The senior citizens at the Polk County Senior Center received quite a surprise during a bingo game on Thursday, March 4.

The game was briefly interrupted and the seniors convened outside to see a sight several people described as “a dream come true.” What they saw was their very own bus pull into the parking lot, a bus that will be used for various excursions.

For the last year or so, the senior center has raised money for the bus by way of pie sales and Friday night dances held once a month. Additional funds were made up of donations from seniors.

John Stevenhagen, director of the center, said that after searching around on the Internet they found the bus from a seller in Gainesville, Fla.

“We made a bid on it, our bid was accepted and we are very happy,” Stevenhagen said. “The main thing was that we needed a bus with a wheelchair lift.”

The bus will be used for trips, which will take place twice a month. Stevenhagen said they mostly go to museums, but they also take shopping trips and a couple of trips a year to Calloway Gardens to see Christmas lights in the winter and blooming flowers in the spring. On occasion, the seniors will visit other senior centers in adjacent counties to have lunch and socialize.

Stevenhagen took the opportunity to thank all of the volunteers and people that made it all possible.

“I would like to thank Brenda Temple, the assistant director, and all of the volunteers that were a big help in making this happen,” Stevenhagen said. “They all pitched in to help with the dances and with making pies.”

“All of these seniors still have a lot of enthusiasm,” Stevenhagen added. “There are four to five people here in their nineties and many people in their eighties, so for them to still have all this enthusiasm is great to see. These are the people that truly made all of this possible.”

Stevenhagen also invited other seniors that may not be aware of the facility to join in the events and activities. The center is located at 605 Lynton Drive, next to Bert Wood Park, and has activities Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.