Jason Klaiber
Staff Writer
On March 1, community members gathered at the Fayetteville Senior Center for the mayor’s annual turkey dinner fundraiser.
Over the course of the day, attendees enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and meals provided by Mayor Mark Olson and village trustees.
Altogether 16 turkeys, 60 pounds of mashed potatoes, 55 pounds of butternut squash, five gallons of gravy, 48 pounds of peas and 22 pies were donated.
The $10 cost to attendees for the dinner has remained the same since it began under former mayor Henry McIntosh 22 years ago, but this year’s event brought in over 200 people, a turnout larger than any in the last two decades.
After becoming mayor 16 years ago, Olson opened up the turkey dinner fundraiser to corporate sponsorship.
This year, 22 separate individuals and local businesses agreed to letters from Olson requesting them to hop on as sponsors.
These sponsors included insurance companies as well as the village’s engineers and medical billing service, among others.
Some unable to attend donated to reserve eight-person tables for people who could.
The fundraising total, which was just shy of $5,300, will help to offset the costs of the meal program at the senior center.
In the days after the event, leftovers were incorporated into lunches for visiting seniors.
“It’s really an honor to help the seniors,” Olson said. “They have given to this community for so many years.”
At its board meeting on Feb. 24, the Village of Fayetteville approved a contract to start a $650,000 renovation of the senior center building.
The renovation project will involve office and bathroom work, the construction of a deck, the relocation of the senior center’s kitchen and the repurposing of the current kitchen into a room for activities and exercise.
“Fayetteville isn’t one of the 100 best places to live in the country for nothing,” Assemblyman Al Stirpe, who helped secure grant money for the village’s upcoming renovation project, said. “I think it will always be a great place to live and bring up your family and stay until you’re a senior.”
The village plans to begin the project this month, but the decision to proceed will depend on the weather.
