SENIORS TOUR THE COUNTRY — Members of the Toronto Senior Citizens group have taken many tours throughout the last several years, including this tour of the Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park in Canandaigua, N.Y. Members and non-members interested in joining the group on its outings will have the chance to visit Lancaster, Pa., from May 5-9. -- Contributed

TORONTO — What could be better than taking a trip and visiting a place you never thought you would be able to go to?

What greater feeling could there be than taking a tour of a place which you never thought you would see in reality? A place you could only visit in your dreams?

For members of the Toronto Senior Citizens group, there have been many such trips and tours taken throughout the past several years, trips to destinations some members deemed would be too far away to go, too expensive to stay at or too impossible to even get there.

Yet, through the senior citizen’s group, the impossible somehow becomes possible, and trips are taken approximately two to three times every year, according to Chaplain Arlene Rice-Obertance.

Rice-Obertance explained members and non-members of the group have traveled to various cities throughout the United States, including places such as Dollywood, the Finger Lakes, Amish country and New York.

GOOD TIMES — Arlene Rice-Obertance, chaplain of the Toronto Senior Citizens, is among those who visited the Corning Museum of Glass in New York. The museum is among the many places the seniors have toured. -- Contributed

And there are no plans to stop the tours any time soon.

Club officials announced an upcoming trip has been planned to travel to Lancaster, Pa.

The trip will include watching three shows and touring the Pennsylvania Dutch country.

Karen Kraus serves as the group’s assistant tour guide and Patty Smith, the seniors’ tour guide.

Kraus stated the Toronto Senior Citizens “is a wonderful group to belong to and to travel with.”

“We have a lot of fun times at our meetings and on our trips,” Kraus commented. “It’s a good group for someone who loves to have fun and travel on a day trip or a week trip.”

Kraus said there are approximately 40 or more people who go on the trips, with the group planning one larger trip that lasts for about five days. Another smaller trip with just an overnight stay is planned annually.

“There are several day trips we attend,” Kraus noted, saying her favorite trip was to Dollywood.

“It was fantastic,” she recalled. “We always have a full bus to Lancaster. It is so much fun to hear the laughter and the chatter on the bus. And when you have so many smiling faces when the trip is over and they can’t wait to sign up for the next trip, you know you have done your job.”

Rice-Obertance stated the mini vacation will take place from May 5-9, with participants leaving by way of a Motorcoach on May 5.

Upon arrival, travelers will enjoy “a relaxing dinner” and check-in at their hotel for a four-night stay, she said.

The second day of the trip offers guests a continental breakfast, followed by a tour of the Kitchen Kettle Village.

The village houses a marketplace of various shops and restaurants.

Those on the tour will then stop at the Sights and Sounds Millennium Theater where one of three shows, “Noah,” will be performed. Dinner will follow the performance.

The remainder of the trip will include watching a production of “Jacob’s Choice” at the Amish Experience Theater, and taking a tour of the Amish Country attraction, the Amish Country Homestead.

The homestead is “a reflection of the commitment to accurately and sensitively portray the Old Order Amish as they live and work in today’s world,” tour officials commented.

Officials explained the homestead is the home of the fictional Amish family Daniel and Lizzie Fisher, whom visitors get to know during the trip’s second performance they will see, “Jacob’s Choice.”

Those on the tour will learn Amish traditions and practices, such as wearing plain clothes and living without the use of electricity.

The Fisher one-room schoolhouse is attached to the house, officials noted, saying the building is filled with authentic desks and furnishings from an actual Amish school.

Visitors also will learn about the tradition of teaching eight grades inside one classroom.

For those who love to eat ice cream, there will be a chance to have a Turkey Hill experience, according to Rice-Obertance.

Those who choose to take part in the ice cream experience can create their own flavor, officials said.

Guests will wind up the third day with the third performance on the trip, scheduled to be shown at the Magic and Wonder Theater. Dinner will follow the performance, according to the itinerary.

During the seniors fourth day in Lancaster, a guided tour of Philadelphia will be provided.

Some of the tour’s highlights will include, visiting Independence Hall, a visit to the home of Betsy Ross, the Mint, the Federal Reserve, the Holocaust Memorial, Logan Circle, Penn’s Landing and the steps on which the movie character “Rocky” ran up during his training in the film.

Following the guided tour, free time in the historic district will be available to visit the Liberty Bell and the Independence Visitor Center.

The cost for a double-occupancy room will be $615 for members and $665 for non-members.

A single-occupancy room will be $784 for members and $834 for non-members.

All rates are per person, officials stated, noting checks should be made payable to Toronto Senior Citizens and mailed to: Karen Krause, 113 Rainbow Drive, Wintersville, OH 43953. The final payment is due by March 1.

“We not only have fun,

Kraus said of the group, “but we give to many people who are in need.”

“We give to the Shop with a Cop program, make cookies every year for the policemen, firemen and paramedics and make donations to those in need,” Kraus added. “We try to help when needed.”

Kraus said one of the favorite day trips the group takes is to the Ohio Star Theater in Sugarcreek. She noted a trip has been planned for Aug. 22 to see the Neil Diamond show.

The event will include a buffet dinner at the Dutch Valley restaurant, she added. The cost will be $55 for members and $65 for non-members. The buffet is included in the cost. Those interested can contact Kraus at (740) 264-5817.