A different group of seniors will be the “cat’s meow” at the 34th annual Seniors’ Senior Prom titled, “Cotton Club,” from 7 – 10 p.m. Friday, June 14, at the Oak Park Arms Retirement Community, 408 S. Oak Park Ave. The public is warmly welcome to attend and dance the night away.

The Dick Elliot Band will provide the music, standards from the Big Band era -  music that will touch lives, refresh spirits and perhaps most important – rekindle  memories.

In addition, the Legacy Girls will perform their Andrew Sisters act. Appetizers will be served before the prom, and a special dessert is being planned. In addition, there will be exciting drawings for prizes.

At 8 p.m. the Oak Park Arms scholarship will be presented to student Anjelica Hannicke. She has been volunteering at the Timbers for several years and will attend the University of Illinois in the fall.

“It’s always a thrill to present the scholarship,” said Jill Wagner, director of marketing for Oak Park Arms. “Hannicke is simply terrific and she has a bright future. We are very happy to be in a position to help.”

A highlight of the prom is the crowning of the 2013 king and queen who are elected by the residents. A special dance will take place featuring all the kings and queens, past and present.

“Our prom is quite an event,” Wagner said, “The room will be decorated with a roaring twenties theme, and the residents and families have a wonderful time.”

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The prom is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

Presented by Lisa Markwart of the Light Verse Foundation, the workshop concerns the etymology (origin) of words, palindromes and rebuses. Word games, brain teasers and puzzles will delight participants.

Where do words come from? How and when were they invented? Questions like these will be answered. Palindromes are words or phrases that read the same in both directions such as “eye” or “racecar.” A rebus is a representation of a word or phrase by pictures or symbols that suggest that word or phrase or its syllables. An example is: a picture of two gates and a head is a rebus for Gateshead.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

Word Play is free and open to the public, but reservations are requested. Call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

The first 15 minutes features basic tap moves that can be done either sitting or standing. Kulik continues the class with 45 minutes of basic tap steps and routines. Tap shoes are welcome, though not required.

This type of dance is a left-brain/right-brain workout great for coordination, balance and memory.

The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.

The workshop is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jill Wagner at 708-386-4040.

The joy of being a grandparent is immeasurable. Some think grandparenting is even better than parenting – not as much pressure or worry and lots more sheer enjoyment. And they do go home, don’t they?

Most new grandparents are shocked by the depth of love they experience. It’s as if grandchildren are compensation for growing old.

Grandparenting is an opportunity to play, to love a young child again, and to appreciate the magic of a developing mind. Grandparents can share the things they’re passionate about with a new audience; experience music, nature, the zoo, museums, reading, gardening, theater and other interests in conjunction with a curious young mind.

Grandparenting is an opportunity to watch children develop through all stages of growth; it is an invitation to learn about ‘their’ music and ‘their’ passions and to provide input that parents cannot.

Usually, grandparents have the benefit of interacting on a level that is once removed from the day-to-day responsibilities of parents. This can make it easier to develop a close bond with grandchildren. From near or far, grandparenting can provide continuity in a child’s life, since grandparents are often the family historians who can add a rich sense of family tradition to a child’s life.

Contact with grandparents can teach children positive attitudes towards aging and help them develop skills to enhance their own lifelong learning.

Making the most of your grandparenting time from HelpGuide:

• Carve out one-on-one time. On occasion, spend time with individual grandchildren. It will give  an opportunity to bond, without competition.
• See the sights. Concerts and plays, movies, zoos, science centers and museums, parks or simple walks in the neighborhood provide opportunities to be together and to exchange ideas and opinions.
• Play games. Board and card games are a unique opportunity to watch kids in action and to see how they operate in the world. Games also allow you to help your grandchild learn to be a good sport and play fairly.
• Communicate family history. Tell stories about games or trips you shared when the grandchild’s parents were young. This is a great way to weave a ‘tapestry’ of shared experiences for the whole family.