Lunches offer fun for Sykes' refugees

The closing of Sykes' restaurant on Saturday has left a lot of senior citizens wondering where to go this week for their daily dose of camaraderie and friendship.

Jim Atkinson, director of the Agency on Aging, and Jim Pearson, president of the board of the Kalispell Senior Center, suggest the congregate meals program offered at the senior center as well as at the Agency on Aging building on Kelly Road.

"Granted it's not Sykes' and there's one meal, not a menu," Atkinson said. "But there are a whole lot of folks who are nice to be with and fun to talk to."

Monday through Friday, meal service begins at 11:45 a.m. People 50 to 59 are charged $4.50 while those 60 and over pay a suggested donation of $3 for the subsidized meal. No seniors 60 and over are denied meals if they can't afford the donation.

Closest to Sykes', the Kalispell Senior Center at 403 Second Ave. W. requires people to call 257-1598 the day before they plan to have lunch to ensure the site has enough meals delivered. Seniors eat in the lower level that has a handicap-accessible entry on the side.

The Agency on Aging lunch served at 160 Kelly Road requires no reservations. Those unfamiliar with the location of the red barn-style building may call 758-5730 for directions or information about bus service.

Meals meet federal guidelines for nutritional value and offer a good variety from day to day and week to week.

For example, this week's menu at the Kalispell Senior Center, Kelly Road and other senior-center lunch sites is:

Today - Chicken Kiev, rice pilaf, supreme sauce, California blend veggies, sunflower nut roll, cheesecake.

Wednesday - Cheeseburger on a bun, potato wedges, sliced pickle, baked beans, Jell-O with fruit.

Thursday - Barbecued riblet, stuffed potato with sour cream and chives, buttered corn, eight-grain roll, pineapple.

Friday - Seasoned flounder, parsley potatoes, pickled beets, onion dill roll, lemon pudding.

Both Pearson and Atkinson said they hope seniors to fill in for the loss of Sykes', check out the companionship offered at the meals along with the other activities offered at the senior center.

Atkinson said he visited the restaurant soon after the closing was announced.

"I went over to see what people were thinking and to let them know we care," he said.

He said he found that a lot of the seniors having lunch at Sykes' had walked to the restaurant, although some had traveled by car from some distance. Atkinson discovered that some come as often as twice a day.

He asked one group of people gathered at a table what they planned to do after Sykes closed. He was disturbed by the response.

"Most said, 'I'll probably stay home,'" he said. "That's not good. Socialization is very important for seniors' well-being."

Atkinson said he visited another table that included several older people visiting with a much younger person who had brought them two zucchinis.

"It was so cool," he said. "They were friends, interacting on a number of levels."

His visit to Sykes' impressed him about how much the restaurant meant to the surrounding community of people of all ages. One of the people Atkinson talked to pointed out a young boy at the checkstand.

"She said he comes in everyday to buy candy - what's he going to do without Sykes?"

Another group of men from a church were having a meeting in Sykes'. They said they would most likely go to McDonald's to get together next week. Others said they would go to Montana Nugget or Norm's News.

Atkinson told them about other options designed for seniors.

"We talked about the Kalispell Senior Center - some thought they might try that," Atkinson said. "Some might drive down here [Kelly Road]."

He said he doesn't expect either location to get swamped with Sykes' senior refugees. Atkinson said elderly people accustomed to walking to Sykes' for company may have the toughest time.

"It's hard to make a major life adjustment at that age," he said.

One woman at the restaurant said that she walked to the restaurant every day. She had been a dedicated customer since 1961.

"Forty-eight years of Sykes' and it's gone Saturday," he said. "I was dumbfounded."

Others at Sykes' were philosophical about taking the change in stride and moving on. Atkinson called his time at Sykes' "a great day studying humanness."

As he spoke with various groups in the restaurant, Atkinson watched a man come in and start taking pictures down from the wall that he had loaned to the restaurant.

"I thought to myself, 'This is really happening,'" he said.

Atkinson said Sykes' closure gave him impetus to work even harder to find a way to move the Agency on Aging to Glacier Community Center at the former Gateway West Mall to create "a hangout for seniors."

He envisions expanding senior activities beyond the lunch program with the additional space the agency would lease at the new location.

Pearson and the board of the Kalispell Senior Center now offer a variety of activities tailored to older people in addition to the daily lunch. He said they hope to bring in programs in the future to make the lunches informative as well as fun.

In recent weeks, the senior association has begun actively promoting the lunch, exercise and art classes, card games and the monthly potluck. After hearing about Sykes' closing, Pearson delivered lunch menus as well as potluck posters to the restaurant.

Scheduled for 5 p.m. Aug. 27, this month's potluck features a Hawaiian luau. All area seniors are invited to dress up to compete for the best costume prize and to bring their favorite Hawaiian side dish to go with the pork ribs donated by Farm to Market Pork.

"We're going to have the line dancers come in and do a Hawaiian line dance," Pearson said. "In September we have a picnic. We have an activities committee working on that."

According to Pearson, the Monday and Wednesday exercise classes draw an enthusiastic group. The 45-minute exercise class starts at 10 a.m. but people show up at 9:30 a.m.

"They chit-chat and have coffee," he said. "It's light exercise to music. It's fun and people enjoy it."

Art classes remain another popular attraction, featuring instruction in painting and drawing at various times during the year. Other groups, such as local square dancers, lease the building and offer outlets for fun for seniors.

The senior center is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday with a staff that includes site manager Shirley Putnam, assistant Jean Penne and secretary Lynne Lippy. Card games are held some evenings.

People may join the association for $15 a year. The memberships as well as leasing the building out for private parties such as weddings help support the center's mission.

Seniors may pay small fees for certain activities in lieu of joining.

"People don't have to join to come in and have the meal," Pearson said.

For additional information, call 257-1598.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.