At the heart of Blaine's community life, the Mary Ann Young Center is becoming the town's latest social hotspot for senior citizens seeking camaraderie and entertainment. Two recent additions to the center's growing family are Donald Kirksey and Larry Bunko, who have swiftly found their groove at the facility. According to an announcement by the City of Blaine, these gents have become regulars at the venue, reveling in the pleasure of daily lunches, abundant friendships, and performance art.
Donald, calling Blaine home since '73, has become an aficionado of the MAYC Variety Show. A showcase that allowed him to strut his musical chops last spring, where he was no stranger to the limelight with his guitar and vocal chops. What has been even more alluring, however, is the promise of the coming fall variety show, where he plans to serenade yet again. As Donald works to compose new melodies, it is the encouragement of fresh friendships that have spurred him to "perform new songs he is working on now." An organic connection appears to have taken root, one where laughter and lyrics mingle effortlessly over shared experiences.
Larry Bunko brings with him a different kind of melody, the heartbeat of a soldier's camaraderie, ringing true to his Army veteran past. Having served his country, Larry found a different breed of fellowship within the walls of MAYC, his initiation beginning with a fond recommendation for the lunches served. An embodiment of affection, Larry's unique "1-4-3" sign language–indicating "I love you"–has quickly made him a beloved figure amongst his peers, a smile often being the silent echo to his generous gesture.
Their stories are not solitary anthems but part of a chorus that the Mary Ann Young Center keenly orchestrates. Both Donald and Larry affirm the value of the center, where "they both would encourage others to stop by for lunch and register for a program." The verve of the MAYC life is, thus, not just the sum of its parts but rather an intertwined dance of stories, meals, and moments. In this dance, the occasional visitor soon becomes a regular, finding ways to quickly enrich the maypole of memories that constitute the heart of the Mary Ann Young Center in Blaine.
