Mayor Stephen Zanni and Chief Joseph Solomon are pleased to announce that the Methuen Police Department participated in a Forty-Fives tournament with seniors from the Methuen Senior Center this week.
The 10th semi-annual Forty-Fives tournament was held on Tuesday, April 25, at the Methuen Senior Center. It was organized by Sgt. John Walsh and Officer Joseph Rynne of the Methuen Police Department’s Community Outreach Unit.
“The Forty-Fives tournament is a great opportunity for Methuen Police officers to engage with our senior citizens on a personal level,” Mayor Zanni said. “This is just one example of the many initiatives we have in place that pair city employees with community members in a positive, and often different, environment than they may normally interact with each other.”
The tournament started with 24 teams, with two people on each team. Norm Gosselin and Arthur Ouellette of the Methuen Senior Center won the tournament, defeating a team of Methuen Police officers for bragging rights and gift card prizes to Target and Market Basket.
“The goal of this card tournament is to open the lines of communication between senior citizens and police officers,” Chief Solomon said. “We always have fun together and enjoy this event and hope the seniors continue to participate in the years to come.”
Forty-Fives is a trick-taking card game that originated in 19th Century Ireland. The game is now popular in the Merrimack Valley and is also known as Auction Forty-Fives, Auction 120s, 120, Growl, Spoil Five and Maw.
“This is a wonderful event, bringing law enforcement and seniors together for friendship,” Methuen Senior Center Executive Director Corrine LaCharite said. “That way, in case of an emergency, the seniors know a true friend is coming to their aid!”
