Create & Celebrate is a month-long celebration of the creativity of older adults living in the Triad and surrounding communities. Throughout the month of May (Older Americans Month) there will be performances, discussions, activities and exhibits highlighting the creative abilities of our diverse elders. The goals are to raise awareness of aging issues, reduce the stigma of Alzheimer's and related dementia, and improve the quality of life of older adults through creative engagement.

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2009 CALENDAR of EVENTS

FRIDAY, MAY 1 - OPENING CELEBRATION & SENIOR PROM

See photos here! Senior Prom at Providence Place, Towne Centre (formerly Westchester Mall) in High Point featuring live music, dancing, theatrical performances, hands-on art, delicious food and more. 5pm-9pm. For more information view the flyer or contact Greg Mize at 336-991-8225.

MAY 1 - 31 - ART EXHIBITS

Go Triad Article
See photos here! Paintings, drawings, photography, quilts, poems, stories, carvings, sculpture and other artwork will be on display throughout the Triad in restaurants, libraries and coffee shops. Locations include (Guilford County) Bailey's on Elm, Greensboro Public Library, Filet of Soul, Guilford Medical Supply, Hemphill Library, Lox Stock & Bagel, Maria's-to-Go, Moses Cone Hospital, Studio B, Tex & Shirley's, The PepperMill Cafe, The Secret Tea Room, Theatre Arts Gallery, Zaytoon Mediterranean Cafe; (Forsyth County) Winston-Salem Central Library, Clemmons Library, Kernersville Library. For more information contact Lia Miller at 336-253-0856.

SATURDAY, MAY 2 - SUNNY SLOPES HERITAGE DAY
Watch demonstrations of historical and cultural skills of days gone by, enjoy bluegrass and gospel music, learn the art of making arrowheads and spheres, see pottery in the making and many more skills from yesteryear at Sunny Slopes Farms in Asheboro. 10am - until. For more information call 336-879-1606.

SUNDAY, MAY 3 - CIRCLE OF STORIES
Explore your creativity by creating stories through guided conversation with friends and neighbors. Also enjoy a reading by Tommy Hays from his novel The Pleasure Was Mine. View flyer. 3-6pm. 4920 Alliance Church Road, Pleasant Garden.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 6 - CAREGIVERS LUNCH ON THE TOWN
Senior Caregivers are invited to enjoy lunch out with your loved ones and peers at these participating restaurants: (Greensboro) Filet of Soul and Lox Stock & Bagel; (High Point) The PepperMill Cafe- a % of the proceeds from these 3 restaurants will benefit CCA-NC; (Winston-Salem) Cloverdale Kitchen-receive a 10% discount when you mention CCA-NC or Create & Celebrate!

WEDNESDAY, MAY 6 - WRITE ON GREENSBORO RECEPTION
See photos here! Write on Greensboro is a program of the UNC Greensboro Creative Writing in the Arts that runs free, volunteer-facilitated writing workshops in the Greensboro Area. Spring 2009 workshops are taking place in partnership with three local organizations: Higher Ground, a community for people who are infected or affected by HIV; Shepherd's Center of Greensboro, older adults volunteers helping other older adults remain active and independent; and Senior Resources of Guilford, promoting independent living for seniors living in Guilford County. This year's volunteers are Amanda Rutstein, Rachel Patterson, Andrew Meredith, Christopher Dickens, and Stefanie Silva, who are all in UNC Greensboro's Creative Writing Master's program. These students will host the reception for the older adult participants at the Hemphill Library at noon on May 6th. For more information call Stefanie Silva at 408-966-0027.

THURSDAY, MAY 7 - LUNCH AT THE SECRET TEA ROOM
A group of elders from Evergreens Senior Healthcare and their caregivers will enjoy delicious lunch at The Secret Tea Room, 412 State Street, Greensboro. Artwork on exhibit by Connie Logan. For more information call Gayle Smith at 336-271-2998.

FRIDAY, MAY 8 - FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS
The Age of Appreciation - Celebrating the Beauty of Motherhood.
"The residents were asked to do something creative and mother's create so much of who we are. We're covering all the creative bases with this program," says Debbie Dalton. In honor of Mother's Day, residents at Brookdale Senior Living in High Point will create flower arrangements and give them to organizations and churches in appreciation of their service to the community. The Brookdale community includes Skeet Club Manor, High Point Manor, High Point Place, and Clare Bridge of High Point. For more information contact Debbie Dalton at 336-471-0584.

FRIDAY, MAY 8 - 2nd ANNUAL ART SHOW
"Come by Friendship Adult Day Services on the way home from work to enjoy our in-house gallery, refreshments, conversation and friendship."
Relax, de-stress and enjoy the benefits of viewing art and supporting a community agency. All artwork is produced by program participants in collaboration with artist, Bob Postma and for a $100 donation to our therapeutic art program, you can take your favorite one home! Our location is 1946 Martin Street, 1 block off the intersection of N. Church and Graham Hopedale Rd., Burlington, NC. Friendship Adult Day Services exists for "Building Friendships, Keeping Families Together". 2-5pm. For more information
contact Kathryn Porter at 336-222-7797.

