Date: Fri 03-Sep-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

coffee-stop-Spiro-Jaycees

Full Text:

Newtown's Respite For The Weary Traveler

(with photo)

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Back in the late summer of '69, a group of men from the Newtown Jaycees set up

a stand near exit 10 off Interstate 84 and started giving away free coffee

during the Labor Day Weekend.

"The guys that ran the midnight to 6 am shift used to sit around and play

cards," recalled former Jaycee Chris Spiro.

Thirty years later, Newtown continues to be known to travelers as the place to

stop for that warm cup of coffee or fresh donut. Whether it be midday or

midnight, truckers, travelers and other motorists can count on a nice break

from the road when they hit exit 10 during certain holidays. These days,

Newtown Girl Scouts staff the coffee stand over the Labor Day weekend, while

the local Boy Scouts serve travelers over Memorial Day and Columbus Day

weekends.

This weekend, this tradition of hospitality celebrates its 30th anniversary.

It will be the scouts from the seventh grade who will set up shop. They are

led by Lillian Nordstrom and Ann Dalton.

August of '69

According to Mr Spiro, the idea for serving free coffee to travelers was the

brainchild of former Newtown resident Bill Von Korf, who, although he was not

a Jaycee, showed up at a Jaycees meeting to suggest it. In that first year,

the Jaycees served coffee and other snacks out of a pop-up camper in the

parking lot of a liquor store (where the Blue Colony Diner now stands). Bill

Tinkler, George Hunter, Hank Mahler and Dan Delvecchio were all involved in

the task of serving the holiday's weary travelers.

The project must have been a big success because Mr Von Korf was named Jaycee

of the month a few weeks later.

"Turns out, he never actually joined the club," Mr Spiro recalled.

As The Bee reported in its September 5, 1969 issue, "the newly initiated

project is one that does not affect the community at-large, but will reflect

the town of Newtown to passer-by."

"Designed to be a safety project, the intent is to entice road-weary travelers

to stop and take a free refreshment break," The Bee article read.

Scout leader Norma Hays has been involved in the "free coffee" program for

more than 15 years. During that time, she figures local scouts have served

literally hundreds of thousands of cups of coffee and a multitude of donuts.

Many travelers act stunned to see a group of young people and their parents

giving away coffee at 4 o'clock in the morning.

"It's an excellent community service project. We have a visitors book for

people to sign. Some of them are repeat customers, and we have visitors from

all over the world," Mrs Hays said.

Scout leader Shirley Roman has also been involved in the project for more than

a decade. As she points out, putting together a 24-hour rest stop is a lot of

work and requires plenty of volunteer help. It also takes the support of the

local business community and places like the Blue Colony (which supplies the

coffee), Dunkin Donuts and Super Stop & Shop always come up big. The Trudeau

family provides the property (the site of the former Hi-Way cleaners

building), and the Shell gas station furnishes the water hook-up.

The coffee and donuts are free, but the scouts do ask for donations and the

annual collections always bring in more than what would be raised had there

been an actual charge for the refreshments.

Dealing with the public on a main road near an interstate highway might seem a

little hazardous, but the coffee stand is always manned by a handful of

adults. In addition, there is always a police presence nearby.