LYNN — More than 150 people across four generations gathered for the Amico family reunion at Knights of Columbus in Lynn on Saturday.
The Amico family immigrated from Sicily to Lynn in 1903 and has deep ties to the city’s music scene. Louis “Lou Ames” Amico was the founder of the Lou Ames band, and he owned the former Lou Ames Music Store on Union Street. His son, Lou Amico Sr., worked at the store for 16 years. Meanwhile, Amico Sr.’s cousin Joe Picano was the music director at Lynn Public Schools from 1998-2015.
“They were very closely knit. It was a very musical family, and it still is to this day. They still associate Lynn with their home,” Amico Sr. said.
“They’re very dedicated to music and family,” echoed his daughter-in-law Donna Amico.
The Amico family had been regularly hosting family reunions since 1984, but they stopped in 2006 due to people’s busy schedules. However, at a New Year’s Eve party in 2024, Amico Sr. was approached by his second cousin Judy Adario, and he couldn’t quite remember who she was. Therefore, he made it his New Year’s resolution to get the family back together in 2025.
Planning for the reunion took about a year, with Amico Sr. tracking down 63 email addresses. People aged 1-90 attended the event on Saturday, with many driving in from New Hampshire. Those who couldn’t attend in person joined via livestream to participate in the conversations.
Although the Amico’s are a very musically-oriented family, Amico Sr. said the music at the party wasn’t particularly necessary in order to keep people engaged at the function.
“We really didn’t need the music because everyone talked for four hours because they haven’t seen each other for so long,” Amico Sr. said.
“Everybody was talking to everybody, and everybody got to reconnect with people they haven’t seen in years,” said Donna Amico.
