Spring into fun with upcoming senior-themed events

Spring is right around the corner and with it comes warmer temperatures and more hours of daylight.

Aside from the annual spring cleaning and the renewed commitment to exercising that many will undertake, spring is also a time for seniors to be more active and get out of the house more.

To help get more seniors out of the house, some local communities will be holding events geared specifically toward senior fun.

St. Patrick's

Biloxi will be hosting a St. Patrick's Day luncheon on Wednesday, March 16, at the Donal Snyder Community Center. The luncheon begins at noon, and it is sponsored by Harrah's Gulf Coast.

Organizers said the luncheon is free and open to seniors age 50 and up but they said to be sure and wear some green in order to avoid getting pinched on the arm.

Spring Fling in Gulfport

Another major upcoming spring event for seniors is the Spring Fling on Thursday, April 28, at Jones Park in Gulfport. The event is sponsored by Boyington Health and Rehabilitation Center and the City of Gulfport.

"This will be our first spring fling," Leslie Buckler of Boyington Health said. "We're holding it at Barksdale Pavilion, and we expect about 350 seniors from Harrison County to attend as well as some seniors from Jackson County."

She said the event will include activities, vendors, live music and lunch.

"We're doing sandwiches and chips and fruit for the lunch," Bucklar said. "We wanted to keep it light because it's spring and a lot of people are watching what they eat."

The Spring Fling is the second event hosted by Boyington Health and Gulfport this year.

"We did the Mardi Gras Mambo at the Lyman Community Center in January and it was very successful -- people loved it," she said. "We first partnered with the City of Gulfport last August on a cookout for seniors in the community, and we will be holding another one this year, as well."

Bucklar said the spring event will be a way to both honor area seniors and to get them more active and involved.

"This will be a great way for the seniors on the Coast to get together and have lunch and have some fun," she said.

This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 8:08 PM with the headline "Spring into fun with upcoming senior-themed events ."