Sunapee plans community cookout to connect residents with police, firefighters

Sunapee is inviting residents to a June 14 cookout at Sunapee Safety Services that is meant to do more than serve a meal: it will give families a low-pressure way to meet police and firefighters, ask questions, and connect with the people who respond when the town needs help. The event is scheduled for Sunday, June 14, 2026, at 1 p.m., and no RSVP is needed.

The Town of Sunapee posted the Open Table Project Cookout on June 3, listing the Sunapee Police Department, Sunapee Fire Department, Sunapee Police Benevolent Association, Sunapee Fire Department Association and Lake Sunapee United Methodist Church as sponsors. The town said the project grew out of the coffee fellowship that follows Sunday worship at Lake Sunapee Methodist Church, where people gather around a table, share stories, follow up on one another's lives and strengthen bonds.

That same format is now being brought to a public safety building that many residents usually see only in emergencies. By hosting the cookout at Sunapee Safety Services, the town is trying to make the police and fire departments more visible and approachable while also creating a familiar setting for residents who may want to learn more about what those agencies do.

The June gathering is not a one-time experiment. A Sunapee Police Department post in 2025 announced an Open Table Project cookout at the same location for June 29, 2025, also at 1 p.m., showing the town is building on an earlier community event rather than starting from scratch. Sunapee's June 2026 homepage and news page both feature the cookout prominently, and it appears on the town calendar alongside other mid-June meetings and events.

For a rural town heading into summer, the appeal is practical as much as social. A shared meal can lower the barrier between residents and the agencies that handle fire calls, emergencies and public safety, while giving neighbors a chance to talk informally with officers and firefighters outside the stress of an urgent call. In Sunapee, the cookout is being used as a simple public invitation to strengthen those relationships before the season gets busier.