WHATELY — Between fiddle tunes, a petting zoo and a clown, the South County Senior Center’s picnic at Herlihy Park on Wednesday hardly resembled what you might envision it to look like.

The picnic serves as an annual get-together for Senior Center patrons. This year, the center wanted to do things a little differently from previous iterations, which have traditionally been held outside the 1888 Building in South Deerfield. Instead, Senior Center Director Jennifer Remillard chose to hold the event at the recently renovated Herlihy Park, and picked a festive summer carnival theme to match the center’s energy.

“We wanted to do something fun and different,” she said. A group of Deerfield, Sunderland and Whately police officers joined the South County TRIAD group, the Friends of Deerfield and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office to help put on the event.

Remillard also thanked the volunteers involved in both the picnic and the Senior Center’s day-to-day operations.

“The volunteers make it happen,” she said. “They are what keeps the center going.”

The picnic serves as a chance for a large group of Senior Center members to come together for a social outing, while also providing an opportunity for members to share their thoughts on what they’d like to see at the center in the coming months.

Deerfield resident Joanne Provost said she feels the Senior Center has been doing a great job with its programming and the social aspect has been wonderful.

“I feel like a kid again,” she said. “It’s a great place to connect with old friends.”

Sunderland resident Carol Ryan said she’s really enjoyed the exercise programs that are available three times a week. She also commended Remillard for her work in growing the Senior Center since she joined last year.

“She’s done an outrageous job,” Ryan said, adding that she believes the consensus among many center patrons is similar. “Writing grants is not easy, and she’s going in and pulling in this stuff.”

While patrons love the center’s growth and its programs, the biggest request, including from Remillard, is a permanent home for the South County Senior Center, which currently rents a space at the Holy Family Roman Catholic Church in South Deerfield and a second space in Sunderland. Remillard noted that as the center grows — it has registered 58 new members since January — the need becomes even more apparent.

Ryan echoed that thought. She said she feels the three towns have been increasing the center’s budget, but have not pushed hard enough to find a new place.

“The Senior Center needs a building,” she said. “The towns do not seem to be getting on it. … [The center] is going to keep growing.”

Deerfield Selectboard and Senior Center Board of Oversight member Trevor McDaniel said they are currently waiting on results from a feasibility study focused on the South Deerfield Congregational Church on North Main Street, which could be used as a long-term home while the three towns determine if they want to build a new center.

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