Thousands of Brooklyn seniors enjoyed a day of summer fun in the sun, greeting dozens of Brooklyn political hopefuls at Sunken Meadow State Park, sponsored by the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, on Long Island on Thursday, August 20.
Sixty-five buses transported over 3,000 seniors and 250 volunteers for a picnic by the beach.Volunteers worked round the clock grilling thousands of steaks for lunch and sausages and peppers for dinner.
“It was a beautiful day, everyone had a beautiful time dancing and going to the beach,” said Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Center Director Jeannie Laino, who managed the event.“A lot of seniors come up and thank us.One of the seniors said what a wonderful time they had, the lunch was delicious and the steak was delicious.They enjoyed everything.”
With the Democratic primaries only three weeks away, a number of candidates campaigning for that all-important senior vote seized on the opportunity to do a little politicking. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his Democratic rival, Comptroller William Thompson showed up, as did Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York), who joinedBrooklyn Councilmember Domenic Recchia (D-Coney Island) in greeting Brooklyn seniors.
Councilmember and Public Advocate candidate Bill de Blasio (D-Carroll Gardens) was enjoying the event, as was Queens Councilmember and Comptroller candidate John Liu (D-Flushing), flanked by supporters wearing colorful t-shirts.
Brooklyn Democratic Council candidates Steve Levin (33rd District) and Maritza Davilla (34th District), both backed by Kings County Party Chair and Assemblymember Vito Lopez (D-Williamsburg), spent much of their time greeting seniors and making sure the event was running smoothly.
“I always love going to the Sunken Meadows picnic because you really get to spend quality time with seniors who otherwise might not be able to make it out of the city during the summer,” said Levin.“You meet wonderful people and you get to talk with them about their experiences.It’s just wonderful.I’ve made a lot of good friends with seniors since I’ve been attending them.”
