The Brunswick Downtown Association hosted their third annual Community BBQ on Saturday. Folks gathered on the Town Mall to enjoy food, live music, outdoor activities and community-building.

The barbecue served as a fundraiser for other summer events and programs hosted by the BDA.

“This event is all about giving back to the community,” said Debora King, executive director of the BDA. “We want to draw people, locals and members of other communities, downtown and give them a chance to experience the best parts of Brunswick. Like our jewel, the Town Mall.”

“The BDA knows how to throw a good party,” said local resident Carol Sockloff, while sitting on the gazebo steps.

Sockloff and her husband attended the event with their daughter and two grandsons from out of town.

“It’s easy to live in isolation, but with these events we get to meet people with similar interests and reconnect with people we haven’t seen.” said Alan Sockloff.

The event attracted many visitors from surrounding communities. Carol Garvan of Gardiner sat on the mall with her father and daughter.

“We came down to visit the Bowdoin museum, saw all the activity and decided to stop,” Garvan said.

Gravan said that they had enjoyed the barbecue, and that the bounce house had been a big hit with her daughter.

Other activities included face painting, lawn games and tractor train rides, thanks to the help of volunteers from the community and local businesses.

Musician Emilia Dahlin, who performed at the barbecue, said she loves playing in Brunswick.

“It was nice to stand on stage and have a birds eye view of the kids bouncing around and everyone having a great time,” Dahlin said.

All proceeds from the BBQ go toward funding the 35 free events on the BDA’s calendar; such as their free Wednesday night concert series, Music on the Mall, which runs June 28 through Aug. 30.