The recent 36th annual picnic at the Saline Senior Center is one of the membership’s largest gatherings of the year, a much-anticipated event for the more than 100 members that arrive at the center for food, laughter and lasting friendships.

“It’s an annual event that the seniors get excited about,” said Brian Marl, the Saline City Council representative to the Saline Area Senior Council Board.

Millie Mills of Saline she said attends the picnic every year.

“It’s a very nice thing,” she said, and brings together more people at the center than any other time during the year.

“This is a great facility for people to get together,” said Saline Mayor Gretchen Driskell, “And a great partnership between the city and the schools.”

The city’s CARE millage supports the center, said Mary Hess, a former member of the senior center board.

The seniors played bingo. They laughed. They ate hot dogs and hamburgers cooked by volunteers from the Saline American Legion and chatted over patriotic centerpieces. Then they ate sundaes created by Heartland of Ann Arbor.

Some even danced to the music of Steve Takas, who played the accordion for the event's entertainment.

Donald Wagner of Saline said he and his wife attended the event because “they feed us today” — a lunch of grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, watermelon and baked beans. But what he was really looking forward to was an upcoming day trip to a Detroit Tigers game.

Betty Wagner, his wife of 64 years, said the annual picnic was a time for old friends to get together and rekindle friendships.

“We’re a matched pair,” she said of time spent with her husband. “We do everything together,” including attending the baseball game.

Members said the senior center is not only a place they can go to be around other people, but it also offers programs about finances, exercise, health, activities and travel opportunities.

And for other seniors who have lost their spouses, the center serves as a refuge, a chance to get out of the house to play bingo or cards or learn new skills.

“If you’re a stranger and a senior, come here, everyone’ a friend,” said Nancy Adair of Saline, who enjoys playing cards at the center.

Mary Jane Prichard of Milan agreed: “We all play bingo and go on trips.”

“This is a great place, a tremendous asset to the community with all the services for people who use it,” said Saline City Manager Todd Campbell, who has frequented a number of them throughout the state. “It’s very nice, a high quality facility; one of the best I’ve seen.”

Naomi Woods said what she enjoys most about the senior center was that it’s “multigenerational — there’s a good age spectrum.”

And that was evident at the annual picnic that drew volunteers ranging in age from teenagers to seniors.

Ashleigh Dudrick, an Honor Society member from Saline High School helped serve the more than 100 meals, while SueAnne DeGrand, a retired Saline High School culinary arts teacher, got involved in the program to give back to the community.

Another kitchen volunteer was Kyle Mulder, who received a scholarship from the senior center to attend Eastern Michigan University, said he enjoys volunteering to give back to the center and the seniors.

The center seems to be fulfilling its mission to “enrich the lives of our area senior citizens through educational programs, nutritional luncheons, social activities and many other beneficial services.”

Lisa Allmendinger is a regional reporter for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at lisaallmendinger@annarbor.com. For more Saline stories, visit our Saline page.