Seniors Celebrate the Season with Sinatra and Christmas Carols

The spirit of the season is undeniable this time of the year – the vibe is more upbeat and whether you are a longtime resident, snowbird or a visitor, the list of festive local venues will keep you in the holiday spirit till the end of the year.

For 125 seniors, it was definitely the happiest season of all as they merrily celebrated December Lunch with Friends at the Marco Lutheran Church. Music came courtesy of the Marco Island Center for the Arts and Charlie Blum – a Marco resident and well-known musical and Broadway concert promoter for over 40 years.

Christmas is also about celebrating the spirit of “giving” and Marco Lutheran Church’s Senior Pastor, Tom Boeck, presented Allyson Richards, co-founder of Al’s Pals Mobile Food Pantry, a check for $10,000. According to Allyson, “the storm may be three months past, but many are still left with nothing as they begin to put their life back together. This was an unexpected Hurricane Ian relief to assist with items such as beds, mattresses, transportation, appliances, furniture and diapers.”

Charlie Blum brought a bit of nostalgia in the air with samples from Frank Sinatra’s American classic songs adding his own style and Sinatra flair. The roomful of “boomers” knew the words to the songs well enough to sing along with him. If you all recall, in September, 2021, Charlie had a sold-out Sinatra performance at the old Marco Players Theater. Who can say no to Frank Sinatra’s timeless classic songs, and Charlie will bring Sinatra’s greatest hits back on February 18th at the Jewish Congregation of Marco Island.

Charlie also engaged the audience in an old fashioned sing-along of Christmas favorite tunes. The delicious lunch was courtesy of The Boulevard Restaurant (located at the old Philly Grill) with yummy desserts from the volunteers.

There was no doubt that all the seniors made it on “Santa’s Nice List” – every attendee received a gift-wrapped present from Santa. Amanda Nelson, (Executive Director of Our Daily Bread Food Pantry) and her army of magical helpers have been very busy!