Senior Center dances into the holidays

It didn’t take long for the dancing to begin last Thursday at the Johnston Senior Center’s annual Christmas party. Nearly 250 guests, many bedecked for the holidays, showed up for a festive afternoon of dining and entertainment.
The center was decorated with garlands, wreaths, and Christmas ornaments, and the mood was buoyant from the beginning. Many people arrived early, and it didn’t take long for tables to fill up as friends and family members sat together.
Popular local singer Steve Anthony (also known as North Providence Councilman Steven Loporchio) entertained the crowd with songs that that included, Christmas carols, pop tunes and classic ballads. Soup bowls had not yet been cleared from the tables when some guests, encouraged by Anthony, began dancing – and so it went throughout the lunch. At one point, the impromptu dance floor was crowded with people laughing and doing the electric slide.
Mayor Joseph Polisena Jr. welcomed the lunch guests, urging them to take time during the holiday season to appreciate loved ones and thanking them for being part of the town’s thriving senior center.
Holiday cheer was in no short supply, with the size and enthusiasm of the crowd giving no indication that the lunch was third major holiday event held at the Senior Center in the past week. There was recently a luncheon for volunteers, and over the weekend there was a “Brunch with Santa” that drew more than 1,000 participants from Johnston and surrounding communities. (That event was a collaboration with private partners that provide services to seniors in the area.)
Several local elected officials were spotted in the crowd. District 1 Councilwoman Linda Folcarelli was sitting with her sister and said that they both enjoy the events and activities at the center. “People really enjoy coming here,” she said.
Dressed in a red shirt, Senior Center Director Richard DelFino showed no sign of holiday fatigue. He served as the emcee for the event and when he wasn’t at the microphone, he was in the kitchen where a large group of volunteers were working.
He acknowledged that some staff would be ready to rest over the holiday week and that some had nervously asked if he had any more special events planned for early January.
“We just want everyone to have a good time, “he said. “We love doing this.”