Lewisboro Lions Honor Seniors with Annual Dinner

SOUTH SALEM, N.Y. – Lewisboro Town Board member John Pappalardo smiled as he took in the scene at Town Park Wednesday evening.

“This is what Lewisboro is all about,” he said. “This is a great event because it brings all the different generations together.”

The event Pappalardo was referring to was the Lewisboro Lions Club’s Annual Senior Dinner. Every second Wednesday in June for the past 20 years, the Lions have honored local seniors with a barbecue. On Wednesday, more than 75 seniors filled the Town Park pavilion to dine on grilled London broil, scalloped potatoes, fresh green beans, salad, and cake.

“The Lions Club motto is, ‘We Serve,’ and this one of the things we do locally to give back,” said Darryl Caprio, president of the Lewisboro Lions. “We buy the food, wine and soda locally. And, by the way, these are some of the best scalloped potatoes you’ll ever have!”

Caprio noted that members of the Leo Club (an offshoot of the Lions Club for teens) were on hand to act as wait staff and help out wherever they could.

“This year we are having the Leos bring the food to tables,” he said. “We used to have the seniors come up and serve themselves buffet-style, but I think this is working out much better.”

Pam Veith, director of the town’s Adult Seniors program, noted that guests at the dinner weren’t just members of her group.

“We have seniors here beyond our regular group; a lot more come in addition to that,” she said. “They really embrace it. Hey, they get steak,” she quipped.

Senior Virginia Crucy said the meal was one of the highlights of the year for area seniors.

“It’s great that people care about the seniors like this,” she said. “We look forward to it. It’s always a great meal – they never disappoint.”

Lions Club member Larry Scapperotti, who was manning the grills, said the quality meal could be attributed to Amato’s Meats on Route 100 in Somers, which sells the London broil to the Lions at a discounted price.

Isabelle Richards, a senior who has lived in Lewisboro for 47 years, said she’s been coming to the Lions Club senior dinner for more than a decade.

“It’s very lovely,” she said. “I like seeing the kids working. We have a nice mixture of ages here. It’s cute.”

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