Quote:
Originally Posted by Graspher
A few friends from outside TV asked me about non-typical retirement life activities available in our community.
I've only been here for 3 years so my list may be a bit short. I came up with softball, beach volleyball, dragon boats and pickleball.
Are there other active based non-traditional activities going on within TV?
Exclude...golf, bowling, social clubs, cards, board games, shuffleboard etc.
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I started playing guitar when I was about thirteen, and I wanted to be a rock star. Here in The Villages, I no longer want to be a rock star, but I play mandolin and dobro in three bluegrass jams every week, and I’ve played in as many as nine jams a week. The opportunity for mediocre to talented amateurs (and even retired professionals) to play in so many jams is unusual and fills me with delight. To my surprise, dozens of people come to listen to us play, too. I’ve pretty much given up most of my original plans of what I would do here in order to play music. There are even jams where those who barely know three chords can sit in a big circle of players and have a great time (playing ukuleles, for example). The folk music jam draws a huge number of both players (mostly guitar players, but others are welcome) and audience (many of whom also bring instruments and play along!). Nearly everyone also sings these folk songs at the top of their lungs. Loud singing like that leads the brain to produce dopamine, which gives a feeling of well-being and makes people smile, laugh, and like each other. It’s really a terrific sort of therapy. Imagine a hundred people shouting out “Puff the Magic Dragon.” I believe there are ukulele jams at three levels. I think there are dulcimer jams at two levels. Both are easy instruments to get started on. If you want to know more about what is available, go to the top of this page, click on Entertainment, scroll down to Clubs, and type in Music in the Search box. That will get you most of them. Some are meant more for retired music teachers and such and not open to the rest of us (the big band jazz band that is mostly horns or the Dixieland band), and some are advanced (such as Beatlemaniacs, or the Advanced Acoustic Guitar jam that plays mostly Sinatra-type songs on acoustic guitar with jazz chords). There’s even a harmonica group led by one of the best players in the country. There are a couple orchestras, I think. What I don’t see listed are string quartets. Perhaps they exist but meet in people’s homes. There are also drum circles and people (mostly women) who beat on big rubber exercise balls with sticks in time with recorded music.