Especially after COVID, something like this is just so important for people, really just getting the socialization back.”

Robert Halberg, the new director of the Senior Center

In the Tilden Garden, to the sounds of A Wonderful World, volunteers, board members and over 100 participants of the Hastings Senior Center gathered for the annual picnic, all under the supervision of Robert Halberg, the new director of the Senior Center.
“Really, all my volunteers kind of ran the show and got everything put together,” said Halberg as he served burgers, brats and pasta salad. The food was cooked by the Hastings Lions club with help setting up the tables and chairs from Our Saviors Lutheran Church middle school youth group.
While the event has existed in some form or another for at least the last decade, after the COVID-19 Pandemic it means more to continue traditions of gathering. “Especially after COVID, something like this is just so important for people, really just getting the socialization back,” said Halberg.
The Hastings Senior Center hosts a wide swath of events and clubs from poker tournaments to monthly movies to clubs from Euchre, Hand and Foot, Bridge, Cribbage and more. The senior center plans trips from the Chanhassen Dinner theater to Treasure Island to further trips like to the Apostle Islands. The center also partners heavily with community education for events and programming. “We think of Tilden Community Center just as everyone’s building,” said Halberg.
One of the lasting events from the pandemic has been drive-by meals. During the pandemic the center began the practice as a way to stay connected to its members while obeying distancing protocols. The utility of meeting members in their homes to deliver meals extends far beyond social distancing and the practice has flourished since with no sign of slowing down: “Rain or shine, snow or wind, they’re gonna be coming up, and we’ll be standing out there handing out meals,” said Halberg.
Still part of District 200, Tilden Community Center offers experiences from pre-school to youth enrichment and recreation to adult classes to senior center programming. That interplay between ages has always been important to Halberg and he cites it as a keystone of the community’s tight-knit nature.
Because of the Tilden’s involvement in District 200, district officials including school board members were invited to the event. “Any opportunity to bring the community together in a positive manner is fantastic,” said School Board Chair Carrie Tate at the event.
In addition to playing host to events and clubs, the Senior Center even dabbles in healthcare. Toe and foot care in specific is not only a difficult area to find availability for in nearby clinics, but can often not be covered by insurance. Here members step up to provide care: “We have some retired nurses that have kept their licenses up and they provide the foot care for seniors,” said Halberg.
Under Halberg’s new tenure, for the picnic and for programming beyond, one thing is clear: “I’m not arrogant enough to change it,” said Halberg. The vibrant community stewarded by former director Laurie Thrush has grown even during difficult times like the pandemic. Halberg credits the large population of volunteers at the picnic and throughout the center’s programming as a testament to the community: “Its truly their house. They take so much pride in this facility and all the programs that we run, and they really, truly, run everything,” joking that he only really gets involved when someone needs a copy of something.