Charlie_Wicker's Big Saturday!

PHOTO: Vince Luecke
Charlie Wicker dressed and ready for Saturday’s home basketball game.

Charlie and the Tell City Marksmen basketball team at Saturday’s game.

Charlie was able to join the Marksmen as they entered Bryan Taylor Sports Arena.

Charlie Wicker's Big Saturday

'85-year-old Charlie wanted to go to a Tell City Marksman Home Game.'

Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 10:28 am

Charlie Wicker had a grand day Saturday, thanks to the Never Too Late organization that grants longtime wishes. A resident at Oakwood Health Campus in Tell City, Wicker loves sports and when recently asked about something he’d really like to do, the 85-year-old said wanted to attend a home Marksmen basketball game.

Charlie and his buddies would always go to a local cafe to enjoy a burger and fries before games, then go and root for the home team. Since going to live at Oakwood, and especially since his children moved away, Charlie had missed his weekly routine.

Charlie’s son, Glenn, had previously taken Charlie to the games, but since Glenn now spends the winters in Florida, he was not able to be there for their former outings.

With help from Oakwood’s Nel Swihart, Wicker received a Marksmen jacket with his name embroidered on its front.

He also received matching pants and a cap. After dinner at Ponderosa, Charlie expected to go home and watch a basketball game on TV. Instead he went to the Bryan Taylor Sports Arena, where he took part in opening festivities of the Marksmen’s game against Crawford County and joined the team’s entry into the stadium.

“You need to have fun in your life. If not you won’t be around for long,” he said. Saturday will long stand out in Charlie’s list of special days.

Glenn came up from his Florida winter home to attend the game with Charlie and the activity staff worked with the family, and also worked with the coaches and team at Tell City High School to be sure that Charlie had a great experience. Hauenstein’s, the store that supplies team apparel for local high schools, helped the activity staff to purchase a Marksmen outfit, complete with pants, jacket and cap to wear to the game.

The team also surprised Charlie with an autographed basketball and allowed Charlie to the locker room.