SATURDAY, MAY 9 - ARTS & HEALTH FAIR
See photos here! Enjoy hands-on art while maintaining your health! Lessons in watercolor painting, knitting and crocheting; learn about Native American art; experience African drumming and hand instruments; create a stained glass window using tissue paper; add to an art collage; enjoy dramatic performances; learn to whittle; and be entertained by storytellers while you await your turn in the "tell-your-own-story" recording booth.  Mingled in with the arts will be various health screenings such as blood pressure, hearing, vision, memory, and depression. Fall risk evalution, weight and waist measurements, and colorectal cancer screening kits will be available.  Young folks are welcome and will be able to take part in the arts as well as the "Get Out and Get Fit Games".  Light refreshments will be available. 10am-2pm. Vandalia Presbyterian Church, 101 W. Vandalia Road, Greensboro.
Contact Lois Bazhaw, RN, Parish Nurse at 275 3705 for more information.

MAY 13 & 14 - ALZHEIMER'S POETRY PROJECT

See photos here! Wednesday 9:30 TO 11:30am Dancing with Poetry - Gary Glazner teaches simple techniques and skills to use with people living with Alzheimer's and related dementia.This is a fun, high energy session where you will learn how to use poetry to make people laugh, dance, sigh over remembered love. CEUs available. Central Library, Greensboro.

Wednesday 7pm LifeVerse Poetry Reading featuring Gary Glazner - Poets who facilitated LifeVerse this year will share their own writings as well as the poetry of those with whom they have worked. Glazner will also share in the reading and speak about the Alzheimer's Poetry Project. Central Library, Greensboro. (Open to the public)

Thursday 7pm Writing Workshop - What's New for the Leaves of Recent Spring? Poet Gary Glazner uses Pablo Neruda's Book of Questions as the basis for this exploration into poetry as an investigative tool. Take an in-depth look at the magic realism through the writing of Neruda as well as Federica Garcia Lorca and Jorge Luis Borges. Explore how the people around us and the places we inhabit can inform and enrich our writing. Central Library, Greensboro. Call Steve Sumerford for more information about all the Gary Glazner events listed above at 336-373-3636.

SATURDAY, MAY 16 - GREENSBORO STORYFEST
Watch the video! Enjoy stories by older adult storytellers at the Senior Swapping Ground during the 5th Annual Greensboro StoryFest in the Media Room at the Greensboro Cultural Arts Center in Greensboro. 3:30pm-4:30pm. View the entire schedule. For more information contact Charlotte Hamlin at 336-855-1266.

TUESDAY, MAY 19 - SILVER ARTS EXHIBIT
Winning Silver Arts entries from the Roy B. Culler Senior Center will be exhibited at The High Point Theatre Art Gallery until July. For more information call the Culler Center at 336-883-3584.

THURSDAY, MAY 21 - SENIOR AMBASSADOR'S
Enjoy Broadway tunes performed by the Senior Ambassador Chorus. 10am and 7:30pm at St. John's United Methodist Church, 1304 Merritt Drive, Greensboro.

MAY 25-JUNE 30 - OLDER AMERICANS' MONTH ART EXHIBITS IN ROCKINGHAM
Artwork created by residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities is being displayed at the following restaurants in Rockingham County-Backstreet Buzz Coffee House (Reidsville), Cafe 65 (Bethany), Chaney's (Eden), and Dan River Coffee House & Deli (Madison). View the flyer. Sponsored by Caregivers of Rockingham County. For more information call 336-361-0971

THURSDAY, MAY 28 - WOODLAND PLACE ART EXHIBIT
Woodland Place Assisted Living residents are participating in Create & Celebrate Elder Arts in an on-going art class.  They are able to express their thoughts through their talents in a variety of art forms.  The exhibit will be on display in the living room at Woodland Place from 10 am until 4 pm.  We invite everyone from the community to stop by and enjoy the display of water color pictures, charcoal drawings, abstract acrylic paintings, photography of spring flowers, jewelry, knitting, quilting, blankets made for Project Linus, needlecraft and story writing.  Woodland Place, 1915 Boulevard Street.  For more information, please contact Gail Hornaday, Life Enrichment Director at 336-855-1414.

SATURDAY, MAY 30 - CLOSING CELEBRATION
Celebrate creativity with hands-on art projects, dancing, poetry, drumming, and musical and theatrical performances in Center City Park, Greensboro following the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk. Come join the festivities! For more information contact Lia Miller at 336-253-0856.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Abbotswood at Irving Park, Adult Center for Enrichment, Alzheimer's Association, Area Agency on Aging, Clemmons Library, Comfort Keepers, Elms at Tanglewood, DeBeen Expresso, Elsewhere Artist Collaborative, Evergreens Senior Healthcare, Greensboro, Public Library, Greensboro StoryFest, Harrison's, Hemphill Library, Heritage Greens, Heritage Woods, Kernersville Library, Kernersville Senior Enrichment Center, Korean Seniors Association, Loyalton of Greensboro, Mama Mia's, Morehead Elementary School, Morningview Assisted Living, Moses Cone Congregational Nurse Program, Providence Place, River Landing at Sandy Ridge, Roy B. Culler Senior Center, Seniors Reaching Out, Senior Resources of Guilford, Shepherd's Center of Greensboro, Shepherd's Center of Winston-Salem, the WORD Project, Triad Care & Rehabilitation, Vandalia Presbyterian Church, Well Spring Retirement Community, Winston-Salem Central Library.

Interested in helping us spread the word about creative aging in North Carolina? Complete this form and return it to CCA-NC.