By J.R. Tidwell / Editor

Senior Connection in Clanton will soon be hosting a pair of events.

The first is a loaded baked potato bar fundraiser on May 23.

“That is always a big fundraiser for us,” said Senior Connection Director Vanessa McKinney. “It will be a nice, large baked potato with all the trimmings. We will have cheese, chili, pepper and onions — all the things you would like to put on there.”

Members of Senior Connection will be doing the cooking in house. Tickets are $7 per person, and the sale will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“The senior ladies are making homemade desserts, and that comes as well with your drink and baked potato. All for $7; you can’t beat it,” McKinney said.

Members of Senior Connection go on trips each month that require a bus for transportation. McKinney said the organization is trying to save enough money to purchase its own vehicle to make going on these outings easier.

“We are constantly raising money for that bus we are talking about,” she said. “We do have around $27,000 we have raised so far. [The baked potato bar] will probably make $700-$800. Our jewelry sale made $1,200. Every bit of that keeps our activities going, but we try to put $1,000 a month in the savings fund for the bus. That’s why we have to keep doing what we’re doing. Plus, we offer things to the community as well.

“We use Chilton County Transit for all of our trips, near and far. That will only hold 13 passengers per bus, so a lot of times we might have 36 people want to go, so some people get left out. We try to get as many to go as we can. The bus we are looking at will hold 36 passengers. That will be wonderful when we can get there.”

One day later on May 24, Senior Connection will be hosting an American Red Cross blood drive.

The event will last from noon to 5 p.m.

“Basically, we were just asked by the Red Cross [to host it],” McKinney said. “We wanted to help out any way we could. In the past, we have done it in the other areas we have been in. We are just the venue. They can set up their beds back here, so [donors] don’t have to go in a blood mobile. We have the privacy area that we can put the walls up. We love to give back to the community any way we can. We are not set up to give back monetarily in a lot of ways, but we like to give back what we can.”

The group was set to host a political forum organized by the Chilton County Chamber of Commerce on May 29, but that event has been canceled by the Chamber due to the number of similar events already held in the county.

Senior Connection is located at 304 Park Plaza.