NEWBURYPORT – Local seniors flocked to the Newburyport’s Senior/Community Center for a summer barbecue Wednesday afternoon.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Newburyport Council on Aging, the event attracted over 100 seniors and left the room buzzing with excitement as attendees socialized, ate and listened to music.
Burgers, hotdogs, and more were available to those in attendance with volunteers happily handing out plates.
Julianne Dube, an attendee, said she had been to the event multiple times and praised the Newburyport Council on Aging for their management of the barbecue.
“I’ve been here many times, I love the council on aging, they’re great” she said.
While the number of seniors in attendance was impressive, the wait list was almost equally so.
“The waiting list to get on this event was as long as the list,” John Green, a member of the Newburyport Council on Aging Board of Directors, said.
Green said he was thrilled with the number of attendees and the success of the event.
“It makes me very happy, because this community, I also volunteer here. This place is so heavily used,” he said.
Sara Landry, Newburyport Council on Aging director, said the barbecue allowed seniors to have “unstructured fun.”
“It’s just a great opportunity for seniors to be social without an agenda,” she said.
Ed Obara, an event volunteer agreed, saying the barbecue was a positive experience for all involved.
“It’s a great event for seniors and the community,” he said.
Though the event was held in Newburyport, all were welcome, according to Green.
“We have people coming here from all over the place, all different communities,” he said.
While attendees enjoyed their food, they listened to local band The GemsTones who played throwback music from the 1950s.
“We’re so excited to have them come and play,” Landry said.
Josef Nocera, the band’s lead singer, guitarist and manager said he has been playing at the senior center for a number of years.
“I’ve had a relationship with the senior center since it opened. I’ve played here on and off as a soloist and I have this band that I formed three or four years ago, and so I just asked them if we could come play for them,” he said.
Nocera said he hoped through playing the event more seniors would become aware of the band.
“We know a bunch of the people here. So, they were already established. We have some fans here, so we’re hoping to make some new ones,” he said.
While the event offered food and music, Landry said it also offered company and bonding time with friends new and old.
“It’s just a fun way to get people out connecting and meeting their community members,” she said.