LAC LA BICHE - On the second and fourth Tuesday of every month, senior residents of the Lac La Biche area can be found at the Lac La Biche Heritage Society in the afternoon playing drop-in recreational games of cornhole.
The game, also known as bean bag toss, involves players taking turns trying to throw fabric bean bags through a hole on an inclined board.
Stacey St. Jean, executive director of the Lac La Biche Heritage Society, says the game provides a fun and social outlet for members of the organization, while providing an opportunity to get in some physical fitness.
“It’s an easy game for seniors to play,” she tells Lakeland This Week. “It’s just fun competition.”
Cornhole is becoming more and more popular with seniors across Alberta and Canada, St. Jean explains, and with this growing trend has come an increase in local leagues.
In addition to the drop-in events, the seniors centre is also trying to start a cornhole league of its own, aimed at people over the age of 50.
St. Jean says progress has been a bit slow in putting the league together, but she is hopeful that eight teams can be recruited to play in the league, which would run throuh the winter months.
As to how the idea came about to host the fun drop-in games of cornhole, St. Jean says the centre started by hosting a few game nights in November.
“We had a really turnout, so we decided to make it a regular thing.”
Cornhole is just one of several activities the Lac La Biche Heritage Society puts on for seniors to enjoy.
The organization hosts a card-making class once a month on Sundays, along with a fitness-focused class called Movement Monday that takes place every Monday at 1 p.m.
On Wednesdays, the centre puts on its ‘Eat to Live’ program, which offers a healthy meal for seniors, while also giving them a chance to mingle.
The heritage society is looking at having weekly card games and has plans to host cribbage and floor curling tournaments later this year.
According to St. Jean, those involved regularly come up with new ideas to get residents to stop by and enjoy fun activities.
“It’s such a nice, big building . . . we’re just trying to get people out.”
For more information about activities at the Lac La Biche Heritage Centre, contact the centre at [email protected] or 780-623-8350.
