Late morning of October 16th: eight teams gathered on the banks of the East River just north of the Williamsburg Bridge. They were there for two main reasons. First to support the Swinging Sixties Senior Bus; the team sponsorships would help put gas in the tank and support operating costs for the much-needed vehicle that transports neighborhood seniors to the senior center and other local events. The second reason was to see which team had the right stuff to toss the bocce as close to the pallino (small target ball) in order to score and finally win the tournament.
Fun came before competition. Each year this has proven to be one of the friendliest competitions around. The popularity is evident as there could have been sixteen teams in this year’s tournament, but the organizers wished to err on the side of caution during still uncertain times — there was no tournament in 2020 due to the pandemic. There will be more bocce tournaments in the future.
Victory was sweet for Pete’s Candy Store, 2021’s champion. This is the second year Pete’s entered the tournament. They had to overcome the previous two-time champion Crest Hardware and the 2018 champion, The Meat Hook.
The eight teams who played are all heroes to our local seniors. Much thanks to: Crest Hardware, Meat Hook, Variety Coffee, Bite Size Dentistry, Pete’s Candy Store, Two Trees Management, Harefield Road, and Other Half Brewing. For more information or to support with a donation go to Bocceforbus.org
The Greenline 