By Madison Butkus
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The Westwood Council on Aging (COA) found themselves deep in the Halloween spirit this past week as they hosted a Halloween Luncheon for their seniors. This event was hosted by Fox Hill Village and included some special guest appearances.
Seniors were welcome to dress up in their costumes if they wanted to. While some sported festive shirts and decorative headbands, others went all out wearing a Minnie Mouse costume, a witch costume, a Dorothy Gale costume and more.
As everyone filed into the two conjoined rooms, COA members were thrilled to see all the amazing decorations. At each seat, Dedham Savings Bank provided little goodies bags for everyone to take home with them.
Dressed as a fabulous witch, Director of the Westwood COA Lina Arena-DeRosa, addressed the crowd and thanked her staff for all of their hard work making this luncheon happen. “Thank you so much everyone,” Arena-DeRosa stated, “for being with us here today. And Happy Halloween to you all! There are so many people I want to thank, including our great sponsors from Fox Hill Village, our Selectboard members, the Westwood EMT’s, Dedham Savings Bank and our incredible volunteers. The reason this place looks so great is because I have extraordinary volunteers. Finally, I really want to thank my staff, they do everything and I couldn’t do anything without their gracious help. Please enjoy today, we hope you have a great time!”
Seniors were sent up table by table to be served a delicious lunch catered by the Chateau. This meal included bread, salad, chicken-broccoli alfredo, stuffed shells and meatballs. For dessert, everyone was treated to a decadent cannoli served on festive orange plates. As they ate their food, Tommy Rull put on a spectacular performance that led to many singing along with him.
After lunch, COA members heard from some special guests including State Representative Paul McMurtry and Westwood Town Manager Chris Coleman. To finish up the afternoon, three raffle winners were picked from a bag and won prizes like Dunkin Donuts Gift Cards, tumblers and candy.
As the event came to a close, seniors left with not only a full belly, but also with smiles on their faces. On their way out, COA members were encouraged to stop by the Westwood Public Library’s Bookmobile that was parked right outside. This Halloween Luncheon put everyone in the holiday spirit.
