Reading Senior Citizens Celebrate 11th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner

Dear Editor:

We are writing to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone who helped make this
year’s Reading Senior Thanksgiving Dinner on Saturday, November 17 such a resounding
success.

We celebrated the 11th anniversary of this special event in grand style at the Hillview
Country Club as we welcomed hundreds of friends and neighbors. Guests enjoyed a traditional
turkey dinner prepared by the culinary team of Teresa’s Restaurants. What went on behind the
scenes was almost as exciting as what went on in the ballroom. Imagine preparing Thanksgiving
dinner for 250 people…. 65 pounds of turkey, 55 pounds of mashed potatoes, 55 pounds of fresh
vegetables, 50 pounds of stuffing, 52 pounds of apple crisp, and 42 dozen roses.

Guests were entertained by Sergeant Daniel Clark, the “Singing Trooper,” and his wife Mary,
who performed favorite patriotic and holiday songs, as well as a fun and festive sing-a-along.
Red Sox fans were thrilled with their rendition of Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline to help
celebrate a historic Red Sox season.

It is truly an honor for us to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season with those who have
contributed so much to our community over the years. Many people graciously volunteered their
time to help us plan and organize this year’s event. Thanks to the generous financial support
of our sponsors for the underwriting of the event, the event is free and open to all senior citizens
of the town.

We would like to thank The Savings Bank, The Reading Cooperative Bank, and Wal-Mart for
their financial support. Some very special thanks to Nick Yebba and the team of the Hillview
Country Club for working with us to make this event a truly memorable one. We appreciate
their continued support in providing exceptional food, service and hospitality.

A special thanks to Reading Elder and Human Service Administrator Jane Burns and her
dedicated staff at the Reading Council on Aging who work tirelessly during the year to support
our senior citizens.

Joining us at the head table were Town Manager Bob LeLacheur; Select Board Vice Chair Barry
Berman; Select Board Member John Halsey and his wife Diana; Sally Hoyt of the Reading
Council on Aging; Erika Bernardo of the Reading Cooperative Bank; and Ally Houghton of The
Savings Bank.

Thank you to the Reading Daily Times Chronicle, the Reading Advocate, the Reading Patch, the
Reading Post, and the local churches for helping to publicize this annual holiday tradition.

We want to take this opportunity to extend our best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season
to all Reading residents, and we look forward to seeing everyone again at next year’s dinner.
Please SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, November 23 at 1 p.m.

Sincerely, Representative Brad Jones and Linda Jones, Representative Jim Dwyer and Mimi Dwyer, Senator Jason Lewis