‘Come and have a good time’ at free-membership Plum Community Center

With his Fender Stratocaster strapped to his shoulder and plugged into his amplifier, Dennis Cunningham is carrying on a tuneful tradition.

“Plum Community Center has had volunteers playing music with guitars and singing for 20 years,” he said. “It started with older guys. They retired.”

Apparently, the founders of the center’s Music Activity Group finally stepped away when they were well into their 90s.

These days, Cunningham is joined by Sandy Kaminski and Larry Lake, fellow members of his band Country Expressions, to lead the group at 12:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.

“It’s open for people to come up and play music with us,” Cunningham said, and the objective is to have a good time doing so.

That goes for everything the center has to offer, according to executive director Karen Hochberg, perhaps especially during May, which is recognized nationally as Older Americans Month.

“The theme is Age My Way, and that’s our goal here,” she said. “This is a healthy active living center. This isn’t a place where people sit and are stationary. They’re engaged in activities and learning opportunities.”

And they’re having lunch on weekdays, thanks to Allegheny County giving the green light at the start of the month for the community center to resume serving midday meals, representing another step in the road back from covid. The building at 499 Center New Texas Road had been closed for nearly a year and a half prior to being able to reopen in July.

Improvements took place in the interim.

“During covid, we remodeled the entryway. Our Silver Sneakers class has new flooring,” Hochberg said. “We also did some renovations to the building that make it much more open, clean and fun to be in.”

Outside, building owner Plum Borough provided money for the expansion of a patio area that adds to the overall appeal of the venue beyond its everyday functions on behalf of senior citizens.

“This is a great place to rent to have a party,” Hochberg said. “We rent on Saturdays and Sundays, which helps us with our fundraising.”

She acknowledged the county as the primary source for the center’s funding, and the borough provides the space rent-free while also granting a stipend toward various necessities.

Along with activities, the center offers guidance from knowledgeable staff members and volunteers.

“If you’re a senior looking for services to stay in your home or other things that you need, we can refer you to the proper services. If you’re looking to help a family member tap into county human services, we provide that,” Hochberg said. “If they need to schedule time after work to come talk to us, we will do that. We can make arrangements.”

The center also is collaborating with other local organizations, she reported, such as joining with Plum Borough Community Library for a Summer Solstice celebration on June 21.

“It’s going to be an intergenerational event,” she said. “The library will lead storytime with kids. We’re going to provide a barbecue dinner. There’s going to be games, entertainment, raffles, and it will end with an experiential music event for families.”

As is the case with the library, Plum Community Center has no membership fee, and staff members are happy to help those who are interested fill out paperwork and show everything the building has to offer.

“One day a week, come and have a good time. Come have a lunch, or come plug in and have a conversation with somebody,” Hochberg said. “People need to realize that we need to make friends through the many seasons of our lives. And this is a place where you can do that.”

For more information, call 412-795-2330 or visit www.plumcommunitycenter.com for a list of services offered and schedule of activities.