Whoever said spring flings with live music, dancing and a cookout were just for the younger folks? Certainly not the more than 300 senior citizens who showed up Thursday at the Carroll County Council on Aging’s Spring Fling event.

The event - open to seniors and the disabled living in the county - had everything from grilled hamburgers to the Lowell Opry House Review band. Not to mention, a dance contest in which a woman in her 90s took home top honors at the East Carrollton Recreation Building.

Abielene Rooks, who has been a member of the Carrollton Senior Center for more than 20 years, said it’s the entertainment at the event that keeps bringing her back each year.

“I love coming to this and participating,” Rooks said. “It gets the seniors out, so they don’t stay in their homes. They can come here and be entertained.”

Rooks said the Spring Fling has been a great outlet to meet new friends in the community who are members of other senior centers.

I’ve never missed a year yet,” she said. “Each year you get to sit at different tables and make new friends.”

Although Rep. Mark Butler, R-Carrollton, is quite a few birthdays away from an official membership at the Carrollton Senior Center, he was at the event to show support for the senior community, which he said has laid the foundation for the progress the county has made.

“This is a great time for fellowship and to see friends,” Butler said. “There might be some spirits down, but something like this is a great way to get a break in the day, week or month. We need to do this for the seniors, because we owe them a lot. They established what we have today in West Georgia that has made this such a great place to live.”

Food, door prizes and, of course, the Southern favorite - sweet tea - were donated by businesses in Carroll County. In Bremen. Kiwanis Club volunteers flipped hamburgers on several gas grills outside while seniors inside listened to the band play and caught up on the latest news with friends they might not have seen since the last event.

Danielle Jenkins, manager of the Carrollton Senior Center, said the fling was part of three events held annually for the seniors. People from Temple, Mt. Zion, Bowdon, Carrollton and everywhere in between rode in church buses, senior center vans or drove themselves to attend.

“We do this to promote fellowship and socialization with others,” Jenkins said. “A lot of seniors live alone, and this gives them an outlet they can come to each year.”

Sandra Morris, who is about to retire in June as director of the Carrollton Housing Authority, said her retirement will allow her to become even more involved in one of her passions - the senior community.

“A lot of seniors don’t have social activities they can go to,” she said. “Live entertainment is often held at night, and many seniors can’t drive at night. This is just a lot of fun for us all. These are my friends.”

When Morris first became involved in the senior community and Council on Aging, she said she was the “young person” there.

“Now I’m a senior, too,” she said. “My mother’s here, and the Spring fling is something we can do together.”

Morris said the crowds at the Spring fling have continued to grow each year. An event of its size, she said, allows seniors to meet others and discuss issues that effect the community.

“They get to talk to each other here,” she said. “There might be someone from an assisted living community that might meet someone thinking about moving into one, and here they can share ideas and issues.”

Explosive growth

Morris said since she has been with the organization she has seen the event out-grow four locations in the county to accommodate everyone. The organization hosts A Valentine’s Day event and Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings. The first event, held 31 years ago, had 175 people at its Thanksgiving meal but it exceeded 650 in 2008.

“I’d like to see more educational programs for the seniors and for the general public,” she said. “There are a lot of things senior need that the average person doesn’t realize until it is their own mom or dad. There are a multitude of assistance available for the seniors out there that people aren’t even aware of.”

Barbara Luther, member of the Villa Rica Senior Center, said she has been coming to the Spring Fling for the past 12 years.

“It gets so many people out,” she said. “ A lot of seniors are widows. We get to see a lot of seniors that we wouldn’t see everyday. It’s a lot of fun. We look forward to this so much. There is always good entertainment, and everyone treats you so nice.”

Luther said she has noticed that seniors living in assisted living facilities seem to have some of the biggest smiles during the fling since many may not have opportunities to attend functions such as the event.

“If the good Lord wills it, I’ll definitely be here again next year,” she said. “I haven’t missed one yet since I’ve been old enough to join.”

Senior Runette Kemp of Bowdon said she has come to the Spring Fling since 2005 - mostly for the fellowship but she also enjoys the live bands.

“For me, this is the only place each year that I can see anything like this unless it’s the singing at my church,” she said. “This is something I look forward to far in advance each year. The old saying goes, ‘this gets gooder and gooder’ each year.”