WHATELY — With the sun shining, summer tunes playing and floral shirts galore, Herlihy Park met the beach day theme the South County Senior Center selected for its annual picnic on Wednesday.

The annual picnic serves as one of the Senior Center’s biggest social events of the year for the seniors of Deerfield, Sunderland and Whately to come together, socialize, play card games and enjoy a cookout lunch prepared by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and South County TRIAD groups. Each of the three towns’ police departments also sent officers to direct parking and chat with residents, while T.J. & The Peepers played music for the more than 100 people who attended.

With the fiscal year ending, the picnic’s early summer date also provides a chance for reflection on the Senior Center’s programs and initiatives. Director Jennifer Remillard, who began in 2022, said this year was about “growth and change in a positive direction.”

“I’ve gotten so much positive feedback from where the programs were when I started,” Remillard said. “People are increasingly interested in our programs. … Our staff’s been doing great, we’re trying to do more field trips, we’re offering hybrid classes.”

Helping supplement those new programs and staff hires is Remillard’s work in earning more than $350,000 in grants during her tenure, including $120,000 to purchase equipment for hybrid programs and host classes for seniors on using technology, as well as $90,800 in May to purchase a new van for the center.

Those in attendance Wednesday said Remillard has done a great job of expanding the center’s offerings, which brings new people in.

“I love the camaraderie,” said South Deerfield resident Barbara Pelis, who began “faithfully” attending the center two years ago and highlighted the “loaded” newsletter listing the center’s activities, which are often inexpensive to attend. “I think [the center] gives them something to look forward to.”

Fellow Deerfield resident Barbara Bassingthwaite agreed with Pelis, but again emphasized the most pressing issue among nearly all of the seniors who attend the center: the lack of a home.

“Jennifer’s done a really good job of expanding and bringing in a lot of different interests,” Bassingthwaite said. “The fact that we don’t have a permanent home is disappointing.”

Progress is moving forward on a feasibility study to determine the best future home for the Senior Center. Connecticut-based edmSTUDIO will look at the South Deerfield Congregational Church and the former Sinauer Associates/Oxford University Press building at 23 Plumtree Road in Sunderland, as well as any other potential third sites. In its study, the firm will identify the “most advantageous building” that aligns with “the vision for future programming,” according to the request for qualifications.

The South Deerfield Congregational Church has long been considered the top candidate for a long-term home for the Senior Center, at least by the town of Deerfield. The church’s function hall is currently serving as the temporary space for Tilton Library. In the meantime, the center leases space at 22 Amherst Road in Sunderland.

“I think edm brings a lot to the table and I’m looking forward to working with them,” Remillard said. “We’re in a good spot. We just need a home.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.