A Sure Bet For Fun When This Group Of Adventurous South Hill Seniors Goes Casino Gambling, They Can’t Lose
The van is waiting, coughing out great billows of white exhaust in an attempt to warm up.
The three women who just piled in from the falling snow outside are equally cold.
“My behind’s freezing,” says one, setting off a fit of giggles.
The trio on board - Marion Periano, Marie Vercic and Florence Bobiak - are ready to hit the slots. They’re part of a group of South Hill Senior Center members making a trip to Stevens County’s answer to Las Vegas: the Two Rivers Casino.
This is just one of the many trips and tours the center offers its seniors on an at-least-weekly basis. They visit the Cheney Cowles Museum, they dog sled, they join the Mariners for spring training in Sedona. It’s enough to keep any senior on his or her toes, which is the point of it all.
According to director Myrna Johnson-Ross, the center is a way to enrich the lives of seniors.
“All people need to be stimulated culturally and be exposed to lots of different facets of the community,” she said. “But it becomes especially important as they lose their partners and lifelong friends.”
The trips give them a chance to develop new friendships while having a little fun, she said.
“They’re out to squeeze as much life as they can out of their golden years,” says Greg Kitley, the center’s tour and travel manager.
Greg pulls the van out of the center’s parking lot, skidding onto Mount Vernon Street. A brief stop at Cascade Mobile Home Community fills the 12-seater, and they’re on their way.
This is the smallest group ever to make the trip, says Greg. They filled three buses this summer, causing the center to bump the popular trip up to a monthly event.
A mixture of the bustle of Christmas season and the dismally icy weather kept many folks home today.
But those who made it on board are ready to go.
“Are we feeling lucky today?” booms a voice from the back of the van.
Everyone agrees they are, indeed, feeling lucky.
But it’s apparent, motoring down U.S. Highway 2, the day isn’t really about gambling at all.
They exchange jokes and foil-wrapped toffee. They chat about the cost of buying grandkids decent Christmas gifts in this day and age.
“It’s a day out for us, and somebody else is driving,” says Florence. “And you don’t have to worry about anything else.”
“The trip is really about the actual trip,” says Greg. “They enjoy the ride and the company.”
Especially this time of year.
Florence spent the day before baking Christmas cookies. It got her thinking about how her own mom would make dozens of holiday goodies.
“It got me kind of melancholy,” she says. “It’s so much better for me to be out doing things.”
Greg, who leads the center’s tours, fills the journey with geological and historical tidbits.
Wildlife is usually another big part of the Two Rivers trip, but today’s spottings are limited to plastic deer in the front yards of Reardan, Wash.
The group is slightly disappointed.
“Well, that’s a shame,” laments Marie. She looks forward to the coyotes and deer en route to the casino.
She comes on this trip every few months and fills her days with clubs, lunches and classes through the center.
“My husband will be gone a year on the 20th,” she says.
“That’s why we’re keeping her busy,” says Florence, patting Marie’s arm.
The vast majority of the center’s members are widowed, said Johnson-Ross said. They’re seniors who used to be independent, who were able to drive and had a spouse to take trips with.
The South Hill Senior Center is in the business of creating memories.
“They probably don’t feel like going on a trip alone,” Johnson-Ross. “We want them to hold some really good memories. Sometimes that is really the only thing that keeps you going.”
The van rolls on from Davenport down hilly Highway 25, landing in the casino’s parking lot before noon.
When the group disembarks, an employee is waiting to hand out blue cloth bags filled with coupons, cards and other assorted items to entice people to - why not? - part with a few more bucks.
The South Hill group has squeezed in before the midday rush and lines up at the cash cage to stock plastic cups with rolls of coins - a few quarters, but mostly nickels.
“We’re here to have a good time,” says Florence. “That’s all.”
The three take their places and spend the next few hours in front of the flashing machines.
By early afternoon, the Nickel Cove is jam-packed with seniors from Spokane to Penticton, British Columbia.
When it gets too crowded to comfortably pull the slot arm, “the girls,” as they call each other, break for lunch. They order chili dogs and fries in the cafeteria - where the last items on the menu are Rolaids and Tums - and compare winnings.
Marie’s down a few dollars. Marion is the big winner, having cleaned up 1,600 nickels.
Florence is breaking about even, but that’s fine with her.
“We’re just having fun,” Florence repeats with a wave of her hand.
By 2:30, the group is ready to go. An informal survey shows more than half are heading home with wallets at least marginally thicker than when they arrived.
A day at the casino is hard work. The van is much quieter on the return trip until Greg spots wild turkeys - dozens of them - scavenging near a roadside church.
The passengers ooh and aah, craning their necks to catch a glimpse.
“Well, that’s nice,” says Marie, leaning back contentedly. “That’s very nice.”
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Photos (1 color)