CASSOPOLIS — Many can remember the competitive rush of huddling around the dinner table as a child, feeling a pair of dice or cards in between their fingers hoping for a Yahtzee, a Monopoly or a Sorry as they played any number of board games to fill the time.

Area seniors now have a chance to reconnect this aspect of their childhood, thanks to the Cass County Council on Aging.

Starting on Jan. 4, the COA began offering board game afternoons at 1 p.m. Thursdays at the Cassopolis Lowe Center location and at 1 p.m. Tuesdays at the Dowagiac Front Street Crossing location. The program is currently scheduled to run until the last week in March.

COA staff said they plan to provide games and light snacks, such as popcorn, at each board game session.

“We had a lot of different board games [at the COA], so we thought it would be a good idea to put them to use,” said COA staff member Sandi Hoger of the brand new program. “We have all the classics like Scrabble and Dominoes, and some of the newer ones as well, but people are free to bring in any board games they would like.”

The idea to host the board game sessions came after seeing similar programs being hosted at other senior facilities, Hoger said.

“A lot of the time in the winter people can’t get out and do things, and this is a nice, warm place,” Hoger said. “So, it will be nice for people to come here and have an activity to socialize.”

COA staff member Leslie Vargo originally came up with the idea to bring game sessions to the COA. When she came up with the idea, she said she was hoping that the activity would not just be for seniors. Instead, she thought seniors could bring friends and loved ones, like their grandchildren, to participate as well.

“This is something people young and old can do together. That was important,” Vargo said of
the program.

Regardless of the age of the participants, Vargo said she hopes that the board game sessions will be well attended and will turn into a popular social gathering for the people of Cass County.

“You can’t beat a good board game, you know?” Vargo said. “It’s really something that
everyone enjoys.”

Though the program is currently scheduled to end in March, Hoger and Vargo said the program could continue if it proves popular.

“We thought we would try it out during the winter months, because people get busy come spring and get outside,” Hoger said. “But, absolutely, if it goes well, we will continue it.”