By Joel Keller
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

When Bill Sperry moved to Cedar Crest four and a half years ago, he was looking for someone to climb rocks and dance with. Nancy Spak wasn’t necessarily looking for a soul mate. But when she moved here four years ago and joined the Amblers and Scramblers hiking group, she and Sperry hit it off.

“Our days revolved around setting up hikes, and he would always say, ‘Let’s go, I gotta check out this hike,’” she says. “And then he’d say, ‘We’re eating out … pack a lunch.’ And we’d eat on the trail. So that was his idea of a date.” They’ve been a couple for more than three years.

Ways to meet people
They’re not the only ones who have found a new companion since moving to Cedar Crest. The retirement community in Pompton Plains gives single residents and couples many opportunities to meet new people, from a full slate of clubs and activities to happy hours and dance socials.

Some of those companions fall in love. But, according o Kristin DiFidi, Cedar Crest’s community services manager, people—whether single or not—are simply looking for a connection. “It’s about having someone to eat dinner with, someone to go to the movies with,” she says.

To that end, there are more than 150 activities and groups that allow people of like interests to spend time with each other. If you’re interested in rock climbing, woodworking, going to the movies, or just about anything else, you’ll find someone who enjoys doing it along with you.

“It really is through the clubs and activities we have” that people have the most opportunities to meet each other, says DiFidi. But Cedar Crest also holds dance socials, including a Valentine’s Day Leap Year social, which will be held on February 22 at the conference room in Woodland Commons (it was supposed to be held on Feb. 29, but there was a scheduling conflict). “Leap year is when the girl is supposed to ask out the guy,” says DiFidi.