Local Baby Boomer's Group Offers Activities for All

Baby Boomers are those born between 1946 and 1964, and there are about 75 million living in the United States, representing 29 percent of the population. These individuals are currently in their late 40s to mid-60s, and some might be at the stage of their lives where they’re unsure about what to do outside of the house or they need some company.

However, there is an active group in town that will keep this demographic busy and around others all summer (and year) long.

The Manchester Baby Boomer’s Social Group, led by boomer coordinator Deb Kellie and Karen Gubbins, a supervisor for the town's Recreation Department, has social activities for the public throughout the summer, including outdoor activities, entertainment and dining.

“It’s a group of people who want to stay active, who want to have fun, who want to do things with others, who want to meet new people,” Kellie said. “We have unique activities all summer. There are going to be restaurant and winery outings, a bowling trip to Foxwoods Casino, tennis lessons, a beginner kayak class, and other events.”

The group has 270 interested participants, and Kellie said they are always looking for more people to add to their list.

The majority of people in this active group are from Manchester, but there are residents outside of Manchester who are also a part of the group; some members are from South Windsor, Somers, Canton, and as far away as New Haven.

The group is basically made up of the Baby Boomers age group, but Kellie said there are also members who are younger or older.

“We have people who have moved to the area or are newly divorced or widowed, and they have nothing to do,” she said. “They have lost friends or families, and this group gives people the opportunity to get involved. People shouldn’t feel uncomfortable about coming out to the group by themselves.”

Gubbins said the idea of having this group started at a Recreation Department meeting eight years ago, when they were discussing the future trends and direction of the department.

Gubbins thought the Baby Boomers generation would want to participate in recreation activities and stay active, so she started planning outdoor and adventure based activities.

“We had to modify them, however, so they are safe activities,” the recreation supervisor said. “It started with a 15 person hiking group, which I led. After that, I asked if they wanted to meet with me as an advisory committee to figure out what activities Baby Boomers wanted, and then we started offering all these programs.”

One of the upcoming events is bowling at Foxwoods Casino on Saturday, July 23. Kellie said even if people do not want to bowl, they can still come on the trip and do what they like at the casino, such as gamble or walk around the shops.

Another summer event will be heading to a winery on Saturday, August 20. Some of the wineries they are deciding between are the Gouveia Vineyard in Wallingford, the Haight-Brown Vineyard in Litchfield, and the Hopkins Vineyard in New Preston.

Furthermore, an outdoor event that the group is offering will be a beginner kayak class on Sunday, July 24 at Rogers Lake in Old Lyme. Bus transportation will be provided, and there will be instruction from certified professionals of CT Coastal Kayaking.

Kellie informs the interested participants about upcoming events like these through the e-mail networking system. She sends out mass e-mails to 270 people on the distribution list, which has grown dramatically from the 15 who started with the group eight years ago.

“Time and time again I hear, ‘I love receiving the e-mails from Deb even though I don’t participate in the activities with the group,’ ” Gubbins said. “They will go with friends and families, so that serves another purpose right there. They have something unique to do because Deb does her research on it and puts it out there.”

The group does different activities all year long, and they try to do something on an annual basis, as well. They have members who participate in the Manchester Road Race each year, training together for the November race.

“And sometimes they get their families and groups of friends from work to start training for the race,” Kellie said. “It’s nice because everyone is doing it together, so it works out really well.”

For more information or to join the group, contact Kellie at djk381@hotmail.com or contact Gubbins at kgubbins@manchesterct.gov or at (860) 647-3210.