Sunny along with a few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..
Partly cloudy in the evening followed by scattered thunderstorms after midnight. Low 73F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Capital City Activity Center/Meals on Wheels Greater Frankfort Executive Director Marchele Jenkins does the twist during the center's reopening Wednesday. (Linda Younkin | State Journal)
Leslie and Donna Durbin came from Lexington to listen to music and dance at the reopening of the Capital City Activity Center/Meals on Wheels Greater Frankfort Wednesday. (Linda Younkin | State Journal)
Joe and Linda Stewart dance during Wednesday's reopening of the Capital City Activity Center/Meals on Wheels Greater Frankfort. (Linda Younkin | State Journal)
Bonnie Reeves and Ronnie Martin perform during the reopening of the Capital City Activity Center/Meals on Wheels Greater Frankfort Wednesday. (Janna Gibson | Capital City Activity Center/Meals on Wheels Greater Frankfort)
Those all returned to the Capital City Activity Center/Meals on Wheels Greater Frankfort this week as it reopened after being closed for 2½ years.
“There are no words, there really isn’t,” Executive Director Marchele Jenkins said. “It’s bittersweet because you’re expecting to see certain people who were regulars walk through the door, and they’re not going to.”
Capital City Activity Center/Meals on Wheels Greater Frankfort Executive Director Marchele Jenkins does the twist during the center's reopening Wednesday. (Linda Younkin | State Journal)
The center had a soft opening in July, when various groups were allowed into the center on a staggered schedule.
Monday was the official opening day, and on Wednesday Bonnie and Ronnie provided music before and during lunch, which was served in the renovated dining area.
“That first day around 25 people were all together,” Jenkins said. “Everyone was laughing and talking, and some had tears in their eyes. You couldn’t help but be so overwhelmed with happiness that people were able to get together.”
Leslie and Donna Durbin came from Lexington to listen to music and dance at the reopening of the Capital City Activity Center/Meals on Wheels Greater Frankfort Wednesday. (Linda Younkin | State Journal)
The center was closed for 2½ years because of COVID. During that time, the center underwent a renovation.
“The whole premise for construction and remodeling was to keep our folks here in a more safe and a more clean atmosphere,” Jenkins told those attending.
Among those attending were Donna and Leslie Durbin of Lexington, who came to the center to hear the music and dance for the first time in 2½ years.
“We danced for a very long time, but COVID came and that was the end of our dancing,” Donna said.
The Durbins began taking dance lessons after Leslie retired in 2002.
“Over the years we’ve found there’s a lot more dancing in Frankfort than you’ll find in Lexington,” Donna said. “We went to the American Legion for awhile, and then we started going to the VFW. There are so many places in Lexington that still have smoking.
“We used to come to Frankfort to the VFW. That’s where we first heard Bonnie and Ronnie play. I’m so glad to hear them today. We’re happy to be here, to hear music and dance, but we’re rusty. The swing, it has fast music, and we stumbled through that, but the cha-cha was hard to remember.”
“We were fair at one time, but not today,” Leslie said.
But how well people danced wasn’t important Wednesday.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to hear music, to meet people and visit,” Donna said.
Joe and Linda Stewart dance during Wednesday's reopening of the Capital City Activity Center/Meals on Wheels Greater Frankfort. (Linda Younkin | State Journal)
While the center was closed to the public during the pandemic, center employees remained at work, and the center continued to provide meals through delivery and a drive-thru service.
“Our staff was great,” Jenkins said. “Job descriptions were thrown out the window, and everyone did what needed to be done. It took all of us to make this thing work.”
The center delivered the most meals of any center in the Bluegrass Region during the pandemic.
Food is also available through the Helping Hands Food Pantry at the center. The food is available to anyone 18 years old or older and the box has to be reserved by calling the center at 502-223-5794.
The boxes are given on a first call, first served basis and calls are taken every Monday morning. All boxes are usually reserved by sometime Tuesday.
Between 20 and 25 boxes are distributed each week.
The center also has Free Food Friday each week from 8-10 a.m. Food is put on tables outside the center and is available to any Franklin County resident 18 or older. No reservations are needed, and people can just show up on Friday for the food.
Bonnie Reeves and Ronnie Martin perform during the reopening of the Capital City Activity Center/Meals on Wheels Greater Frankfort Wednesday. (Janna Gibson | Capital City Activity Center/Meals on Wheels Greater Frankfort)
The renovations at the center include a commercial kitchen and a new air purification system. Jenkins told the crowd the center received more than $275,000 in grants during the pandemic.
Members are now served their meals at their table restaurant style.
“A lot of them hadn’t seen the work that had been done here,” Jenkins said. “Everyone was so amazed, and they just loved it.”
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