Grand Strand Senior Center getting more active | Strand Notebook

Beginning in July, working seniors will be able to enjoy some of the activities offered by the Grand Strand Senior Center, located at 1268 21st Avenue North in Myrtle Beach.

At the direction of the Horry County Council on Aging (HCCOA), which operates 10 centers across the county, the Grand Strand Senior Center implemented its first advisory committee in January in an effort to come up with new ways to serve seniors, to help keep the center in the spotlight and let seniors know the center is there and better than ever.

Laura Cason, marketing coordinator for the Horry County Council on Aging, said that a recent survey and other information gathered has shown them that there are seniors still working who might want to be involved in some of the activities or classes at the center.

To accommodate them, the Grand Strand Senior Center is extending its hours of operations on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Current operating hours are from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., but in July, the center will be open with lots of activities going on until 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Anyone 50 years of age or over is invited to join the center for a fee of $20 per year. That covers free meals at the center two days each week and many activities. In addition, the center offers an opportunity to make new friends or to have fun together with old ones.

There is a cost for attending some of the extra classes. The gym is always open to members for free.

Some of the activities already planned for Tuesdays and Thursdays within the extended hours include a basket weaving class, a line dancing class and a board game fun shop in which participants can play different board games, AARP workshops, a Mary Kay workshop that will offer free facials to all seniors who desire one, a jewelry making workshop, which will be taught by Mitzi Boyd of Bitzi’s Beads, and much more.

The classes mostly fill up quickly, so any senior who is interested in any mentioned above or wants to know more about what will be offered should call as soon as possible.

Cason said they are planning to have different local attorneys to speak on several topics that are important for seniors and to answer questions from seniors. That will be free.

The center also plans trips near and far for members, who can make those trips at a significantly discounted cost. Upcoming trips include historic Charleston, San Antonio, Texas, South Dakota and the Bahamas.

The center, which currently has 974 members, is constantly looking for different kinds of activities or classes that will interest its seniors and encourages local artists or crafts people who would like to teach a class to call.

The Grand Strand Senior Center is the only one that is extending hours. Other HCCOA centers are in Aynor, Bucksport, Burgess, Carolina Forest, Conway, Green Sea/Floyds, Loris, Longs and Surfside Beach. It also operates a recycle, reuse, repurpose store at 1784 S.C. 90, Conway.

The Grand Strand Senior Center can be reached at 843-626-3991 and located on the Internet at www.grandstrandseniorcenter.org. The HCCOA can be reached at 843-248-5523 and is on the Internet at www.hccoa.org

This story was originally published June 16, 2016 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Grand Strand Senior Center getting more active | Strand Notebook."