The Kerr-Tar Senior Games are now in progress, with more than 70 Granville County “seniors” competing in tournaments from track events to golf. This year’s local competitors range in age from 53 to 83. Winners of each age group will move on to compete in the state games to be held in the fall.
The Kerr-Tar Senior Games are held each year for participants in Granville, Vance, Franklin, Warren and Person counties. The 2019 event kicked off on March 19 with basketball shooting and a SilverStriders Fun Walk at the John Graham Gymnasium in Warren County. On March 22, a shuffleboard contest was held in Person County, with a billiards tournament following at the Vance Senior Center on March 26. The schedule will continue with badminton, croquet and table tennis at Vance County’s Aycock Recreation Complex on March 29 and a golf tournament at the River Golf Course in Franklin County on April 2. Cycling and track events, as well as a football/softball throw and shotput and discus, will be held in Warren County on April 5.
Granville County will host the horseshoe tournament at Hix Field in Oxford on April 9. The public is invited to come out and show support beginning at 9 a.m. Singles, doubles and mixed-double tennis matches will also be held in Granville County this year as the competitions continue.
Pickleball in Warren County on April 12; singles, doubles and mixed bowling hosted by Franklin County (to be held in Raleigh) on April 15 and April 22, corn hole games in Vance County on April 18 and Bocce in Person County on April 26 round out the 2019 schedule.
The SilverArts competition on May 3 will conclude this year’s event at Vance-Granville Community College’s Civic Center, where the arts – music, visual arts, crafts, literature and other cultural endeavors – will be showcased and celebrated. This year’s Awards Ceremony will be held on the same day at the community college.
The Kerr-Tar Senior Games are sanctioned by North Carolina Senior Games, Inc. and were designed to promote healthy activities for residents age 50+ who reside in the five-county area. The goal is to keep the body, mind and spirit filled while enjoying the company of friends, family, spectators and volunteers.
Granville County’s Senior Games Ambassadors for 2019 include Nancy Cardin and Phyllis Russell of Stem and Ellen Jenkins of Oxford. Angela Wright of the Granville County Senior Center, as well as partners Tina Cheek and Jimmy Terry of the City of Oxford’s Parks and Recreation Department, have organized local registration for this year’s event.
Coordinating agencies include Granville County Senior Services, the Franklin County Department of Aging, the Vance County Senior Center, the Person County Council on Aging, the Warren County Senior Center, Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging, the City of Oxford’s Parks and Recreation Department and the Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department.
To learn more about the Kerr-Tar Senior Games, visit www.kerrtarcog.org. For information about the North Carolina Senior Games, visit www.ncseniorgames.org. For details about the National Senior Games, visit www.nsga.com.
On the home page: Granville County was well-represented at the kickoff of the Kerr-Tar Senior Games. Competitions continue through May 3.
Photo 2: Pictured (from left) are Lillie Mitchell, Nancy Wilson, Margaret Parham and Montie Wilson at shuffleboard event on March 22.
