Mayor’s turkey dinner benefits senior center

VILLAGE OF FAYETTEVILLE – The annual mayor’s turkey dinner made its return to the Fayetteville Senior Center on East Genesee Street Sunday afternoon.
A tradition for the past quarter century, the fundraiser kept in place the drive-thru element that came into play during the COVID pandemic, allowing people to swing around to the back parking lot and bring their meals home if they wanted to without needing to leave their vehicles. Walk-ins were also encouraged so that members of the community could take a look around the senior center and greet the cooks as they picked up their to-go orders.
Before the cars started lining up at 3 p.m., the sponsors for the event were treated to the day’s food while seated at tables in Parnell Hall, named after the former village mayor who helped to secure the necessary funds to purchase the property and open the senior center in 1980.
Among the sponsoring business partners and not-for-profit organizations this year were the Town of Manlius Police Benevolent Association, the Greater Manlius Chamber of Commerce, the Fayetteville Firemens Association and the village’s engineering and ambulance billing departments. Local elected officials also assisted with the event by handing out meals through car windows.
The goal for the afternoon on March 5 was to improve upon last year’s numbers and serve a total of 325 $12 dinners with all the fixings. To fill out the menu and have enough food handy, the organizers brought in 19 turkeys to roast in the oven as well as 150 pounds of stuffing, 120 pounds of mashed potatoes, 60 pounds of peas, 60 pounds of squash, 40 full pies to cut into slices, and one dinner roll for every meal.
Though the annual event takes place in March, it has remained a constant since the beginning to dish out the cornerstones of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
“This center is really about bringing people together and having a nice meal, and when you think of what your favorite meal of the year is, it’s usually a turkey dinner, so we’ve just kept that tradition alive,” Mayor Mark Olson said.
The mayor’s turkey dinner was initiated by Olson’s late predecessor, Henry McIntosh, and McIntosh’s late wife, Donna, a longtime chairperson for the Fayetteville Senior Center.
“It’s just special to keep it going and to keep that momentum growing,” Olson said. “Mayor McIntosh really saw the value of seniors in our community, and that’s why we continue this. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth every penny.”
The day before this year’s event and the morning of, the organizers were busy prepping the dinners and baking blueberry, cherry and pumpkin pies along with cheesecakes. All the turkeys were donated from the community, and Olson handled the costs for the rest of each meal.
With hopes that the event will grow bigger each passing year, Olson said over $80,000 has been raised during his 19-year tenure as the mayor of Fayetteville.
The entirety of the proceeds go back to the senior center to cover payments associated with its food program, overall building operations and extra entertainment such as educational guest speakers at random points throughout the year and Irish dancers for St. Patrick’s Day.
“It’s much needed this year,” said Janet Best, the executive director of the center. “It’s a nice thing for everybody to come together and do good for the senior population, and it’s nice for everybody to be working together for one common goal.”
Anthony Marsallo, the chair of the senior center’s board, said “everything clicked” and went smoothly the day of the dinner. He said the volunteers in the kitchen and Parnell Hall were having fun and dancing as they scooped spoonfuls of food.
“We were having a good time listening to rock ‘n’ roll music in here this year,” Marsallo said. “Usually you come in here and there’s no music and there’s forks and spoons rattling. It makes a big difference and gets you in a groove.”
Olson said it has always been easy to gather people to help out for the event year to year.
“Everybody just enjoys helping and to me it truly shows you what the village is like,” Olson said. “It’s people coming together for a common cause and helping our seniors and giving money back. It’s gratifying to see.”
According to Olson, this past weekend’s turkey dinner raised about $6,500 over its two-hour span.
Any leftovers have been served at mealtime at the senior center this week to make certain that none of the food goes to waste.