AMESBURY — The smell of freshly grilled hotdogs and hamburgers wafted through the air at the Costello Center during Wednesday’s Amesbury Council on Aging summer cookout.
Approximately 60 local seniors loaded up on typical cookout fare chatted with friends.
While the cookout is typically held each June at Cider Hill Farm on Fern Avenue, it was canceled due to staffing issues there.
But a modified cookout was scheduled for this week upon the hiring of Sarah Player, the COA’s new healthy aging program manager, much to the delight of seniors.
“I think people are really excited. I think they were very disappointed when the traditional June barbecue was canceled. I think they were thrilled that it was coming back in a modified version, and it’s our first big summer event since I started,” Player said at the cookout.
The modified event ended up being a massive success, with seniors having the chance to listen to live music by Arthur Mellow and Kevin Wall, who sang tunes such as “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, and socialize, which for some, like Lois Charte, was a welcome change of pace.
“It’s wonderful because I’m usually at home by myself. So, it really is good to be able to get out with people,” she said.
Seniors were also able to enjoy hotdogs and burgers grilled by Amesbury Police Chief Craig Bailey and Amesbury Fire Deputy Chief Dave Mather.
Player said the seniors were thrilled to have the first responders at the cookout as their presence allowed them to feel more connected to the community.
“The seniors love them,” she said of Bailey and Mather. “I think that it shows the city coming together, different departments, we have veteran services right upstairs. So, I think it shows the connectedness of the city, and I think the seniors then feel like they’re really a part of the local government.”
The feeling was mutual, according to Bailey, who said he enjoyed being able to interact with the large group of seniors.
“This is amazing, I love it,” he said.
Similarly, Mather said he was happy to attend events such as the cookout as it allows members of the police and fire departments to have more in-depth conversations than they would at events like Breakfast with the Chiefs.
“This is a time where it’s a little more personal, your conversations are a little different. They get to see us as humans, not just the figurehead of the department. We’re just people out here cooking at a barbecue,” he said.
Now, the cookout is over, but it appears that a new chapter for the Amesbury COA is just getting started.