Signs of Spring and Easter at Collington

By Marian Fuchs

After weeks of enduring a seemingly never-ending winter, spring finally arrived at the very end of March, in time for a great Easter brunch on April 1 – no fooling! Here’s proof…

Flowers on campus

Easter Bunny  and Ice Sculpture Seafood Bar

Mimosas in the Ivy Lounge and Snacks

Easter Windowsill Creations by the Flower Committee

spring4Forsythia all around Collington

New Year’s Eve at Collington

Thanks to the Hospitality Committee and the staff of the Culinary Services Department, on the evening of December 31st some 80 – 90 residents enjoyed a splendid evening of dining, drinking and dancing, bidding farewell to 2017, and welcoming in the New Year.

Our fellow residents were resplendent in fine attire.   There were suits, ties, tuxes on our gentlemen, and an array of outfits from charming to chic on our ladies.  Grant Bagley was there taking pictures.  Be sure to check out this slideshow.

 

The evening started with a cocktail bar (Yolanda mixing, and Vionne and colleagues pouring) providing attendees with a variety of drinks to enjoy in the corridor alongside Clarita’s miniature pictures.  A delicious 3-course surf and turf dinner was served in the Auditorium, beside elegant centerpieces provide by our Flower Committee.

No sooner had the four-piece band began to play gentle tunes from the American songbook, than couples were coming up to dance.  A memory of the 70s – a mirror ball (thank you Grant) – provided the atmosphere that propelled many to dance to slow and faster numbers.

New Year’s Eve at Collington was designated to occur at 9:30 pm. There were champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries.  Hugs and kisses, and good wishes were exchanged. our servers and chefs received a round of applause.  Many thanks to our MC, Greg Gay, and his wife, Marlane Liddell, co-chairs of the Hospitality Committee for a perfect start to the New Year.

staff

Christmas Comes to Collington!

Contributed by Marian Fuchs

All over campus signs of the holiday season are proliferating.  There’s obviously much more to come:

  • a Dickens Dinner at the weekend
  • a Holiday Party on the 12th
  • a service on Christmas Eve and a Breakfast on the day
  • and a dinner-dance on New Year’s Eve.

But just today, Monday December 4, we had the trimming of the giant tree in the Clocktower.  Below you see some of the trimmers, and the results of their trimming.  If you weren’t there, you missed some great petit fours and hot chocolate!

 

 

After the Bazaar – a Christmas in November Sale

by Marian Fuchs

A week after the Holiday Bazaar, Collington had its second holiday shopping event on November 10th.  This was the Christmas in November sale put on by the 0pporttunity 0utlet (OO) Shop.   It was a festive affair, especially after Grant Bagley got the Christmas music (the very first of the season) going in the Auditorium.  Tables displaying holiday gifts were arrayed around the room, and 00 Shop manager, Joe Howard, had priced things to sell. There were bargains to be had – most prices ranged down from $3 to free!  Unbeatable!  The Glass Case wing of the 00 Shop had more special Christmas gift items for sale – several tables of them.   They, too, were doing a brisk business.

At the end of the sale, resident Larry Harris took possession of all the left-over goods and drove them to a church thrift shop in Southern Maryland.  So the recycling and re-use will continue.

These Collington sales are win-win-win-win events.   Here are the four wins:

  1. Goodies donors get to downsize and get rid of things they don’t want.
  2. Things that might otherwise have been thrown away get reused (as opposed to swelling landfills).
  3. The money raised by the sale of the goodies funds neat activities for residents
  4. Shoppers have the fun of getting inexpensive gifts, cards, music and plenty of sparkly bling for their holiday season in a cheerful and friendly setting.

At this year’s sale, some of the happiest shoppers were members of two refugee families adopted by Mary Kim.  When she learned about the families, Marion Henry made a substantial donation to both of them, and they used her gift to make substantial purchases, leaving the sale with bulging bags of goodies.

Next day Joe Howard reported:  “Thanks, all of you for what you did toward making another Christmas in November sale so successful  

  • The Shop earned about $450 – all going to the Residents Association
  • Glass Cases earned $150 – all going to the Residents Association
  • The Shop was able to clear out much needed space in the Furniture Room
  • We were able to recycle many items provided by residents which would likely have been discarded or clutter their storage space.
  • We provided a happy time for lots of happy shoppers – and volunteers.”

Some of the Collington resident happy shoppers and salespersons are shown below.