Social calendars fill quickly at active communities

Bob Giles and his wife, Sally, moved to Grand Dominion, Del Webb's active adult community in Mundelein, in late 2007 and Giles said that he still gets up every morning and proclaims how much he loves living there.

"It is like living in a resort and we just love it," the 69-year-old retired plastic products company owner said.

Calling Grand Dominion a "playground for the young-at-heart," Giles enthusiastically ticked off all of the activities in which he and Sally are involved. He is an antique muscle car enthusiast, so he started and continues to chair Grand Dominion's annual antique car show held in August. Sally plays multiple card games, including bridge and panguingue, or pan for short.

Both of them play bocce, canasta and ride bicycles and they take advantage of the equipment in the workout room daily. Twice a week their grandchildren visit to swim with them in the indoor or outdoor pool, depending on the season.

And both Bob and Sally are members of the Grand Dominion Ambassadors Club, which welcomes newcomers and talks to prospective residents.

The couple also frequently takes bus and train trips to Chicago and Milwaukee area destinations and events.

"The people we have met at Grand Dominion are as friendly as can be and physically, they are much younger than their years would suggest - because they continue to be active," Bob emphasized.

"For instance, members of the bike club here ride 25 to 30 miles per trip, taking the nearby forest preserve trails," he said.

Bob and Sally are not unusual among the residents of Grand Dominion and other Del Webb communities like Sun City Huntley, Edgewater in Elgin and Shorewood Glen in Shorewood, according to Tracy Citrano, lifestyle director for Grand Dominion.

"This is a very social and active community," Citrano said. "For instance, we had 175 people attend our Cinco de Mayo catered dinner in early May and our weekly Ravinia-style lake concert series held each Friday in July is extremely popular."

They also have between 30 and 35 clubs for those interested in a wide range of activities, such as cards, board games, tennis, pickle ball, bocce to golf (at area clubs).

"The clubs form the basis for our social network," Citrano said. "We have 120 people in the bocce club alone.

"Activities are the basis for keeping your mind and body active and healthy as you get older," she continued.

So Citrano makes sure the community offers ongoing activities for residents, like painting and watercolor classes, jewelry and mosaic-making classes, as well as special events like day trips to theaters, museums and sightseeing boats; and on-site seminars and lectures on everything from health and wellness to a mini police academy.

And to ensure that everyone knows what is available on a given day, Grand Dominion has a private community Web site residents can access to keep in touch with the clubs, classes, seminars, trips and other activities that are on the docket for the day or a certain week.

Carillon in Naperville is an active-adult community built by Cambridge Homes. Eventually it will feature 935 homes, but currently only 180 residents call it home.

Nevertheless, Carla Rigoni is hard at work as the community's activities director, planning everything from Friday social hours to water aerobics and ceramics classes. She also plans occasional trips to the theater and theme parties like the recent pool opening party held over Memorial Day weekend.

Carillon features tennis courts, bocce courts, horseshoe pits, a three-hole golf course, garden plots for growing vegetables and flowers, and a tot lot playground for grandchildren to enjoy when they visit. There is also an 18,000-square-foot clubhouse with card rooms and a ballroom, as well as both indoor and outdoor pools. Extensive walking paths also run through landscaped open space, natural conservation areas and along sparkling lakes.

"People need to stay active socially and physically if they want to enjoy longevity of life," Rigoni said.

Cambridge also offers the Carillon 55-plus community within its Cambridge Lakes community in Pingree Grove.

Steeplechase in Oswego is another active-adult community, built by Town and Country Homes. It is designed to be an intimate residential setting with a maximum of only 212 homes when it is totally built out.

The community currently has 350 people living in it and Beth Lints is their activity director.

"We feel that a full slate of activities is very important in a 55-plus community, especially one that is as small and tight-knit as ours," Lints said. "It is through activities that residents get acclimated and meet their neighbors."

About 20 percent of Steeplechase's residents are still working, so events like monthly socials and theme parties - like a recent Kentucky Derby party, the summer luau, a Murder Mystery party and annual Christmas parties - have been particularly popular, Lints said.

Steeplechase features a clubhouse with card rooms and a fitness center, as well as an outdoor pool where residents enjoy gathering for drinks and hors d'oeuvres most summer afternoons, she said.

"We also have a book club and clubs for games like pinochle and canasta," Lints said.

Scrapbooking and a writer's club where members write about a different topic in advance of each meeting have proven especially popular, as has "Chick Flick Movie Night."

A monthly singalong karaoke night also draws a big audience, Lints said.