Mac & cheese festival benefits senior center
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| News staff photo by STEPHEN LANDRY Hungry residents line up during the Mac and Cheese Festival in Templeton on Saturday. |
News staff photos by STEPHEN LANDRY Diane Laphner of Hubbardston and Connor Caplis, 10, of East Templeton, try out their beanbag-tossing skills.
Stephen Landry
News Staff Writer
TEMPLETON It was a cheesy Fourth of July celebration for residents this weekend. The town hosted its first Mac and Cheese Festival on the Town Common on Saturday. The event was hosted by the Friends of the Templeton Elders to benefit the new Senior Community Center, which is scheduled to open this month.
“We wanted to celebrate and raise some money,” explained director Dianna Morrison. “And what’s more American than macaroni and cheese on the Fourth of July?”
Ms. Morrison said the event was planned to attract residents and others nearby, including campers at Lake Dennison and Lamb City who might be looking for something to do while waiting for the fireworks Saturday night.
“We wanted to provide a fun event during the day,” she said.
Ms. Morrison said the festival represented the center’s largest fundraising event to date. Additional money was raised during a townwide yard sale in May, and a charity auction is scheduled during the Templeton Craft Fair next month.
The holiday weekend’s festival included old-fashioned lawn games, craft tables, a Chinese auction and a chance to see the town’s new fire engine and police cruiser. Entertainment was provided by JB Murray and the Music.
Christof Chartier of Templeton offered residents the unique experience of a ride around the common in his 1939 Model-A Ford.
“You don’t see a lot of cars this old anymore,” Mr. Chartier explained. “It’s a piece of American history. The kids love it.”
“This is a great community event,” said Gail Noel, president of the Friends of the Templeton Elders. “We’re hoping that this will allow us to buy some chairs for the center.”
The event raised around $3,000, which will be put toward purchasing chairs for the center, according to Ms. Noel.
Officials said the new, 10,000-square-foot facility on Senior Drive in Baldwinville, scheduled to open July 20, represents a major upgrade for senior services in the area. The town’s previous senior center in East Templeton occupied a single, 700-square-foot room in a schoolhouse that is more than 100 years old, according to officials. The new, two-story center, with a price tag of about $1 million, includes a library, media and activity rooms, a multipurpose room, and offices for employees.
The new facility will also offer outdoor activities, including horseshoe pits, bird
feeders and picnic tables. A landscaping project, which will combine the efforts of local seniors and students, is also in the works, Ms. Morrison said.
Officials said they have a number of special events planned during the last two weeks of July to celebrate the opening of the new center, including line dancing demonstrations, exercise classes and a cookout.
“The week of the 20th will be just one long party,” Ms. Morrison said.
The official grand opening of the center is scheduled for October, according to officials.
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