Special Sections

Febuary 2021 edition Special Advertising Supplement to the Santa Cruz Sentinel It's Wayne's World at Shaffer Park Santa Cruz Realtor Wayne Shaffer stays fit by maintaining Shaffer Park By Melissa Murphy Santa Cruz Sentinel SANTA CRUZ -- What was created as a memo- rial on 24 acres under- neath climbing red- woods just beyond the Santa Cruz city limits has turned into a haven for community groups and those who like to throw around some weight. Wayne Shaffer, a local realtor, bought the prop- erty in the 1990s and carved out a spot under a circle of redwoods, creating a sanctuary to remember his brother, Ron Shaffer. "This is a getaway," he said as he looked at the vast expanse of green grass and redwoods. For more than a decade he's hauled materials, mostly recycled, to map out individual spots at Shaffer Park including a disc golf course, a bocce ball court, a strong man area with atlas stones, an area for Scottish Games training, a discus throwing field, archery and even a weight room area. There is artwork strate- gically placed around the area that each tells a story and more than 85 memorials to friends and family. There is a pizza oven and even a place to hold a Hawai- ian luau, complete with a fire pit for cooking, and plenty of outdoor space for large groups that have included the Boy Scouts and veter- ans groups, sometimes weddings. It might seem like a mishmash of worlds, but it's Wayne's World and if there was any doubt, a sign marks the spot. Oh, and he's 73 years old. Does he feel 73 years old? "Sometimes," he re- sponded quickly. "But I try not to." Shaffer's story of stay- ing fit started in 1961. "I was a little scraw- ny, I didn't want to be bullied. So I thought if I was stronger than them, they would leave me alone," Shaffer recalled. He also adopted the mentality of doing hard work. "I can out work them and I still do," he said. "I'm not afraid to work." The Santa Cruz native and U.S. Navy veteran is an award-winning bodybuilder. Shaffer shows off the photos of him standing on stage at Muscle Beach, tan and only wearing a "Speedo" type swimsuit posing and entertaining the crowd with his dance moves. "I like to entertain. I like to make people laugh," he said. He's danced to "I got you," by James Brown, "Smooth Criminal," by Michael Jackson and "Can't Touch This," by MC Hammer. He can still moonwalk mim- icking Michael Jackson and shuffle across the ground side to side just like MC Hammer himself. Shaffer admits he can't lift as much as he used to, but he still stays active by maintaining Shaffer Park. "That's how I keep my strength up," Shaffer said and explained his morning routine starts at 5:30 a.m. with 220 repetitions of various abdominal work and an Our Father prayer. Adding different aspects to the park has also been his way of staying busy during the coronavirus pandemic. "If I didn't have this, I'd go bananas," Shaffer said and added that this week he is getting the second dose of the M o v e t o D o m i n i c a n O a k s a n d e x p e r i e n c e l i f e w i t h o u t c o n c e r n f o r l i f e ' s d a i l y c h o r e s . W e p r o v i d e y o u 3 h o m e c o o k e d m e a l s a d a y , w e e k l y h o u s e k e e p i n g , a c c e s s t o a c t i v i t i e s a n d e x e r c i s e c l a s s e s a n d l o c a l t r a n s p o r t a t i o n . S p e n d y o u r t i m e d o i n g w h a t y o u w a n t t o d o a n d n o t w h a t y o u h a v e t o . Lic# 440708773 A part of Dignity Health and Dominican Hospital C A L L U S A T 8 3 1 . 4 6 2 . 6 2 5 7 F O R A S A F E G U I D E D T O U R Elderday Adult Day Health Care Lift Line Senior Center Without Limits Learn more at / Obtenga más información en www.CommunityBridges.org or call/ o llame (831) 688-8840 Day services for adults with complex medical conditions Servicios de dia para adultos con condiciones médicas complejas Transportation to medical appointments Transporte a citas médicas Online classes and workshops Clases y talleres virtuales Young at Heart Young at Heart In Santa Cruz County Continue on page 3 Wayne Shaffer, 73, pumps iron at Shaffer Park, the 24-acre memorial to his brother Ron. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)

• Cover