she laughed so much,” said Ms. Mills.

Ms. Williamson noted that creating laughter is a worthwhile goal in itself, especially in the times we are experiencing now.

“Actually, people haven’t been laughing very much these last few years,” she said.

But tickling the funny bones of those for whom life has become far too serious lately was not the only or even the main goal of the production. Supported by a New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) federal grant, one of its goals was encouraging seniors to participate in community life.

“We decided this would be a good way to get seniors out of their homes and involved in the community,” Ms, Williamson said.

Ms. Mills said the plan worked on many levels.

“I really got to know people in the club itself and in the community much better than I ever did in the more than 30 years I’ve been coming here,” she said. 

She is an example of one for whom laughter has sometimes been in short supply in recent years. She and her husband had a cottage in Whitewater Region and vacationed there for many years. When they retired, they made it their permanent residence.

“We lost our home to the 2019 flood and had to build a new one,” she said. “Then, two years ago, my husband died.”

The program began with a video of local scenes shot by club member Cheryl Spotswood, set to the music of the John Cougar Mellencamp song “Small Town.” Vignettes were introduced by two characters named Millie and Tillie (aka Ms. Williamson and Ms. Dunfield), who also kept the audience attentive and laughing when the curtain was drawn for set changes. 

There was a Tuesday, October 21, matinee performance, as well as evening shows on Wednesday and Thursday, October 23 and 24. 

Patti Desjardins, a member of the audience, summed up the feeling generated by the production.

“It was a really, really great show,” she said. “Everybody in the hall laughed from beginning to end. One of my friends said it was good for the heart and soul and I absolutely agree. I left feeling not just entertained, but grateful – for this community, for the generation which came before us and built the hall for events such as this, for newcomers. If Riverview Seniors’ Social Club can make hundreds of people feel this way, well done!”

The grant enabled the club to provide busing to bus seniors, including some from long-term care homes, from places as far away as Renfrew, Cobden, Eganville and Pembroke, for the matinee.

Apart from the play, the grant also funded the purchase of an 86-inch TV for the community centre. As well, it also subsidizes the club’s regular soup and sandwich lunches.

“It helps us provide transportation (to the lunches) for those who need it and send meals to those who can’t get out of their homes,” Ms. Mills said. 

“People thrive when they can get out of isolation in their own homes and out into the community,” added Ms. Williamson. 

“And we’re all community-builders,” Ms. Mills added.

The New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) community-based stream is a federal grant which supports projects that are designed by seniors and for seniors in their communities. This program funds projects that empower seniors in their communities and contribute to improving their health and well-being.