Blueberry-picking event is a winner as town expands offerings for seniors
News photos by APRIL PAGE Virginia Strahan can’t resist trying a blueberry on a special trip offered for Templeton seniors to pick berries at the Windy Knoll Farm on Grey Street on the opening day of the new Templeton Senior Center.
April Page
News Correspondent
TEMPLETON It wasn’t just a day to go blueberry-picking or celebrate the opening day of the new Templeton Senior Center, yesterday was a community experience that both warmed the heart and filled the belly.
Thanks to the collaboration of farm owners Tim and Janice Rotti plus Council on Aging Director Dianna Morrison, 11 of the town’s senior citizens picked blueberries at Windy Knoll Farm at 169 Grey St. as the kick-off event for the opening of the new Senior Center.
“My husband brought blueberries to them (Templeton seniors) last year and this year he offered a day where seniors can pick blueberries for a discounted price,” Mrs. Rotti said. The Rottis charged half the price of retail venues and local farm stands for their berries, just $4 a quart.
Having the seniors pick the blueberries also helped clear the bushes for the Rottis, who farm the berries as a labor of love.
“It’s more of a community service than anything else,” said Mrs. Rotti, who said that only people with their permission may pick berries at their farm.
The farm is not open to the public at this time; the Rottis do sell their berries to Valley View Farm on Barre Road in Templeton and a few other places. Prior to the Rottis buying the farm three years ago, the Poojah family owned the property.
Bob Arsenault, one of the seniors picking berries yesterday, remembers picking peaches, pears, strawberries and blueberries at the Poojah Farm years ago. He and his wife, Charlene, welcomed the opportunity to once again pick berries at the farm. The Arsenaults picked seven and a half pounds of blueberries within an hour’s time. Mrs. Arsenault said she will eat her berries plain, “Just plain on cereal, yogurt, give them to the grandchildren when they come over. No need to get fancy, they’re good very plain.”
The berries were large and plump. Senior Rita Cardwell placed a bucket under the blueberry vines, and gently dropped handfuls of berries into her bucket. Because of a wet spring in April, the berries were ready to pick at Windy Knoll Farm by the Fourth of July. Mrs. Rotti expects the blueberries to be gone in about a week.
“We do whatever we can,” said Council on Aging van driver Jim Cornwell, who drives the seniors to community events, medical appointments and further excursions three times a week. The Council on Aging drivers transport Templeton residents to numerous places including the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, the Veteran’s Administration in Jamaica Plain, Ogunquit Beach in Maine and many local trips to grocery stores or area appointments.
“This is how we get out and see the rest of town,” said senior Virginia Strahan, who was born and raised in Baldwinville, “I never left Baldwinville.”
During the twenty-minute van ride across town, Mr. Cornwell picked up several seniors throughout the villages. Riders helped each other strap themselves into the van seats, brought water bottles for everyone to share or bug spray to use. The men and women commented about their friend’s birdbath or frog statuette in their front yards, and told stories about the last time they went blueberry picking. No one used smart phones or had ear plugs on; everyone on the van had conversation.
Various other events are scheduled to celebrate the center’s opening this week including animal adventures Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., a fit and stretch class on Wednesday at 11 a.m., a welcome cookout on Thursday at 12 p.m. and an ice cream social/crazy bingo on Friday at 1:30 p.m.
The Senior Center, on Senior Drive off Bridge Street in Baldwinville, is now open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday.
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