Lake Oswego's Adult Community Center Preps for Halloween

LAKE OSWEGO, OR — Lake Oswego Adult Community Center Manager Ann Adrian was a fan of Oregon before she ever moved here. Adrian was working in Ohio for a number of years, but she'd often visit Oregon on vacation. Finally, she applied for the center manager position at the Adult Community Center and was hired in 2008. Adrian has been an Oregon resident ever since. We spoke with her recently about the center's upcoming Halloween plans and found out about the most popular classes at the center.

Patch: What would you say to someone who is in their early 50's and isn’t sure if the Adult Community Center is something they’d be interested in? What would you say to persuade them to check it out?

Ann Adrian: We have a program right now called the Aging Mastery Program. We’re one of eight centers west of the Mississippi that were chosen to compete for a grant to bring this program —- which will be evidence-based —- to bring this program to Oregon. Right now we have a wide range of people in their late 50's up until almost 90 that attend that class. That’s one of my personal favorites because it’s something new that we got to do last year and we’re continuing this year. I would suggest people take a class, come visit, see what they think. Anybody can come and check out a class or a program. We have a lot of really great things here. We’re kind of a hidden gem.

Patch: How did you first get started working with the Adult Community Center?

Ann Adrian: Well, I actually came from out of state. I had visited Oregon from Ohio a number of times and I really liked it out here. Actually, one of my staff suggested that I apply. I never took it as they were trying to get rid of me, I took it as they knew how much I wanted to live in Oregon. So I applied and was interviewed in ’08 and I’ve been here ever since.

Patch: I was very interested when I saw that you run an Adult Community Center. You usually think of community centers as something for younger children or senior citizens. How have you opened up the center to adults in this way and how is the center typically used?

Ann Adrian: A lot of centers from my background are called senior centers, but the founders of the Adult Community Center in Lake Oswego had the foresight to make it for everybody over fifty. They were already calling it an adult center instead of the more — what we consider now — dated term of ‘senior center.’ We also have programs and services for younger people, too. Because we’re part of Parks and Recreation, people can come at age 18 and over. We also have some intergenerational programs. We have some games involving younger kids, grandkids, things like that.

Patch: Do you guys have any special programs coming up for Halloween?

Ann Adrian: We usually have the Pirates of Portlandia on Halloween, I need to confirm that they’re coming. They’ve been here the last two years. They are a riot. They come as mermaids, pirates, a whole cast of characters and they entertain everybody for several hours. We take pictures and everybody says ‘Argh!’ pretty much. We usually have eye patches and things like that at the front desk for anybody who doesn’t come dressed up for Halloween.

Patch: How is the Adult Community Center funded?

Ann Adrian: We’re part of the City of Lake Oswego, so most of our funding comes through the city, out of the general revenue fund, which is derived from property taxes. We also have a ‘VIP,’ which stands for ‘Very Important Partnership’ program, where people can help contribute that see the value of a community center. We also have a number of grants and we also have a board that specifically fundraises for Lake Oswego Meals on Wheels for elderly and disabled people, so they make an annual contribution to us to help us cover the cost of the Meals on Wheels program.

Patch: What are some of the most popular classes?

Ann Adrian: Fitness is definitely a huge trend. That’s probably our number one area and we have a broad array of fitness classes for people who need a little extra help onto people who are pretty competent athletes.

For more information about the Lake Oswego Adult Community Center, check out their Facebook page. For a full list of upcoming events at the center, visit their website.