Warren County library launches Senior Social Hour
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WNKY) — Warren County Public Library launched its first Senior Social Hour on Tuesday, Aug. 11, creating a new monthly gathering where older adults can meet others, enjoy conversation and take part in different activities.
The first session drew 17 people, a turnout Gracie Harris, community resilience lead for Warren County Public Library, called encouraging for the beginning of a new program.
Creating a space for connection
Harris said the library already offers programs for a range of ages and wanted to create another opportunity specifically for seniors.
“We do programs for all different age ranges, and we wanted to do something for seniors as well,” Harris said. “We already had Memory Cafe, and this is just sort of a transition into a new program to include more of the people who are looking for activities to socialize together.”
The goal is to give participants a reason to get out, meet others and enjoy something different from one gathering to the next.
“And each one is going to look a little bit differently,” Harris said. “We might have a guest speaker come in. We might do games like today. It might be a craft day each time. The idea is just to bring people together so they can interact, get out of the house, and do something fun.”
Strong response to the first gathering
Seventeen people attended the first Senior Social Hour. Harris said interest in the program was also apparent online, with information about the event shared dozens of times on Facebook.
“Well, this is the first program for senior social hour, and we had 17 people today, which is really fantastic for a first, first, beginning of a program,” Harris said. “So, I think the community also is sharing it. I think they shared it like 42 times on Facebook or something. And so that kind of is a good indicator to me that it’s something people are looking for.”
Harris said the library serves patrons of all ages, and the new gathering is another effort to meet the needs of people already using the library.
Building something seniors can rely on
As the program continues, Harris said she hopes Senior Social Hour becomes more than an occasional activity.
“I think I would really like, for senior social Hour to be a reliable space where people can come and interact with people in similar age demographic, and also get to know other people who might enjoy similar hobbies like crafting or, celebrating the holidays or playing games, whatever that may be,” Harris said.
She said the larger goal is for participants to feel comfortable and connected when they walk through the library’s doors.
“I hope that they walk away with a sense of community and feeling at home in the library space,” Harris said. “We want people to feel safe and have fun and grow.”
Future Senior Social Hour gatherings could include guest speakers, games, crafts and other activities. No registration is necessary.
