Heat doesn’t stop local seniors

The recent stifling temperatures, hovering in the 90s, didn’t keep a good man down, or three men for that matter. Charlie Lindblad, Joe Saccone and Mel Wells — all regulars at the Town of Hempstead’s Wantagh Senior Center — headed indoors to enjoy activities provided at the center as well as companionship.

“I don’t think about the heat,” said Lindblad, of Wantagh. “There’s so much to do here. The people are very nice.” Lindblad and his companions, Saccone, of West Hempstead, and Wells, of Levittown, like to play pinochle as well as bocci and shuffleboard.

“We have bocci and shuffleboard tournaments,” Saccone explained. “We play pinochle and I like the horse racing.” Saccone travels from his air-conditioned home two to three times a week to the Wantagh Senior Center. He started coming to Wantagh seven years ago because “this center had two pool tables, but I stayed because it’s such a great place with lots of activities and nice people.”

Wells also likes the people. “I’m here almost every day,” he said. “I don’t worry about the weather. It’s my hangout.” He is a long-time member of the shuffleboard team and was looking forward to a facing off with the Salisbury Senior Center on Aug. 12. “They cater food and we have a good time,” Wells said.

“This is a very active center, with active people who enjoy all the things the center can provide,” said Marcy Lane, a program development assistant at the Wantagh Center. “Bingo is very big here — two hours every Wednesday, and if we have a special event, we schedule bingo for another day.”

There are also plenty of celebrations at the Wantagh Senior Center. “The parties are fun,” Lindblad said. “We’ve had great Halloween parties and holiday parties, too.” He raved about the trips to Pompei restaurant in West Hempstead where “the food is delicious.”

Late last month, the center had its mid-summer party including a Friendly’s ice cream social with live music and dancing. “Our members love to dance,” Lane said.

“We had a real crowd here for the dance,” Wells said. “I love to dance. I’ve been dancing since I was 5 years old. I’m light on my feet.”

Wells, a widower, enjoys dancing with the ladies. “All the women love me,” he said, noting that he recently met a woman at the center. “I have a companion now.”

In addition to sharing company with the fairer sex, Lindblad, Saccone and Wells are members of the Men’s Club. “We have our own meetings,” Wells said. “We do a cookout — a barbecue — and have a good time.”

With all this activity, there is no time to think about the weather. The senior center is also regularly open to all town residents as a cooling center on the hottest days of the summer.

“I guess for some people, the air-conditioned center is a nice break,” Saccone said. “But I don’t pay attention to the weather.

“I was born in the Bahamas,” Wells said. “I come here to have a good time.”

“It’s hot, it’s cold,” Lindblad said about the New York climate. “This place has taken years off my life. Who cares about the weather.”