When four-piece rock band Fossil Farm steps up, next week, to play at the Civic Center Lawn for Los Gatos-Saratoga Community Education and Recreation (LGS Rec)’s Annual Senior Summer Picnic, it will mark their triumphant return to Cat Town.
The group, which plays music from the past six decades, performs around the region in places such as Cupertino, Boulder Creek and San Jose, and previously rocked out at a fundraiser for New Museum Los Gatos in April 2018.
But the focus of the Senior Summer Picnic, scheduled for Wednesday, July 26 from 11:30am-1:30pm, won’t be on the performers, but on the attendees.
“It’s for our 55-plus members, and we usually have about 200 people in attendance,” said Lisanne Kennedy, LGS Rec’s recreation coordinator. “We have been doing it for years and years.”
Last year was Kennedy’s first time organizing the event, and she says it was a blast seeing familiar faces having such a great time.
“As the coordinator it was so much fun,” she said. “It was just great seeing them all there.”
The grass outside Town Hall will be filled with chairs and tables—and umbrellas—and food will be prepared by Los Gatos Meats & Smokehouse.
This year’s menu will feature hamburger, turkey or portobello mushroom burgers.
Kennedy says the portobello option was a huge hit last time.
“A lot of people were eager to try it,” she said.
The event made such an impact that some LGS Rec members put it down as a highlight of the year, in a recent survey.
Kennedy says people enjoyed the event so much because it was an opportunity to build relationships with others.
“People in the community are looking to get connected again,” she said, noting some may have lost loved ones during the pandemic or may just be looking to make some new friends. “That’s a big part of our mission, is to help eliminate isolation—especially after the pandemic.”
The police department has provided LGS Rec with parking permits and the Lions Club of Los Gatos has agreed to volunteer.
“There’s a lot of different members of the community involved to make this a success,” Kennedy said, noting people have to be LGS Rec members and must register ahead of time in order to attend.
Even though the event only lasts for a few hours, it has a tendency to create ripple effects that continue much longer.
On Tuesday morning, for example, one woman couldn’t help but tell Kennedy how much the event meant to her.
“I can’t believe you guys do stuff like this for us,” the woman shared.
The event is also supported with contributions from Alameda Family Funeral & Cremation, dentist James Lin, ClearCaptions CC, the Town of Los Gatos, El Camino Health and Friends of Los Gatos Older Adults.
For information, visit www.lgsrecreation.org or call 408.354.1514.
