Sun City clubs showcased at annual Discovery Day

Tony Head of the Sun City Lawn Bowling Club shows a guest the proper form during Discovery Day. Menifee 24/7 photos by Doug Spoon

By Doug Spoon, Editor

In the midst of all the commercial development and new neighborhoods being created in Menifee, one might forget about the community that started it all -- Sun City.

The retirement community created by developer Del Webb in the 1960s to mirror a similarly named community in Arizona was incorporated into Menifee in 2008. Since then, central Menifee has been a hotbed of development while the Sun City "core" -- the original neighborhood governed by the Sun City Civic Association -- largely has stayed the same.

But that doesn't mean that nothing goes on there. Those who qualify to live in the 55+ community have the opportunity to join a wide variety of clubs based at the SCCA complex, located at 26850 Sun City Blvd.

Only those who live in that senior community are eligible to join the clubs, and many residents there are not familiar with all that is offered. That's why the SCCA annually holds Discovery Day, which features demonstrations and displays of the many Sun City club activities.

The 2019 Discovery Day took place on Saturday, with many of the visitors including seniors in the area who are new to those opportunities.

Display shows how Kathy Pickett teaches watercolor painting in the Art Guild.

"We've had a lot of new people coming in that didn’t know some of the things we offer," said Diane Dunaway, who was stationed at a display of watercolor works created by members of the Art Guild. "So many artists in the area don’t know this exists."

That seemed to be the theme throughout the complex, where activities ranged from a swim show featuring the Sun City Aquarians to lessons at the Sun City Lawn Bowling Club to demonstrations by the Sun City Stompers dance club. At each area, club members told guests about the available activities and handed out fliers with meeting times.

At the Sun City Quilting Club area, Rose Rhoads showed examples of elaborate quilts members had made -- many to be presented to veterans as Quilts of Valor or donated to the Ronald McDonald House for use by families of sick children who stay there.

Members of the Sun City Quilting Club make quilts to honor veterans and for other donations.

Across the way in the Lapidary Shop, club president George Crafton watched over the displays of polished and artistically enhanced rocks created by members of the club he has led since 2004, when he moved here. Machines in the shop enable members to polish and bring out the rich colors in the rocks.

"I used to do it in Long Beach," Crafton said. "When I came here, since they knew I did it, they roped me into being president.

"This shop is 60 years old. When something breaks, we fix it."

Mona Smith, secretary of the Sun City Shuffleboard Club, watched guests try the game on one of the club's many indoor playing surfaces. Because the center is enclosed, it is temperature controlled and allows members to wax the sliding surfaces, much like a bowling alley.

Here, just a slight push of the "weights" or "pucks" sends them a long way toward the scoring triangles at the other end.

"It's cool in here in the summer," Smith said. "If it wasn't, the wax would get pasty and they wouldn't go very far."

Julie Zimmerman, wife of Menifee Mayor Bill Zimmerman, tries her luck at shuffleboard.

One of the most noticeable club activities takes place on the lawn bowl greens -- an area guests see first when they walk in from the parking lot. Club member Tony Head said that sport was one of the first featured when the community opened in the 1960s.

"Del Webb was probably the single most important person who expanded the sport in the U.S.," Head explained. "He put lawn bowl greens in his different Sun Cities in the '60s and '70s. Reportedly, Walt Disney talked him into it. Walt was an avid member of the Los Angeles Lawn Bowling Cub.

"Del Webb was looking for something to attract people to his retirement community out here in the middle of nowhere. This was one of the things he came up with."

Here are details about clubs that had displays and demonstrations at Discovery Day. For information on other clubs in the Sun City Civic Association, call 951-679-2311.

SUN CITY LAWN BOWLS CLUB: Monday, Tuesday and Friday, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.

SUN CITY SHUFFLEBOARD CLUB: Monday and Wednesday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 9 a.m.

SUN CITY ART GUILD: Every Friday.

SUN CITY CERAMICS CLUB: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Contact Debi Wilson, 714-264-1984.

SUN CITY TRAVEL CLUB: Various trips planned. Meetings on the first Wednesday of the month. Contact Debbie Gabel, 858-442-1677.

SUN CITY SWIM CLUB AND AQUARIANS: Third Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. Lessons offered each Tuesday at 11 a.m.

SUN CITY QUILTING CLUB: Mondays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., North Town Hall. Contact Rose Rhoads at 951-301-6169.

SUN CITY SLAMMERS CHAIR VOLLEYBALL CLUB: Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon, second and fourth Fridays from 7-9:30 p.m., North Town Hall.

SUN CITY LAPIDARY CLUB: Lapidary shop open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Meetings first Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Trophy Room.

SUN CITY WOOD CARVERS CLUB: Woodshop open Monday through Friday, 9-11:30 a.m. and 1-3:30 p.m.

SUN CITY BICYCLE CLUB: Meets Tuesdays at 8:30 a.m. Contact Gary Barton, 951-244-5830.

GARDEN CLUB OF SUN CITY: First Tuesday of the month from 9-10:30 a.m. in the East Auditorium of the Sundial Center. Email gardenclubofsuncity@gmail.com.

TWIRLERS SQUARE DANCE CLUB: Contact Lois at 951-672-7580 or Earlean at 951-679-1732. Email twirlerssquaredanceclub@gmail.com. Website is twirlerssquaredanceclub.com.

SUN CITY STOMPERS: Free dance lessons every Wednesday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in North Town Hall. No experience or partner needed. Contact Mickey Diehl, 951-672-2212.

SUN CITY HISTORICAL MUSEUM: Presentations Sundays at 1 p.m. in Building 1.

SUN CITY PERFORMING ARTISTS: First and third Saturdays in North Webb Hall. Contact Tony Reverditto, 310-593-1843. Email tonyreverditto@gmail.com.

COMMUNITY INFORMATION CLUB: Fourth Friday of the month from 2-4 p.m. in the Trophy Room. Contact Krista Dixon, 951-212-8685. Email CIC.suncityca@gmail.com.

SUN CITY GENEALOGY CLUB: Meetings on the second Monday, workshops on the fourth Monday at the Sun City Library from 1-3 p.m. Website is genealogyclub.org.

Yolanda Torres of the Art Guild makes jewelry out of metal thimbles found at estate sales.