Sharon residents held their 129th annual reunion in Willard Bass Park on Sunday, a rarity in a year when most events and gatherings have been canceled or scaled back due to COVID-19 concerns.
Organizing committee head Gina Goff said the group thought carefully about whether to hold it, and decided to go ahead with it, inviting all Sharon residents a month ago. “Given the nature of this event… we’re confident that families, as they usually do, will eat together… but keep six feet apart from each other,” she said on Thursday before the picnic. She said she felt “kinda lucky” that the timing and structure of the “very casual” outdoor social luncheon allowed the tradition to continue this year.
“We’ve been blessed with fantastic weather over the years for this event,” she said.
Reunion goers bring their own food and are never expected to RSVP in advance, fellow organizer Ken Callahan said, and that he wouldn’t have been surprised if fewer people turned out this year.
The Trustees of Willard Bass Park are required to hold an annual reunion to maintain ownership of the park, a stipulation written into the deed to the land. Ownership would default to the now-defunct Sharon Arts Center, but this winter, Callahan said the unusual deed is a moot point considering the Trustees have every intention to continue the tradition.