Annual Senior Center Variety Show Tonight

Tonight at 7, a group of homegrown performers will take to the stage.

In its 22^nd year, the senior center will display the best of its members’ talents, from singing and dancing to acting, in the annual variety show.

What started as a simple way to make the community aware that the seniors in town were up and running has turned into an annual extravaganza that provides a venue for the town’s older residents to showcase their talents. It’s an event that enables the seniors to project the center’s motto: aspire to inspire, center Director Fran Weigand, who created the event, said Thursday.

In addition, it helps to keep the members young in spirit. It allows them to continue on with their hobbies and passions, Weigand said.

“There are so many ways that they use their talent, and it gives them purpose,” Weigand said.

The variety show also pulls double duty as a significant fundraiser for the center. Each year, the money collected is used to purchase items not included in the municipal budget, such as furnishings for the center, appliances and utensils for the kitchen and a piano. Weigand said it’s not a lot, but over time it adds up; she declined to say how much has been raised in the past.

On Friday, April 29, the show will open at 7 p.m. at with a joint performance by the Note-Ables, the senior center chorus, and their counterparts from Tolland Middle School. Other acts include harmonica playing, a duet, tap dancing and skits. In total, it takes about 10 months to organize and prepare for the affair.

“We try to include something that will please everybody,” Weigand said.

Tickets for the variety show, which will be held in the Tolland High School auditorium, are $5. The show starts promptly at 7 p.m. and is expected to last two hours, including a brief intermission. For more details contact the senior center at 860-870-3725.