Maureen Bennett, knows better than to cancel the weekly Thursday morning bocci game at Ansonia’s Joseph A. Doyle Senior Center.
Bennett, the center’s director, canceled a game last summer on a hot day — to the dismay of regulars there.
So Thursday, with temperatures expected to reach into the upper 90s, it was no surprise to Bennett that about a dozen seniors lined up in front of the senior center to play bocci.
“We don’t cancel bocci for the heat,” said senior center member Matt Milardo, 80, of Ansonia. “We got a courageous group of people here.”
Around the state, people braced for the heat, which had reached about 90 degrees by 1:30 p.m.
Shelton elementary schools had dismissed early because of the heat, but it otherwise had minimal effect on the Valley.
There are no cooling centers open in the Valley, but other cities and towns in the state had opened centers Thursday.
Valley emergency responders said that they hadn’t seen an increased number of calls related to the heat.
“We have nothing heat related, which is a good thing,” said Oxford Ambulance Executive Director Jerome “Jerry” Schwab.
At the Senior Center in Ansonia, the heat didn’t seem to bother some members.
Clara Palumbo, 67, of Ansonia, said she doesn’t come to the senior center for the air conditioning: she’s got that at home.
She comes to socialize.
“There’s no better way to stay cool than to be with your friends,” she said.
Mary Peterson said she can’t afford air conditioning at home with increased energy costs. But it’s OK, she said.
“I don’t feel the heat the way some people do,” Peterson said.
Not everyone could stand the heat, though.
Gilbert Simpson, 87, of Ansonia, sat in the large central room talking with his friend Bill Bishop, 72, and keeping cool in the center’s air conditioned rooms.
Simpson’s advice for staying cool?
“Stay the hell out of the heat,” Simpson said.
OTHER TIPS
The Center for Disease Control has these other tips for preventing heat-related illnesses:
- If you don’t have air conditioning, stay on the lowest floor of your home, or go to a shopping mall or library.
- Drink two glasses of cool liquids every hour.
- If you go outside, wear lightweight and light-colored clothing to reflect the suns rays.
- Taking a cool shower or bath, or moving to an air-conditioned place is a much better way to cool off than sitting in front of a fan.
