CAPE ELIZABETH – The feel of fall in the air couldn’t stop 34 senior citizens from the area from taking part in the first-ever Senior Summer Games at Village Crossings in Cape Elizabeth last week.

The Senior Summer Games, the culminating event of National Assisted Living Week, included nine events in which senior citizens from Village Crossings, The Monarch Center in Saco and St. Joseph’s Manor and Birchwoods at Canco, both in Portland, competed head to head. A fifth center, The Woods at Canco, was not able to make it to the event at the last minute.

For residents of the various facilities, like Bob Burton of Birchwoods, who competed in the baseball toss, the event was a way to stay active, and stay connected.

“I figured I should participate,” Burton said just after his toss. “I think it is a great thing to do. You don’t just want to be sitting around all day. This gets you out and gets you to meet a lot of other nice people.”

Kim Jackson, director of activities at Village Crossing, said the event, was a joint effort of the center’s activity departments.

“There are other summer games events for senior citizens, but this is the first in the area we are aware of for our type of facility,” Jackson said.

The Games, Jackson said, is all about having fun, staying fit and meeting new people.

“We hope it gives them a sense of accomplishment, it creates a sense of camaraderie amongst the facilities and a sense of community between the participants,” she said. “Seeing other people and remaining part of the community is always a good thing for them.”

The support she saw among facilities, Jackson said, was overwhelming.

“Everyone was cheering for everyone,” she said. “It was great.”

The Games covered a variety of events, including horse shoes, a bake-off, a baseball toss, beach ball kick, walking relay, bean bag toss, spelling bee, squirt gun shootout and golf putting contest.

One of the most competitive events, Jackson said, was the baking contest, which included peanut butter cookies, several recipes of gingersnaps, brownies, German cookies, and cinnamon pecan crisps.

“To me cooking is about putting love into your food,” Matt Carson, Village Crossing chef and one of the bake-off judges, told the bake-off participants after the judges testing. “You really put love in your food. It is all great and tastes wonderful.”

Because of this, he said, the judging was very difficult.

“The bake-off was the most intense judging of the day,” Jackson said. “You could hear a pin drop during the judging.”

The events’ winners were determined in a points system, with points for first, second and third place finishes. Individual winners got a gold, silver or bronze medal based on where they finished. The winning facility, Village Crossings, which beat out Birchwoods by less than 10 points, was awarded the engraved traveling plaque.

“It was very well received by all the residents and staff that participated,” said Amy LeClair, Village Crossings’ director of program development. “It was a lot of fun and there were a lot of laughs.”

“They had a blast,” Jackson said of the participants. “People were smiling all day. It was nothing short of a major success.”

“Every one of the participants I talked to said they had a great time and was really looking forward to next year,” Jackson added.

Staying active

The competition was but one of the social events Jackson has organized for seniors at the facility.

In the past she has taken groups to a number of cultural centers in Maine, including the Maine Botanical Garden in Boothbay Harbor, the Maine Museum in Augusta, and numerous trips to the Portland Museum of Art. Reading groups, writing groups, walking groups have also been formed.

Every week the residents are treated to some sort of entertainment, whether it is a singer, musician or guest speaker. Jackson said one of the residents’ favorite speakers is Gerry Wiles, a former high school history teacher who comes to Village Crossings frequently to discuss history.

She said residents at Village Crossings like anything to keep their mind fresh, including puzzles or trivia or current event quizzes. Some of the residents, Jackson said, are even enrolled in Osher Lifelong Learning Institute classes at the University of Southern Maine.

Henrietta Smith, who has been living at Village Crossings for three years, said participating in the Summer Games as a competitor in the baseball toss was her way of supporting the staff of the activities department, who, she said, do a wonderful job.

“It is fun. It helps the activities committee,” she said. ‘I am very fond of all those girls.”

Myrtle Blake, a native of Maine who moved back to her home state to be closer to family after 20 years living in Florida, also said it was the social aspect of the activity that made her want to participate in the Summer Games.

“It is fun to get together with people who are in the same situation as you are,” said Blake, a participant in the golf putt competition and the walking relay.

“We are all pretty active,” the golf enthusiast said of her friends and neighbors at Birchwoods. “Birchwoods is noted for keeping people active and having fun.”

That is the whole reason 11 of the 100 Birchwood residents participated, said Dawn Parent, director of activities.

“We hope it continues and we can make it a tradition and an annual event,” she said.

Henrietta “Hen” Smith, of Village Crossings at Cape Elizabeth, left, leads the procession of flag bearers during opening ceremonies. Thirty-four seniors from four area assisted living facilities competed in the first Senior Summer Games at The Village Crossings on Friday. Activities included horseshoes, baseball toss, walking relay, and a bake-off competition. The games marked the culmination of National Assisted Living Week. (Photos by M. Kathleen Kelly)Bob Burton, of Birchwoods in Portland, heaves the ball during the baseball toss competition. (Photos by M. Kathleen Kelly)Competitors open the games by singing the national anthem. (Photos by M. Kathleen Kelly)