Senior Center News: Jan. 8

On Friday, Jan. 16, at 11:15 a.m., musician Chris Merwin will present a performance lecture at the senior center on popular American music. This music has its roots in blues, country, and bluegrass music. This program presents these styles along with gospel music. Artists covered include blues legend Robert Johnson, country legend Hank Williams, and the grandfather of bluegrass, Bill Monroe. The music is played on steel guitars which are originally from Hawaii and used for Hawaiian music. In time, the steel guitar known as the dobro became one of the main instruments used in bluegrass music. Blues guitar players used bottle necks to slide on the strings which no doubt came from Hawaiian slide players who slide a steel bar on the strings of the steel guitar to form the notes. This is where the steel guitar gets its name, contrary to the popular belief that it is called a steel guitar because it is made of steel. In fact most steel guitars are made of wood. For this show, Mr. Merwin plays three different steel guitars. The first is a 1927 National tri cone made of metal and chrome plated with three speaker cones inside of it. The second is a Weissenborn Hawaiian guitar, made by a German immigrant in Los Angeles in the 1920’s. The guitar is made of Hawaiian koa wood and has an unusual hollow neck. The third is a modern era dobro which has one large speaker cone inside of it. Mr. Merwin is an instrumentalist and lecturer who specializes in multi-cultural music. He has been playing the guitar for 27 years and studying music and instruments of other cultures for the past 17 years. Fee: $5. Reservations: 203-834-6240. Bridge classes Introduction to Bridge — Tuesdays beginning Jan. 13, 1-3; $85 for the eight-week series. Sign up at 203-834-6240. Intermediate Bridge — Fridays beginning Jan. 9, 1:30-3:30; $75 for the eight-week series. Sign up at 203-834-6240. Open bridge with Dan — for those who want to brush up or gain new skills, on Wednesdays, 10-12:30; $5 drop-in fee. Bridge groups If you would like to join other seniors in an afternoon of bridge from noon to 3, call the organizers listed below: Duplicate Bridge: First Wednesday of the month, Lois Bruce at 203-762-5818. Duplicate Bridge: Third Tuesday of the month, Maureen Turnier at 203-762-9386. Contract Bridge: Fridays, Eleanor Mihailidis at 203-762-8720. Free downloads Wilton Library presents “Free Downloads” on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 1 p.m., in the senior center lounge. Melissa Baker will demonstrate step-by-step how to download free material from the library’s Web services to your computers or portable devices. Please contact Ms. Baker at 203-762-3950 to register for the session. She will tell you specifically what you need to bring in order to make your time productive. Winter closings The senior center does not follow school closings when the weather is bad. Please call 203-834-6240 after 7 a.m. and listen to the recording for specific information regarding the day’s activities. Coming events All activities take place at the Senior Center (203-834-6240) unless otherwise specified. For the week of Jan. 9: Friday, Jan 9, 9:30, Knitting; 10, Feldenkrais with Cathy Paine; 12, Bridge with Eleanor Mihailidis; 1:30, Intermediate Bridge with Dan DeVlieg. Monday, Jan. 12, 10:30, Line Dance Fusion with Beatriz Araujo; 12, Movie; 12, Encore Bridge Tuesday, Jan. 13; 10, Oil and Acrylics with Althea Ericsson; 10:30, Encore Meeting; 11, Yoga with Denise O’Hearn; 1, Studio Knitting; 1, Introduction to Bridge with Dan DeVlieg; 2, Mah Jongg with Kay; 2, Chair Yoga at Ogden House. Wednesday, Jan. 14, 9:30, Sewing at Ogden House; 10, Watercolor; 10, Open Bridge with Dan DeVlieg; 11:30, Tai Chi; 1, Library Downloads with Melissa Baker; 1, Mah Jongg. Thursday, Jan. 15, 9, Enhance Fitness with Leslie Hinshaw; 10, Yoga with Denise O’Hearn; 11:45, St. Matthew’s Lunch.

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