KENT, Conn. – Kent boasts many gems.
Among them is a small section of what is claimed to be the world’s longest hiking footpath, the Appalachian Trail.
A scenic view along a portion of the trail in town is featured on a new USPS stamp that was released Friday, Feb. 28.
“It was kind of shocking,” said John Lyon, Kent postal clerk, of Kent being highlighted on a stamp.
“Of all the places, they picked Kent,” he said. “It’s like, ‘wow.’ It’s good for our area.”
The stamp features the Ned Anderson Memorial Bridge, a footbridge, near the confluence of the Ten Mile River and the Housatonic River.
The Kent stamp is one of 15 on a sheet available at post offices for $10.95.
They are forever stamps, thus they do not have a denomination printed on them and may be used at any time, regardless of any postal rate changes that may have incurred from time of purchase.
Lyon said he has 150 sheets of the AT stamps in hand but may order an additional 100, depending on its popularity and sales.
The post office will also soon have a postmark ink stamper that specifically states mail was sent from the AT in Kent. It will be used for 90 days.
In addition, Lyon said stickers and other small memorabilia related to the stamp issuance have been ordered and should be available to purchase by the first full week of March.
The 2,197.4-mile AT runs from Georgia to Maine. The Connecticut section of it spans 52 miles with 4.7 miles of it in Kent.
The AT passes through Kent, Cornwall Bridge, Sharon, and Salisbury in Connecticut. The Kent segment is the shortest section of the trail in the state.
Nick MacQuarrie, who owns the Covered Wagon Country Store in town, walked the AT from Kent to Maine in 2013. When he stopped in the post office the day the stamp was released, he acknowledged the stamp’s publication as positive.
“Anything that promotes Kent is great,” he said.
Lyon proudly introduced the sheet of AT stamps to resident Anthony Iovino while Iovino picked up mail at the post office Friday morning.
“It’s another feather in our cap,” said Iovino of the stamp issuance.
To access the foot bridge featured on the stamp, hikers park at the Bulls Bridge parking lot, walk over the covered bridge and follow signs to the trail on the left.
The bridge is located a ways down the trail heading toward Ten Rivers Campsite.
“I think it’s fantastic” the town is on a stamp, said Kent Park and Rec Director Matte Busse.
Being on the stamp, “Kent has the opportunity to express itself as the gateway to the Northeast” for those traveling north, and a place for people to stop mid-travel heading south, or for those “yo-yoing” their way along the trail, Busse said.
“It’s outstanding,” he added.
The stamps were released to honor the trail that offers scenic views of mountains, open fields, river walks, forests, wildlife, flowers, waterfalls, gorges, covered bridges, rock formations, ponds, and lakes in 14 states.
Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the pane using existing photographs, according to a USPS press release.
Busse described the town as welcoming to all, including those who pass through while hiking the AT.
The peak of thru-hikers in Kent is July.
He cited the friendliness and warmth of local businesses and their staff, and the fun and rich community and cultural events, such as the farmers market and concerts, attended by those who visit from out of town.
Hikers utilize the local post office to send packages and receive mail, and some utilize the
solar-powered charge center at the library on Main Street.
The town’s Welcome Center, overseen by the town’s Public Works Department, plays an integral role in receiving hikers too.
The center, which opened just under 10 years ago, has public restrooms, a kiosk with local information including visitor attractions, trash and recycling bins, a water bottle filling area, electrical outlets for charging, and a coin-operated shower area.
Town officials saw the need to provide valuable resources in part because the town is along the AT.
“It gives people a chance to realign” and “do laundry” at the local laundromat, Busse said.
Hikers who visit the town “remember Kent,” he said.
“What fantastic impact Kent has,” he said, relating that he has met numerous individuals in the hiking circle who, when he mentions the town, recall their experiences in Kent, say they’ve heard of it, or ask if certain businesses are still open.
“That speaks volumes,” Busse, who as a hiker himself, Busse understands the ins and out of the sport/interest.
He is a member of the Adirondack 46’r, Catskill 3500′ Club’s all season 35’r and Winter 35′. He is also working on his New Hampshire 48s, Northeast Ultra 8s, and Northeast 115s.
He finished his Catskill 3500’r winter challenge on mid-month, and will on Sunday, March 2, finish his Hiker’s Anonymous Catskill Winter 35’r challenge, meaning he will have hiked all 35 peaks in one winter season.
The AT was first proposed in 1921, completed in 1937, and became the Appalachian National Service Trail in 1968.
