T-L Photo/JOSIE BURKHART Patrons of the Martins Ferry Senior Center participate in cardio drumming as they get ready for a Halloween party scheduled for Thursday. The event will feature 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-putt golf next week.

The senior center will have a Halloween party from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the center. It will be hosting two other senior centers for the party as well, with guests from Bethesda and Colerain.

Prizes for costumes, prizes for bingo and gift card prizes for the golf game will be given to the winners. Every senior who comes in will receive a raffle ticket that will be put into a bucket and drawn to see who wins the costume contest. Some prizes include a baking basket and house decorations.

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

Seniors will get to enjoy a “banana split bar,” where they can build their own banana split that is provided by Stonerise Hospice. Lunch will be at 11:30 a.m. Afterward, the seniors will start with the banana split bar as well as the prize giveaways.

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

Finney said the reason the senior center holds parties, picnics and functions is to keep seniors active and healthy.

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 might not know it’s there.

Finney is looking forward to seeing the clever costumes and is hoping seniors have fun, enjoy themselves and have a great day they can remember for a while.

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

“They love them. They love to dress up, they love getting in the costumes,” she said. “Anytime there’s bingo, they’re all for bingo, they love winning prizes. The banana split bar is going to be a big hit, and they have been actively helping prepare for this party, too.”

Seniors have made treat bags, placemats and napkin rings to prepare.

“They actively participate in planning and executing the party, which I appreciate very much,” Finney said. “It’s their time to shine because they’re hosting, so they want it to be good.”

Some costumes seniors will be dressing up in are a handicap bumblebee, a Greek lady, an ice cream cone, a sparkly witch, a nun and “mess” America.

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

“I like to do things to make seniors happy. I like to see them all get together,” she said. “And maybe having the other senior centers here gives them an opportunity to meet other new friends. … It’s just good for them – it’s good for them to socialize, it’s good for them to be active like this, and basically I just want to make them happy.”