Seniors flocking to Clinton Township speed-dating events

By Heidi Roman
C & G Staff Writer

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — It’s a feeling most singles know all too well. Sweaty palms, a fluttery stomach, self-awareness — typical first-date jitters. Everyone experiences it at some point or another, even the 55 and older crowd.

“It’s hard,” said Marsha, a 59-year-old Warren woman, of the dating scene. “I don’t go to bars, and I’ve been to singles dances and didn’t like that.”

She was a nervous wreck when she arrived at the Clinton Township Senior Adult Life Center’s speed-dating event, but she knew sitting down for a short chat would be a better way to meet people.

“I found out the men were just as nervous as (the women) were, and I think that kind of broke the ice,” said Marsha, who is divorced. “I had a great time.”

The township’s senior center is playing matchmaker to singles like Marsha in a new program that’s quickly gaining popularity. Program coordinator Donna Tinker has initiated a speed-dating program that allows seniors to spend an evening quickly meeting 20 singles of the opposite sex to see if they click.

The center held a trial session in June to work some kinks out, and by the second event July 24, there was a line of people waiting to sign up.

“The response has been great,” Tinker said. “It’s been really exciting.”

Tinker saw a video of a similar program at a Florida senior housing complex on the Web site YouTube and was intrigued. She decided to go for it, but wasn’t sure what sort of response she’d get in the Clinton Township area.

Thirty-five men and 35 women showed up for the first session. In July, she decided to narrow it down to 20 of each sex to make it more manageable. There’s already a waiting list for the August event, Tinker said, though it’s tougher to get men to sign up than it is women.

“People are loving it,” she said. “I know there were a few couples that hung around afterwards.”

At the speed-dating event, the center sets up card tables and sits one man across from one woman. Each is armed with a short pamphlet explaining how the event works, and even a few icebreakers and suggested conversation topics, in case they get stuck.

“We give them about four minutes to chat and get to know each other,” Tinker said.

At the 30-second mark, participants get a warning so that if they want to exchange phone numbers or plan another meeting, they can do so. After the bell rings, the men get up and move to the next table. The rotation continues until every man and woman has met.

“Then we welcome them to stay and reconnect with someone who might have caught their eye,” Tinker said. The events are scheduled on the same evening as the center’s monthly dances, so pairs who hit it off can linger there.

“You get a little vibe from it, and maybe talk to the person later,” said Marsha, who met a 71-year-old man at one of the events.

“We went on a few dates and had a nice time, but it just didn’t work out,” she said. Now she’s getting to know another man she met at the event.

The first 20 men and women age 55 and older to sign up and pre-pay the $10 registration fee will be chosen for the monthly events. The events will be held on the fourth Thursday of each month from 6-8:30 p.m. Participants do not need to live in Clinton Township or hold membership to the senior center.

For more information about the speed-dating program or to sign up, call (586) 286-9333 or stop in the senior center at 40730 Romeo Plank Road, on the Civic Center campus.

You can reach Staff Writer Heidi Roman at hroman@candgnews.com or at (586) 218-5006.