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<p>KINGSTON &#8212; When a visiting magician asked Rich Karlotski to step out of the audience and help with a trick, the 65-year-old Plymouth man obliged &#8212; sashaying up to the makeshift stage, wiggling his derriere and dancing the Macarena until he was rewarded for his efforts with a hat made from napkins.</p><p>His friends at the Kingston Active Adult Center, which celebrated its 45th birthday Thursday with a luncheon and the magic show, laughed and applauded as Karlotski proved he was a good sport.</p><p>He wasn&#8217;t the only one. Various other volunteers &#8212; most of them a little more sedate &#8212; helped local magician Bill Dickson with card tricks, balloon tricks, scarf tricks and even a &#8220;snake&#8221; trick.</p><p>Professional magic shows aren&#8217;t on the schedule every day at the center, but many of the 60 or so people who regularly visit the place say there&#8217;s another kind of magic at work here.</p><p>&#8220;I love the center,&#8221; said Liz Zdancewicz, 84, of Swoyersville. &#8220;You see your friends and even those you don&#8217;t know, you sit and talk with them or eat lunch with them. You meet wonderful people.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I come here every day for lunch, so I don&#8217;t have to eat alone,&#8221; said Betty Lee Frusciante, 84, of Swoyersville, a self-described &#8220;bionic woman&#8221; with an 18-year-old hip on one side and a 4-year-old hip on the other. &#8220;It&#8217;s good to have companionship and social interaction.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;We enjoy life; we&#8217;re not waiting to die,&#8221; Caroline Tavella, 74, of Plains Township said. &#8220;No matter what hits you, keep living and loving.&#8221;</p><p>Research has indicted, center director Sandy Acornley said, that older adults who visit Active Adult Centers for lunch, exercise classes, entertainment and educational programs tend to report better health and life satisfaction than those who do not.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re thrilled that all of you come here,&#8221; one of several visiting dignitaries, Luzerne County Director of Human Services Lynn Hill, told the group before Thursday&#8217;s lunch was served.</p><p>The Kingston Active Adult Center was established in February 1974, back when Luzerne County&#8217;s Active Adult Centers were known as &#8220;senior citizen centers.&#8221; Its first location was the former Kingston Presbyterian Church on Market Street, which is now used as the Wyoming Valley Montessori School. Its next location, as of April 1986, was a building on Wyoming Avenue that is now home to Bonner Chevrolet.</p><p>Since July 2013, the Kingston Active Adult Center has been at 335 Third Ave.</p><p>For more information about the center and its programs, call 570-289-1102 or see luzernecounty.org.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Friends Char Grady, Frances Danna and Elaine Jukukowski react to the magic show by Bill Dickson at the Kingston Active Adult Center on Thursday.  </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_TTL022919ActiveAdults2.jpeg</photo0><caption0>Friends Char Grady, Frances Danna and Elaine Jukukowski react to the magic show by Bill Dickson at the Kingston Active Adult Center on Thursday.  </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_TTL022919ActiveAdults3.jpeg">
<div class="neCaption">Magician Bill Dickson performs a magic trick at the Kingston Adult Center on Thursday afternoon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_TTL022919ActiveAdults3.jpeg</photo1><caption1>Magician Bill Dickson performs a magic trick at the Kingston Adult Center on Thursday afternoon. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_TTL022919ActiveAdults1.jpeg">
<div class="neCaption"> Magician Bill Dickson, left, jokes around with Rich Karlotski, 65, of Plymouth, during a magic show Thursday afternoon at the Kingston Active Adult Center. The show was part of the center&#8217;s 45th birthday celebration. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_TTL022919ActiveAdults1.jpeg</photo2><caption2> Magician Bill Dickson, left, jokes around with Rich Karlotski, 65, of Plymouth, during a magic show Thursday afternoon at the Kingston Active Adult Center. The show was part of the center&#8217;s 45th birthday celebration. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mary Therese Biebel</p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Seniors celebrate Kingston center’s 45th anniversary