The gymnasium at the Judy and Gene Jacobi Community Center Community was filled with music, laughter and warm speeches on Aug. 20 as hundreds of seniors and community members gathered to celebrate the opening and dedication of the Council on Aging’s new bocce park.
The park, which was completed in just six months and now sits behind the community center, includes two brand new turf bocce courts, a stone walkway and picnic tables.
Bocce is one of the most popular activities for the seniors at the COA, and the two new courts will give them higher quality turf playing fields.
In her remarks to the group, Council on Aging Executive Director Lisa Hooper praised the seniors who made the project possible with their years of organizing and growing the bocce program.
“This project is a true testament to what can be accomplished when a community comes together,” she said.
Parks and Recreation Director Rossana Ferrante congratulated the seniors on the successful project. Then Marblehead senior and bocce player John Capellotti gave the group a presentation of the history of the COA bocce program.
The new park was dedicated to Pat Bibbo, who was one of the earliest and most impactful bocce players at the COA. Bibbo started playing bocce in 2014, when the program was only one day per week and had just 14 players. He was hooked immediately.
“The camaraderie was just terrific,” recounted Bibbo.
Since then, he has enthusiastically led and helped grow the bocce program into a five-day operation with over 94 participants as the COA bocce coordinator. He even led the effort to build a travel team of senior bocce players to play seniors from Peabody and Danvers.
“He created something extraordinary,” said Janine Glabicky of Bibbo. “Pat isn’t just the organizer of this program; he is its heartbeat.”
“Bibbo” is carved onto the rock wall above the bocce courts, so that future players can remember Bibbo’s contributions for generations to come.
The Founder’s walkway was dedicated to Liz Michaud, who was the original founder of the bocce program in 2012, and has helped it grow over the last 13 years with leadership and unstoppable energy.
“With your determination and unstoppable enthusiasm, you brought bocce to life,” said Glabicky. “The real gift isn’t bocce; the real gift is you. You’ve shown us all how to live fully as active seniors.”
Both Bibbo and Michaud were presented with their dedications by state Rep. Jenny Armini and Sen. Brendan Crighton, and received tearful standing ovations from the gathering.
“I’m just so humbled,” said Bibbo. “It means a lot to me.”
