Thirteen members of the Merrimack River Carp gathered at Drummond Playground in North Andover on Sunday, Sept. 20, for their 40th consecutive reunion softball game, according to the Andover Townsman.

The players, who average 76 years old, have met every year since 1986 without missing one. Some traveled from New York City, Florida and Los Angeles. Others drove from across New England. All trace their friendships to growing up together in North Andover, where five of them first met at the Bradstreet School in the 1950s.

Joe Faro, 76, one of the few original players still living in North Andover, said the annual game has become something the group refuses to let go. "You keep thinking everybody's going to last until they're 90, but it doesn't happen," Faro told the Townsman. "We try to tell everybody, 'You don't know how much longer we can do this, so make it to the game.'"

The Carp formed in 1972 as a team in North Andover's adult recreational league. Most of the original roster attended grammar school and high school together in town. Some, including players from the Thomson School, had been baseball rivals before becoming teammates.

The team disbanded in 1984 as members started families and schedules tightened. Two years later, teammate Jim Mistretta pulled the group back together. Mistretta sends hand-drawn flyers each year to announce the reunion, and Faro said the players look forward to seeing what he sketches next.

The game itself has scaled back. The Carp once played doubleheaders. Now they take the field for seven innings. Faro estimated about 60 percent of the original roster made it to the 40th game.

Reunion weekends stretch beyond the diamond. The group holds a barbecue, shares post-game meals and argues over who played worst. At Faro's house, they sometimes pull up slideshows of old team photos. Children, spouses and friends have joined the lineup over the years, with family members lining the field to cheer.

The Carp have lost teammates along the way, and Faro said the surviving members recognize how rare the tradition has become. He told the Townsman he hopes the group can keep playing into their 80s.

Out-of-state players make a point of driving past their childhood homes during reunion weekend, visiting relatives still living in the area.