Warren seniors rock with Motown at the DIA

WARREN — Nearly 50 area seniors gathered for a visit to the Detroit Institute of Arts on May 30 and enjoyed a Motown concert followed by a self-guided tour of the museum. The free event was hosted by the Warren Civic Center Library and sponsored by the DIA.

Gnote7 performed Motown favorites that included “My Girl,” “Get Ready” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” by The Temptations; “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),” by The Four Tops, and the Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell classic “You’re All I Need to Get By.” Smiles radiated from the seniors in the audience as they danced in their seats, nodding and clapping to the rhythm of the music.

“The music was the best, just being there. We thought we were teenagers,” said Susan Mosconi, of Warren. “We would have danced in the aisles if we could have.”

Mosconi had been to the DIA with the library a couple of years ago; however, that was just the museum tour and not a concert. The event was part of the DIA’s Melodies at the Museum program which included concert dates of various musical genres ranging from classical, jazz and blues to, most recently, Motown. The program is designed for seniors 55 and older. However, if someone under 55 is accompanying a senior or is their caregiver, they are welcome to come.

“I haven’t heard Motown in a while,” said Nancy Allen, of Warren. “I had been to DIA many times but never in the auditorium. It is fabulous, just beautiful.”

The original Motown sound evoked nostalgic memories.

“I loved it all. I grew up in Detroit with Motown music, so it brought back a lot of memories,” said Linda Declerk, of Warren, who participates in the library events when she knows about it. “I go to the library for books twice a week. I think our libraries are top notch here in Warren.”

The DIA provided a luxury bus that picked up the majority of the attendees in front of Warren City Hall and drove to the Village of Warren Glenn, a senior living community, and picked up about 15 of the residents.  As the bus pulled up at the DIA, a museum representative had a box of freshly baked cookies, individually wrapped for everyone on the bus. When leaving the museum, bottles of water were distributed to anyone who wanted one.

“This is a really good opportunity to connect, especially seniors, with cultural events that they wouldn’t necessarily be able to do on their own,” said Warren outreach librarian Juliann Novetsky, who organized the trip. “Just because they may not have transportation, or they might be uncomfortable with finding parking and things like that. So I think this really does make a difference that they’re able to enjoy (activities) in the larger community.”

Novetsky, along with branch librarian Lisa Martin, facilitated this event and accompanied the seniors on the trip.

“The feedback from the event was overwhelmingly positive,” Novetsky said. “Pretty much everyone who has gone on the trip, this is our second one, they have always enjoyed it and are usually interested in going on another trip in the future.

“I hope they do it again,” said Mosconi.

For more information about library programs, visit warrenlibrary.net. For senior events at the DIA, visit dia.org/events/seniorsvisits.