Annual Hampden County Sheriff’s Department cookout in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The Hampden County Sheriff’s Office Annual Summer Golf Tournament and Cookout happened in Springfield on Wednesday.

The event started Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. with lunch and included Italian sausage grinders with peppers and onions, hotdogs, hamburgers, and clam chowder, according to a news release from Sheriff Cocchi’s office. The dinner began at 5 p.m. and included BBQ ribs or grilled chicken, baked beans, and salad.

The cookout was $50 a ticket and buys a full day of festivities, including lunch, dinner, games, live music, and a wide variety of soft drinks and seasonal beers.

Some elected officials such as Attorney General, Andrea Campbell, are expected to make an appearance. Sheriff Cocchi will not be in attendance after coming down with Covid-19. He told 22News that he is grateful that the event will go on.

“The cookout is about me saying thank you to the people in our community who support, encourage, and advocate for the work that we do, and when you see an overwhelming amount of people, about 2,000 people come down that walkway. It really shows that people in the community are happy with the work that their’s sheriff office is doing,” said Cocchi.

Senator John Velis (D) Westfield was also in attendance, and told 22News, “Every now and then it’s very good to have those conversations, very serious conversations. We got a housing crisis a mental health crisis we got a number of things, tax issues out there and sometimes it’s nice to talk about it in a laid back environment.”

Between lunch and dinner, attendees can enjoy live music, ladder ball, and cornhole, as well as raffles with hundreds of prizes and more.

The sold-out Annual Golf Tournament was held before the cookout at Franconia Golf Course and Veteran’s Golf Course.

“The tradition of this cookout is about bringing the community together with their legislators and elected officials to have conversations about what’s happening in their neighborhoods and daily life. I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones as we continue to evolve the positive role of the sheriff’s office in the community,” Sheriff Cocchi said. “I’m proud of the proactive strategy we’ve taken to engage the community, including helping people struggling with addiction and offering opportunities to those in jail so they never return. I look forward to building upon these efforts with input from our neighbors and those who represent us, regardless of anyone’s political party.”