HUGsgiving in the Park
Fall has arrived, and the air is crisp. Thanksgiving is only days away, and you can practically smell apple pie baking in the kitchen. It’s a Friday night, and you dream of doing something fun and spirited with your friends to kick off the weekend.
Enter HUGsgiving in the Park: THE event of the autumn season where 150 adult friends with disabilities enjoyed and indulged in everything a Fall Friday night should be.
On the evening of HUGsgiving, groups of friends poured into Largo Central Park, claiming the best seats in the house and saving spots for new friends to come hang in front of Largo’s outdoor movie screen set-up.
Since Superman was set to promptly begin flying across the screen at 6:30 PM, HUGsgiving began an hour prior. Apparently, talking with new friends and dancing during a movie is viewed as taboo, so an hour of games, bonding, and dance partying beforehand was essential.
If there was any doubt about where the HUG crew was set up, it was quickly resolved once everyone spotted Hannah dancing the night away and Jon Jr.’s orange beanie lighting up the night.
The sun dipped below the skyline, and Lewis continued to expertly embrace his HUG Ambassador role, greeting everyone who rolled in a bit closer to showtime. “Just Dance” played on the movie screen, amping everyone up before the show began. You could find someone breaking it down anywhere you looked throughout the crowd, and you could hear supportive cheers roaring out from every corner of the park. Honestly… you just had to be there.
Enough popcorn to fill a few movie theaters was distributed among the HUG crew, and in the nick of time, freshly prepared Arby’s Gobbler sandwiches arrived to the premises. As you can imagine, they were, in fact, gobbled immediately. And if you’re wondering whether they were a hit or not… let’s just say a whole lot of people asked for seconds (and thirds).
Alas, it was time to focus in on the night’s main event. Cutter kicked back, and kicked off his shoes, and may friends followed suit. As Superman did his thing, the HUG team did theirs. While the crowd was fixated on the main screen, volunteers and HUG team members Melinda and Sarah caught the group off guard, surprising everyone with apple pies to enjoy as a mid-movie sweet treat to balance out the savory popcorn appetizer.
Unsatisfactory remarks? Not a single one to be heard.
Rather, the HUG team could be seen grinning at the group’s pleased reactions.
Friends bundled up while some sweet couples snuggled up during the movie (we’re looking at you Cassandra + John and Eric + Christine). New friends exchanged names and phone numbers in hushed whispers, while longtime pals quietly giggled and caught up.
As Superman came to a close, it was clear to everyone that HUGsgiving in the Park was a night well spent.
Nights like this one and communities like these truly don’t come around too often… unless of course, you’re a HUG friend. Who wouldn’t want to hang with HUG when a Friday looks like this?
Written by Sarah Bryan
