KENT—It was a carnival atmosphere both outside and inside 45 on Main Coffee, Chocolate & Creamery for its first birthday celebration Saturday, July 13 and the crowds were delighted to join in the celebration.
Children with their parents were playing the games outside, getting face paintings and checking out the variety of trucks parked in the back for the Touch a Truck. Inside, adults were cooling off in the air conditioning – enjoying ice cream and cold drinks. A DJ played music all afternoon.
The main attraction was the dunk tank and there was no shortage of people trying their hand at dunking the eight local celebs who volunteered to sit on the “hot seat.” Outside temperatures reached 86 degrees and many of the dunkees in the four-hour event said it felt great to get dunked and cooled off in the water.
“The weather was definitely awesome and someone was looking down on us because this morning there were storms forecasted,” said Gary Kidd, the owner/manager of 45 on Main. He said they wanted to make it a birthday party open to anyone.
“The town’s been so welcoming and so supportive to us. This is just about fun,” Kidd said. However, he also wanted to help those in town who are less fortunate.
“We wanted to raise funds for the Kent Food Bank. It is such an important charity that is very much needed in town,” Kidd said. Close to $1,000 was raised.
Participants paid $5 for three balls to aim at the red circle next to the dunk tank that would release the seat and drop the “celeb” into the tank of water. Getting volunteers for the dunk tank was not hard, according to Kidd.
Resident Trooper Vicki Donohoe spent 30 minutes in the dunk tank and went in with her full uniform on but noted she was wearing water shoes.
“Vicki has just been super excited and she’s been so supportive as well,” Kidd said. Other “celebs” were Kent Memorial Library Director Sarah Marshall, state Rep. Maria Horn of the 64th District (D-Salisbury), First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer, Town Clerk Darlene Brady, Mary Cox representing Kent Center School, Kent Chamber of Commerce President Phil Fox, Jean Speck of Kent Volunteer Fire Department and former first selectman, Woody Manes and Gary Kidd.
Social Services Director Samantha Hasenflue was thrilled that Kidd decided to include a Food Bank fundraiser as part of the celebration.
“Every penny we get is a huge help,” she said Wednesday. “The Kent Food Bank serves over 50 households a month, which amounts to over 110 individuals, and many of the households come every week. The money donated will help us purchase more food and items such as personal hygiene and paper products for the food bank participants.”
She explained that it is important that specific non-food items are offered because those are the things that people are not able to purchase with food stamps.
“I don’t think there’s many people out there who haven’t felt the increase in prices when you go shop at the grocery store, so when you consider that many of our Food Bank participants are on limited and fixed incomes an opportunity to shop at the Food Bank helps their funds go a little bit further and hopefully alleviates some of that stress that comes with making sure they’re basic needs are met,” she said.
“I thought the event was absolutely wonderful. Gary did an amazing job tailoring the event to kids and families, (and) my own son, Klaus, had a blast,” Hasenflue said. “For Gary to decide that the celebration of 45 on Main’s first birthday should raise funds for the Kent Food Bank made me feel so honored and so thankful for the immense support that not only the Food Bank gets but the Social Services Department receives from the Kent community!”
She expressed her thanks to everyone who attended, participated and donated. Donations are accepted online through PayPal.
“It was wonderful to see so many people come out and support 45 on Main, as well as the Food Bank,” Hasenflue said.
Hasenflue was joined by Bobbie Davis and Justin Potter, who helped out collecting donations. There were also donation buckets placed around the shop.
Skyy Blue was creating elaborate face paintings for children. Others waited patiently under the umbrellas for their turn.
Inside four Club Getaway employees were enjoying their day off and blowing bubbles through miniature wands. Originally from Mexico, they are working this summer at the resort and decided to come into town for the day. Perla Meza, Luis Utrera, Jorge Sormiento and Mitzi Gonzalez were all smiles enjoying the air conditioned space.
The rear parking lot was filled with trucks and equipment for the Touch a Truck portion of the event, including the ladder truck from Kent Volunteer Fire Department and one of the ambulances, as well as volunteers from both Sharon Fire Department and Gaylordsville Volunteer Fire Department with their equipment, Kent Greenhouse and Gardens had lawn equipment, Kent’s Public Works Department, Taylor Oil, Motoriot and Mike Gawel and Sons Construction. Trooper Donohoe also allowed children to sit in the front seat of her vehicle as she sounded the siren.
Kidd has seen a substantial increase in traffic of customers coming through the shop this summer. By mid-afternoon he said traffic was normal for a Saturday, even with the day’s events.
“On the weekends Kent is becoming a bit of a destination in that people are coming from farther away, because we do things a little bit different,” Kidd said.
He said there’s been some movement of stores and he’s observing more and more people walking over the railroad tracks to get to northern locations in town.
“We are encouraging that flow of traffic,” he said. “What we find is where the crosswalks are people do a loop. Between 1 to 5 o’clock there is just a constant flow of people.”
The volume has increased so much that he’s opened up a second register and he’s planning a hand held self-serve kiosk where people can do their own ordering. The store has increased to 14 staff, having started with 12 and they are currently open seven days a week.
