BARBERTON, Ohio — A resident of Barberton’s Pleasant Point Assisted Living Center has bared it all for good reason in the center’s 2023 “nude” calendar.
This has become a tradition in the Barberton community. This is the fifth annual calendar published by the facility.
Residents of Pleasant Point have seen many calendar years slip by, but now that those decades have passed, there is a newfound freedom.
So when Pleasant Pointe’s Activities Director, Teresa Bachtel, asked a few people to join her in filming her 2023 calendar, they jumped at the opportunity.
“At first I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to look naked,’ but then I thought about it. Why don’t you try it? You’ll never know until you try it. Just jump in the water,”87 said old resident Dolly Emerson Bean.
Jean Genet, 98, said he was on his previous calendar.
“I was a little young the first time and thought it would be a lot of fun,” she said.
Keen Rakoch, 93, said he jumped at the opportunity to do something he’d never done before. He was almost naked and posed for a calendar.
“During the pandemic, we were captives, but anything that goes out and brings you fun, we stand for it,” she said. [nude] That’s not it? Of course, men can take off their shirts. I won’t go into detail about how she got us to do what she did, but the answer is that the spaghetti straps were pulled down.
Bachtel says he worked with photographer Josh Bowman over several days to get the photos he needed.
They decided to set up a scholarship fund for the 2023 Barberton High School seniors to benefit from the proceeds from this year’s calendar.
Filming locations include hotspots such as Magical Theater Company, Reach’s Meets and Suites, Hoppokan Gardens, Belgrade Gardens, and Ignite Brewing Company.
“I was asked if I could go to the brewery and was like, ‘Are you kidding me? I’m half Irish,'” said 85-year-old Ron Gruner.
Some of the places, like former mayor Kenneth Cox’s mayor’s office, were nods to the past of its residents.
“I’ve been thinking about the good reasons for that, and I’m no longer running for office, and that’s a good thing,” he said.
Charlotte Smart, 90, posed in front of Scoops Ice Cream, the business she and her husband started decades ago.
And while calendars are ultimately for a good cause, residents said it’s really important to capture the secret to longevity. Maintain a sense of humor and a young mind.
Bachtel says 300 copies of the 2023 calendar are already on sale, but if you want one, you can get one for $13. Stop by Pleasant Point (220 3rd Street SE, Barberton) or call 330-848-5028. I will send it to your house for $15.
