Residents of The Rockwood Senior Living in Webster Groves enjoyed some exciting Kentucky Derby activities this past weekend.

Activities included decorating wooden horses for our own Derby race, creating their names for those horses and running ten different races.Our Resident, Joan, was the big winner having correctly guessed  five race winners!

Residents then attended a Derby Happy Hour with homemade chili, salad, cheese bread and cheesecake for dessert.  Yum! The television was tuned into the actual Kentucky Derby – boy was it exciting and muddy!

A Kentucky Derby party wouldn’t be complete without a hat contest.  The first place winner was Marty and the second place winner was Alex – Congratulations!

Residents of The Rockwood Senior Living Community in Webster Groves got all dolled up to visit  Sister’s Tea House in Fenton last week.  They loved the tea, the food and the shopping!  What a wonderful place for some fun girl time!

“What  a great group of girls and what a wonderful time we had,” exclaimed one of the Residents. The Director almost sent out a search party because they were gone for so long!  We know how to enjoy life here at The Rockwood Senior Living Community!

What fun we have at The Rockwood Senior Living Community in Webster Groves!

Jason and Randy from Camp Wyman in Eureka brought a host of exciting animals to visit the Residents of The Rockwood. The animals included a leopard gecko, blue tongued skink, a bearded dragon,  hissing cockroaches, a pine snake, a gorgeous  Burmese Python named Saffron, hairless mice, hairless guinea pigs and a cute mini pig!

Saffron, the Python was 10 foot long and weighed 55 pounds!  Isn’t she gorgeous?! See the pictures below of our brave Residents holding her!

Jason was a wealth of knowledge about each animal – it truly was a wonderful experience!  Residents are still talking about the visit and rated this activity among the top three of all time!

To learn more about Camp Wyman, their wonderful animals and invaluable services to teens in the St.Louis area, please visit their website at:     www.experiencewyman.org

The Webster University School of Music students performed a beautiful concert for the Residents of The Rockwood Senior Living Community in Webster Groves.

Students played the piano,  flute, violin and cello.  It was delightful! Most students have been playing for more than 10 years – they sounded professional.

One Resident commented that it was like having members of the St Louis Symphony come and perform for us personally!

We are so lucky to live in such a deeply talented and artistic community of Webster Groves.

Thank you to the students, teachers and parents – it brought alot of joy to hear you perform.  We hope you come back to visit soon.  Best of luck to you as well!

Botanical Gardens Master Gardener Carol Gravens presented a wonderful program called the ” Top Ten Orchids for the Home”.

Carol has a  personal collection of over 200 orchids at home!  (That is impressive, as I have killed as many – no, kidding!) Carol is a retired microbiologist and has been a Master Gardener for the past 12 years and a Master Naturalist for the past 5 years.  Since her retirement, she has also earned a degree in Horticulture!  Good for her! Carol volunteers at the Orchid Show every Thursday and as a Plant Doctor on Fridays.  If you’d like to learn more, visit their website at www.stl.mg.org

The Residents reported that it was one of the top ten informative programs held here at The Rockwood!  We were so excited, we followed up the wonderful program with a trip to the Orchid Show the very next week!!  Some folks were so enthusiastic, they purchased an orchid for their apartment!

Batallion Chief Tom Yohe presented a fun, valuable and  informative presentation on Fire Safety for Seniors at The Rockwood Senior Living Community in Webster Groves.

The power point presentation included a movie demonstrating how quickly fire spreads.  Fires can double in size every 30 seconds! Holy cow that’s fast!  This fact validates the importance of getting out quickly when you hear the alarm, especially for Seniors.

The presentation also taught us that fire can be black – it is not just the smoke.  Chief Yohe stressed the importance of getting low and getting out quickly.

A fun fact we learned is that the firemen of Webster Groves, House 1, still slide down a pole to answer calls! How fun is that?!

We would like to thank Chief Yohe and the Webster Groves Fire Department for all they do and for providing us with this valuable information!  We are blessed to live in such a wonderful and caring community!

The Webster Groves High School boys accapella group, A-Men, performed a special Valentine’s Day concert for the Residents of The Rockwood Senior Living Community in Webster Groves.

The group is led by Math Teacher, Eric Dunn.  Yes, I said Math Teacher, not Music Teacher! The group of talented high school men meets twice a week for the love of singing.  They do not earn any credit for participation – isn’t that wonderful!

“They are amazing – they have such energy and sound professional!” exclaimed more than one Resident.

It is the second annual Valentine’s Day performance for the group here at The Rockwood.  The Executive Director supplies the long stemmed roses for the ladies and boxes of chocolate for the gentlemen delivered by a singing member of the group. “That is my favorite part – seeing the joy on their faces, for both generations.” stated Mary Dalba, the Executive Director of The Rockwood Senior Living Community.

If you would like to see more performances, visit https://www.youtube.com/user/webstergrovesamen

We hope your Valentines’ Day was filled with love and appreciation.

The Rockwood was jumping last Saturday while the Dixie Rhythm Kings performed for the at capacity crowd at The Rockwood Senior Living Community in Webster Groves.

The food was authentic New Orleans style cuisine.  Chef Judy prepared Shrimp Etoufee, Cajun Cole Slaw, New Orleans Cornbread and King Cake (new Resident Jean won the baby and all it’s good luck – see picture below). The food was as beautifully presented as it was delicious to eat!

The entertainment was outstanding!  Bob Lord leads this group of talented performers.  They are a favorite of The Rockwood and have performed here at least twice a year for the past three years! They share their time and talents and are a blessing to everyone lucky enough to hear them perform.  If you would like more information about this amazing group, please visit their website, www.dixierhythmkings.com.

The Rockwood Senior Living Community’s own Resident and Award winning Artist , Ron Isom, gave an incredibly interesting and educational  lecture on the Art of Abstract Expressionism complete with several books, illustrations and samples.

Ron earned his Masters of Arts Degree and taught for 30 years at  the Belleville East High School.  He was the department chair and awarded the Excellence in  Teaching award.  Ron has had his work on exhibit at the St. Louis Art Museum and the Nelson-Atkins Gallery in Kansas City.  Since retirement, Ron has continued his love of art, predominately in digital art.

What a fun lecture – he filled the room!

“We are so lucky to have so many talented and interesting Residents at The Rockwood Senior Community.  We could have each of them educate and entertain us daily!”  exclaimed Mary Dalba, the Executive Director.