Senior celebration swells MN small town on New Year’s Eve
GRASSTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - New Year’s Eve came at the right time for a couple of hundred Minnesota seniors.
Hard holiday
Living in love: The holidays can be hard for some older folks — either because they’ve lost people in their lives, or they just can’t make it to midnight.
The first sign that something’s different in Grasston may be the valet parking.
The guests of honor at this New Year’s Eve party are seniors — more than 200 of them in a city with a population of 154.
Group photos coaxed crews into a corner on a day when a lot of seniors might otherwise find themselves in a group of one.
"I was alone," said Mary Mullins of Pine City. "And so was she. We’re all alone."
"They deserve the best," said Open Arms Church Pastor Gene Sherrod.
First-class tradition
Origin story: Pastor Gene started this Dec. 31 tradition in 2014, aiming to give seniors a first-class experience.
"If we’re going to have them come out for lunch, let’s really do something that they haven’t experienced —one walked in one time and said ‘I have never been anywhere this nice,'" he said.
Carving the turkey, crafting the salad, and filling coffee cups is the work of almost 60 volunteers.
On fancy china, they served lunch — and a cup of kindness.
And a big helping of bluegrass filled the sanctuary.
Ringing in 2025
Right on time: The band may be Figuring It Out, but the lunch guests knew exactly how to say goodbye to 2024.
The countdown to 2025 hit zero right on time, at 1 p.m.
"Why 1 p.m.?" said Pastor Gene. "It’s midnight somewhere."
Sure, it's midnight in Pakistan and the French settlement of about 45 people in Antarctica. But it's also a perfect time for seniors here in Minnesota to celebrate.
"And then we're done," said Char Malaske of East Bethel. "We go home. We don’t have to be with the party animals."
Why they do it
Dig deeper: Instead of thinking about loved ones lost — Malaske lost her husband this year — they spent their New Year’s Eve among a community they may not notice every day of the year.
"I didn’t know what to expect, but it was fantastic," said Mullins.
"And you see you're not alone," Malaske said. "And you see all this beauty and friendship and love."