A Visit with Lu Way

And the new Ticket Order Form is here

By

Dale Dauten

There’s something about Lu — she just brightens up your day, right? So I was happy to have an excuse to call Lu (if you don’t know, that’s Lu Way, Activities Director) to talk about the Ticket Order Form that she’s ready to release, the one for the early part of next season from October through December. It’s shown at the end of the newsletter, and you can print it out and send it in.

But first, let’s catch up with Lu…

She’s back in her summer home of Quincy, Illinois. Knowing nothing about Quincy, Lu told me it’s across the Mississippi River from Hannibal, Missouri, and if you picture the state of Illinois, “Quincy is where the state bumps out, the beer belly.”

I had to look online to picture that and I’ll put a map below, and while I was at it, I found a couple of photos of Quincy to get a feel for the place, a town of about 40,000.

Although she’s away from Silveridge, it’s on her mind. In fact, she tells me that she and husband Ed met with a former park resident, Roger King, to learn the card game Aggravation. Why seek out aggravation? “I’ve heard that it was once popular at Silveridge,” she explained, “and there are people in the park who would like to bring it back in an organized way – where we’d have times when people can get together and play. So I wanted to learn the game.” Lu sent along a photo of their visit. (This comment from Lu: “Roger and Maxine King wintered at Silveridge for 18 years. Sadly, Maxine is no longer with us. Also pictured are RV friends Don and Sharron Collins.”)

She and Ed also got together with a couple of other park residents, Scott and Betsy Gubin.

Plus, Lu sent along a couple of photos from her summer visits with old friends and relatives, along with her descriptions:

My great nephews Haden and Gavin reading books I brought. We have a tradition where I bring a game and books for each day I’m at their house. Each morning they are eager to know what the game of day is. The books are usually revealed at bedtime where I get the honor of reading to them. It’s been a lot of fun. (The picture shows the books they received upon our arrival. They love reading!)

First ever convertible ride. My niece Kim is driving, sister Lori is the navigator. I’m in the back seat with family friend Diana who is the car owner

It’s easy to see why Lu summed up her summer in three words: “Life is good!”

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THE SEASON AHEAD

We’re also looking ahead to Fall back at the park, and to the entertainment that’s lined up.

NOTE: There is new floorplan for the tables. When I asked Lu about it, she laughed and said, “I have a dear friend who’s a retired Fire Captain and he has made me totally aware of fire safety. I noticed that we have had tables near the doors, so we rearranged them to have more space by the exits.” Good to know.

As for the events, most are self-explanatory and/or feature those who’ve performed in recent seasons. However, there were a few I was curious about…

For one, the last item on the list is “Video Squarez MTV Bingo.”

Lu explained that the regular bingo shuts down for the weeks around Christmas and so it was a chance to try something that’s been a big hit elsewhere. The bingo cards have song titles and the caller plays parts of the songs.

A couple of other acts I wanted to learn more about:

• “Gold Dust Women” features the work of famous female vocalists, like Joni Mitchell and Stevie Nicks.
• “Uncle Click” performed last season and was well-received, doing a combination of country and rock.
• As for “Keith Byers,” Lu seemed especially enthusiastic about him, saying, “He played at a Happy Hour last year and everyone enjoyed him. He has an incredible vocal range, sounding like Johnny Cash on one song and then Michael Bolton on another.”

So, a lot to look forward to. While the Activities Office doesn’t open till October 1^st, the Order Form is shown below, followed a PDF of the new seating charts. You can click each to download it, then print the Order Form and mail it in.

SEATING CHARTS

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:

PUBLICATION SCHEDULE: This is our special edition of the newsletter, a combined issue for August and September. We’ll be back October 1^st.

If you’d like to volunteer to be the subject of an article, or have someone you’d like to learn more about, please let me know.

Or, if you have photos you’ll like to share in upcoming newsletters, please send them.

Dale Dauten, Editor

Email: ddauten@gmail.com

Text: 480-297-6244

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