BIDDEFORD — When they met five years ago on a Biddeford Fifty Plus Club Mystery Tour to a local restaurant, it had been several years since both Frank and Gaetane had lost their respective spouses. That trip changed their lives. Soon they began dating, and now Frank and Gaetane DeFrancesco are happily married.
Even though the $10 annual membership to join the Fifty Plus Club, sponsored by the Biddeford Recreation Department, doesn’t guarantee finding a new love for members, those interviewed at the club’s open house on Thursday said attending club events is a great way to meet people and a lot of fun.
BJ Johnson of Old Orchard Beach said she joined the club two years ago after hearing about it from friends. Biddeford residency is not a membership requirement.
There are many reasons why she likes being a member, said Johnson.
“The cost is reasonable,” she said, “there’s an incredible variety of things to do, you get to meet a lot of people, there’s always something new and different, and it’s a lot of fun.”
Irene Rancourt of Lyman also joined the Fifty Plus Club two years ago. She said she enjoys going on day trips with the club and getting out of the house.
However, the main benefit she said she gets from her membership is that “it’s good for the health. Mentally, as I grow older, it’s good to meet people.”
Meeting people is one reason Jack McManus of Old Orchard Beach said he’s considering joining. He said he recently moved to the area from Massachusetts after he retired and was looking for a way to make new friends.
Socializing is one of the main purposes of the club, said Debbie Lizotte, who bubbles over with enthusiasm when talking about the Fifty Plus Club she directs.
The club started about 40 years ago, said Lizotte, when a former mayor purchased a coffee pot so some of Biddeford’s senior citizens could get together and talk over coffee.
When Lizotte was hired as the director seven years ago, she said the club had already moved into the Ross Center, located at the J. Richard Martin Community Center on Alfred Street.
At that time it had bare walls and sparse furnishings.
Now the walls are painted ”“ one room even has a mural ”“ and on Thursday, Lizotte was showing off refurbished chairs. All the renovations were completed using the annual fees from members.
When Lizotte took over there were 100 members. Since then, membership has grown 10 fold; there are now more than 1,000 members.
“I touch mind, body and soul,” said Lizotte about how she programs for the club. “My job is to create fun and do healthy things for people over 50.”
This winter she is publicizing the exercise opportunities the club has to offer. Members can take fitness classes, yoga, line dancing or even use the Wii fitness system. They can also walk inside at the community center’s gym on weekday mornings.
Ian and June Stewart of Biddeford said they joined the club a year ago primarily to walk. They moved to the city from Massachusetts about 10 years ago when they retired.
June Stewart said she and her husband have also been to some of the monthly meetings, which are held at different area restaurants. Included in the price is a meal and entertainment, which can range from music to magicians to comedians.
She said she and her husband enjoy going to the meetings and visiting with new friends they’ve made at the club since they don’t have family in the area.
The monthly meetings have become so large, said Lizotte, with up to 200 hundred attending, “I can’t find places big enough to hold us.”
In addition to the regular meetings and exercise classes, the club also holds classes on computers and bridge lessons, among other topics.
Reasonably-priced trips are another popular offering.
In addition to monthly bingo trips, in April there will be a trip to Angelica’s Restaurant in Massachusetts, a trip in May to the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut and in September there is a trans-Atlantic cruise to Europe, to name just a few.
The Fifty Plus Club, said Lizotte, “is just a real happening place.”
For more information about the Fifty Plus Club in Biddeford, contact Debbie Lizotte by telephone at 282-5005, by e-mail at dlizotte@biddefordmaine.org, or visit the Web site at www.biddefordmaine.org.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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