A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Sunnyside residents and volunteers wait to order ice cream at the Warming House Thursday afternoon while owner Dan Lundquist greets everyone and keeps things running smoothly. The police stopped traffic on Highway 33 to allow the group of more than 50 people to cross.
Sunnyside Health Care Center nursing assistant Michelle Fetters (left), enjoys an ice cream cone while Petra Allmang, 78, eats her strawberry ice cream with a spoon during the care home's annual trip to the Warming House.
Wheelchairs replaced chairs, which were lined up outside the restaurant.
If the opening of Gordy's Hi-Hat is a sign of spring, then the annual Sunnyside trip to the Warming House for ice cream is an indication that summer is winding down.
Sunnyside Health Care Center staff, along with volunteers and resident family members mostly wheeled 26 residents down the hill from the nursing home at Community Memorial Hospital to the beloved coffee shop and ice cream joint.
Sunnyside director of engagement Toni Hubbell said the group made it door-to-door in a record time of 5-7 minutes, versus the usual 20 minutes.
"It takes an army," Hubbell said of the annual event. "The residents really look forward to it - the buzz has been going on for the last week. It's a tradition now."
