You expect pinochle and quilting and ceramics. But poker? And line dancing? And an investment club?

This is still your grandmother’s senior center, but it’s hip — and getting hipper.

The Billings Community and Senior Center has added so many programs that it has just about run out of time in the day and space in the building, and organizers aren’t done yet.

“There are so many things I want to do,” said Robin Grinsteiner, the center’s director. “All we need is more parking and more room.”

From tai chi and yoga to watercolor painting and a writer’s club, the center is trying to attract a growing population of senior citizens.

About 15 percent of Montanans are age 65 or older, ranking the state sixth in the nation for seniors as a percentage of total population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

By 2030, almost 26 percent of Montanans will be seniors, according to the Census Bureau. Only Florida, Maine, Wyoming and New Mexico will have a larger percentage of senior citizens.

Senior centers can see the bubble coming, and many suspect the next generation of oldsters won’t be satisfied with typical senior center fare.

In Billings, the senior center has a volunteer advisory board made up of clients. They make suggestions for new activities, and so do members.

“We have seniors come up to the desk and say, ‘We need this,’ ” said Cathy Ingleff, a member of the board who teaches line dancing. “That’s how our Friday night dances got started.”

Seniors pay $10 a year to belong to the center. About 125 people turn up there every day for activities. Another 120 people volunteer over the course of the year.

Cloeen Horner met some of her best friends at the senior center, where she was painting ceramics on a recent afternoon.

“I said, ‘Will you guys be my friends?’ ” she recalled. “They said, ‘Yeah,’ and we haven’t stopped.”

Programs at the center offer an economical way to pass the time, said Shirley Reiter, who goes almost every day.

“I ran into an old neighbor,” Reiter said.

She was playing pinochle, but bridge, mahjong, cribbage, poker, whist, and Shanghai rummy are also on the menu.

So are aerobics classes, self-directed workouts on fitness machines, computer classes, oil painting, Bible study and movies played on a wide screen.

“It’s an exciting thing to see people realize they can stay more active,” Grinsteiner said. “You don’t retire and slowly gear down. I’m seeing people gear up and really enjoy this stage of their life.”

Contact Diane Cochran at dcochran@billingsgazette.com or 657-1287.