Seniors without a center
From left: Ray Wardenaar, Maggie Nielsen, Maria Valcarlos and Greg Link help themselves at the Royal Slope Seniors salad luncheon June 23. The group has dwindled in recent years but is trying to rebuild.
Joel Martin/Columbia Basin Herald
From left: Anita Sather, Arianna Mianecki, Chris Mianecki, Maria Valcarlos (mostly obscured) and Maggie Nielsen enjoy the Royal Slope Seniors salad luncheon June 23.
Barbara Gilchrist of Desert Aire checks out the offerings at the Royal Slope Seniors salad luncheon. Barbara and her husband David Gilchrist heard about the group through people they attend church with and came to see what was happening in Royal City.
ROYAL CITY — The senior scene in Royal City isn’t what it used to be.
“There used to be a more active senior group in Royal, and unfortunately, over the years, some of the people have died. Some of them have moved away.” said Sharon Chesterman.
Chesterman wants to see that trend reversed. Recently she met with three other Royal City ladies to see what they could do to revive activities for older residents. On June 23 they held a salad luncheon to bring seniors together and gauge interest. About 15 people came to the Royal City Moose Lodge in response, pretty close to the number of people who used to participate in the Royal Slope Seniors, Chesterman said.
“You know, I think that we were still pretty active when I retired from teaching and that was like 13 years ago,” she said. “I think that's when I started going. I'm going to say there were probably 10 or 12 people who met then.”
“We’re just getting started,” said Janet Brown, as she took a warm foil-wrapped bundle out of the oven.
Other towns have dedicated senior centers, but the Royal Slope Seniors have to make do with borrowed or rented facilities. The group chose the Moose Lodge because it’s smack in the middle of town and thus more readily accessible, Chesterman explained. The Royal Slope Seniors had used the community center at the Royal City Golf Course in the past, she said, but it’s located four miles east of town.
Royal City had 1,533 adults in the 2019 census, of whom 67 were considered seniors. The numbers outside the city limits are a bit harder to pin down, but, Chesterman pointed out, many are farmers, and farmers tend not to retire.
Not everybody in attendance at the luncheon was a senior; Chris Mianecki had brought her granddaughter Arianna Mianecki along. Nor were they all from Royal City. Barbara and David Gilchrist came to check out the doings from Desert Aire.
“We go to the Methodist Church in Royal City,” Barbara explained. “We go to the senior center (in Desert Aire), so we wanted to see what was happening here.”
The Royal Slope Seniors have some plans for the summer. On July 20 they’re going to carpool up to Leavenworth for the day. There will also be an ice cream social and card party on Aug. 25. At one time, Chesterman said, there were plans to take a boat trip from Pasco up the Snake River and through the locks at Ice Harbor Dam, but the pandemic squelched that idea.
“I would like to see us just be able to get together and probably have a monthly potluck,” she said. “And talk. I know quite a few of us like to talk the history of this area, and some of the newer people who have come here, they're kind of interested in the history too.”
Anyone interested in more information about the Royal Slope Seniors can contact Chesterman at 509-750-8324.
“We really would like to hear from people; we'd like to know if indeed there are people who are interested,” she said. “I just know that there are older people out there that might enjoy socializing.”
Joel Martin can be reached via email at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.
