After more than a year of an eerie, deafening silence in the Pahrump Senior Center’s main dining room, officials there are now rejoicing that the facility will open its doors to the community on Monday, May 3, much to the delight of area seniors.
Like most other businesses in town, the center was forced to suspend its regular operations out of an abundance of caution, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Prior to the pandemic, the Pahrump Senior Center provided a venue for local and non-local seniors to dine, socialize and essentially remain active each Monday through Friday, so says Site Manager Anne Blankenship.
“Our doors have been locked since March 18, 2020 and we have been serving lunches via drive-up,” Blankenship said. “But now, we are just ecstatic that we can open again for indoor service. As a result, there will be no drive-up lunches after Monday, May 3.”
As a way to commemorate the reopening of the center, Blankenship said the kitchen staff plans to prepare an all-time beloved menu item for lunch, come Monday.
“On opening day we will be serving our famous meatloaf, which is always a crowd favorite,” she said. “Of course we will serve it with all of the fixings, including soup. We will also provide live music, compliments of local performers Rafael and Vonnie. I also want to let folks know that masks will be required by all when not eating, in order to attend. Unfortunately, there will be no salad bar or activities such as seminars, exercise classes, or group meetings until June 1. We are anticipating 100-plus people on a daily basis here.”
Additionally, Blankenship spoke of the desolation and detachment some of the regular seniors experienced while the center ceased operations last year.
“So many of our seniors have expressed how much they want to socialize again,” Blankenship noted. “It’s been a long, lonely year for many and we are pleased to be able to get back to our regular routine, where the seniors have a place to visit their friends and enjoy getting out of the house and return to some kind of normalcy.
“We invite all the seniors of Pahrump to come by the Pahrump Senior Center and get involved. We are truly looking forward to once again serving the senior community in a friendly, social environment, so we hope to see you all on Monday, May 3.”
The hours of operation at the center runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday with lunch served in the dining room from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The Pahrump Senior Center is located at 1370 W. Basin Ave.
For additional information, contact Blankenship at 775-727-5008, ext. 4.
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes