MARYSVILLE — The staff and residents of Merrill Gardens in Marysville hope to show the city’s police officers and firefighters how much their hard work is appreciated, with another “Guns and Hoses” barbecue June 11.

Barbara Brotherton, community relations director for Merrill Gardens in Marysville, is inviting current, past and retired personnel from the Marysville Police Department and Fire District to eat for free at the facility from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The rest of the community is welcome to attend as well, for a donation fee of $5 each.

“Many of the Merrill Gardens buildings do this, usually as a yearly thing,” Brotherton said. “We want to give back to the firefighters and paramedics who are so often in our building. We always try to give them cookies while they’re here, but we still want to do something more.”

Brotherton cited the number of “close connections” between Merrill Gardens in Marysville and both police officers and firefighters, including the numbers of retired police officers and firefighters now living at Merrill Gardens, as well as the numbers of current police officers and firefighters who have family members living at Merrill Gardens.

Back when she was still a Marysville Fire District commissioner, Kay Smith helped coordinate the event on the fire district’s end and praised Merrill Gardens for this “absolutely wonderful gesture” on behalf of local police and fire service responders.

“It was such a pleasant experience,” Smith said. “Everyone I talked to was enjoying themselves, and I loved seeing the interactions between the current and retired firefighters, as well as the Merrill Gardens residents.”

“The firefighters who come here are always gracious and professional in their responses, in ways that go above and beyond just their jobs,” Brotherton said. “A small town is a great thing.”