Nearly 200 seniors attended the grand opening of the drop-in center at Scarborough Downs Thursday to enjoy a buffet lunch and a performance by Jose Duddy.

The center, which is open to all seniors, will be open on Monday and Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., but the hours and days could change depending on interest.

The space allows seniors to simply stop by and do whatever they would like, something that many have been looking for for a long time, said Marty Craine, of Scarborough.

The drop-in center is located at the Winner’s Circle room at Scarborough Downs, which had been made a bit homier with the addition of lounge chairs, a television, and some end tables. Scarborough Downs also has offered the seniors some drinks and light refreshments during the drop-in center’s hours of operation.

“They really have bent over backwards to put this together,” Craine said.

Not nearly as many people turned out for the center’s second day. On Monday morning, a handful of seniors visited and spent the morning playing cards and talking about town politics and other issues affecting their lives.

The seniors could not exactly say what they would be doing otherwise. They said it probably would not be spending time with other seniors.

“I’d be sitting in my chair looking out my window,” said Scarborough resident Marguerite Nelson.

The opportunity to visit the drop-in center and visit with friends, drink coffee or just talk with others is the center’s best aspect, the seniors said. It also provides seniors, many of whom live alone, the chance to get out of their home.

While Monday’s turnout was a bit low, those present said interest would only increase as the word gets out about the center. Craine said he hoped the space would become popular and the times and days would be expanded to accommodate the increased interest.

Scarborough Downs agreed to open its doors to give seniors a meeting space following a defeat of a $1.2 million senior center bond during November’s elections. The bond would have allowed the town to build a center at Memorial Park.

The defeat is still fresh in some seniors minds, and they remain upset with the vote, which they said led them to think that most Scarborough residents feel seniors were not worthy of additional town money.

“It’s too bad we couldn’t get a place, but we enjoy this,” Nelson said.

Scarborough Downs can only provide the space until the end of March when the horseracing season begins. Craine said seniors are now searching for another place to reopen the drop-in center.

The seniors also have requested a larger senior activity budget for next year’s town budget, with some money to rent a space for a drop-in center, Craine said.

Frances Smith, of Scarborough, Rocky Gedaro, of South Portland, and Olive Beckett, of Scarborough, drinking coffee during the grand opening of the senior drop-in center at Scarborough Downs on Thursday.