TL Photo/JOSIE BURKHART Patrons of the Martins Ferry Senior Center join in some cardio drumming as they prepare for a Halloween party planned for Thursday. The event will include bingo, putt-putt golf and costumes.

MARTINS FERRY — Patrons of the Martins Ferry Senior Center will dress up in costumes and play Halloween bingo and putt golf next week.

The senior center will host a Halloween party at the center on Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. It will also host two other high-end venues for the party, with guests from Bethesda and Colerain attending.

Winners will be awarded costume prizes, bingo prizes and golf game gift certificates. Each incoming senior will receive a raffle ticket that will be placed in a bucket and drawn to see who wins the costume contest. Some prizes include a cooking basket and home decorations.

Martins Ferry Senior Center Coordinator Melissa Finney invited Mayor John Davies, Belmont County Commissioner Jerry Echemann and others to join the party.

Elderly people will enjoy the fun “banana split bar” Where they can make their own banana splits, provided by Stonerise Hospice. Lunch will be at 11:30. Then the adults will start with a banana split bar and prize draws.

“The main goal of (Belmont County) Senior Services is to keep senior citizens active, healthy, and in their own homes for as long as safely possible because no one wants to go to a facility.” Finney said.

The reason the senior center hosts parties, picnics and events is to keep seniors active and healthy, Finney said.

Seniors usually visit the center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Finney wants people to know the center is there for them and other seniors who don’t know it’s there.

Finney is looking forward to seeing the clever costumes and hopes seniors will have fun, have fun and have a great day they won’t forget for a while.

Finney said in the past, seniors have loved Halloween parties.

“They love them. “They love dressing up and getting into costumes.” he said. “Whenever there’s bingo, it’s all about bingo, they love to win prizes. The banana split bar is going to be a big hit and they are actively helping prepare this batch.

The adults prepared treat bags, placemats and napkin rings.

“They take an active role in the planning and execution of the party, which I appreciate very much.” said Finney. “It’s their time to shine because they’re hosting, so they want it to be good.”

Some of the costumes the seniors will wear include a disabled bumblebee, a Greek lady, an ice cream cone, a sparkly witch, a nun and a nun. “confusion” America.

Finney believes that seniors deserve to be taken care of because they have worked their whole lives, raised children, paid their bills, paid their taxes, and done the right things.

“I love doing things to make older people happy. I like to see it all come together.” he said. “And maybe having other senior centers here will give them the opportunity to meet other new friends. … It’s good for them; it’s good for them to socialize, it’s good for them to be active like that, and basically I want to make them happy.”