Sandy Hook Puts Its Stamp On Another 'Passport' Celebration
Sandy Hook Puts Its Stamp On Another âPassportâ Celebration
By Shannon Hicks
âSheâs so lucky,â Stacie Crane said Saturday afternoon upon learning that the âpassportâ she and her children had turned in earlier had been selected for one of three prizes being offered during the 2nd Annual Passport To Sandy Hook. The Crane trio â Stacie and children Pattie and Jimmy â had spent time walking around Sandy Hook Village on Saturday, and Ms Crane credited her daughter with being the driving force behind the team getting to each location necessary to qualify to enter a raffle for prizes donated by area businesses.
âThis was her doing, definitely,â Ms Crane said when she and her children returned to the sidewalk area in front of Sandy Hook Deli & Catering and Sandy Hook Hair Co., where the winners were being selected and announced late Saturday afternoon.
While each passport turned in needed to have the name of an adult on it, many families opted to walk around and participate as a team.
Businesses within the Sandy Hook Village had been hoping for additional foot traffic last weekend, and thanks to a well-coordinated event by Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity, there was plenty of it. Hundreds of Sandy Hook passports were stamped on October 6 when SHOP presented its second annual early October event, which encouraged residents and visitors of all ages to explore the growing village and business district, from The Villa to Wesley Learning Center, Sabrina Style to The Country Mill, and many stops in between.
For five hours, parents, couples, groups of friends, and many other configurations spent time in the Church Hill Road-Washington Avenue-Riverside Road-Glen Road area, with businesses offering food and drink samples, raffle opportunities, and other enticements.
To begin their outing, participants visited one of the participating businesses or the parking lot at 102 Church Hill Road, where members of Sandy Hook Fire & Rescue were receiving donations for FAITH Food Pantry, to pick up a Sandy Hook Passport. The inside of each âpassportâ had a listing of places that needed to be visited, where stamps would be received.
Six SHOP member businesses â Colbert Photography, The Graceful Planet, Haas Insurance, Ice Cream Heaven, McLaughlin Vineyards, and Pediatric Cardiac Specialists â offered sponsorship and/or prizes, and while they were listed on the passports, participants did not have to visit those businesses on Saturday.
Once the 22 participating locations were visited and passports were stamped, passports were dropped into a box and held until 4:15. At that time Pat Kelly, vice president of commercial lending at Newtown Savings Bank, one of the event sponsors, picked three passports from the 379 that were turned in.
Grand prizes this year were collections of gift certificates and items from SHOP members. In recent weeks the prize package had increased from an initial collection of gift certificates and items valued at $1,500 to more than $2,200, prompting organizers to divide the goods into three prizes. In addition to Ms Crane, last weekendâs winners were David Harlow (first place) and Laura Goldstein (third).
Meanwhile, live music began at 11:30 when John Voket began performing in front of Sandy Hook Hair Co., followed by The Bobby Donaldson Band. More than three dozen students from The Graceful Planet literally stopped traffic shortly before 2 when they offered a flash mob to PSYâs âGangnam Style,â taking up temporary residence on Church Hill Road. A bounce house set up in front of Betts Square â with passport stamps and food samples from The Hook Restaurant â kept more guests happy as they continued to walk and explore.
The Toy Tree offered a sidewalk sale, Figs wood fired bistro offered pumpkin decorating in addition to samples of its pizza, and members of Faith At Newtown, who hold their weekly worship service in the space above Porcoâs Karate Academy, offered baked goods in addition to passport stamps for the karate studio.
Latte and muffins were sampled at demitasse, additional raffles were offered by The Iron Bridge (which also offered Halloween treats), The Sheehan Agency and Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team, and Newtown K-9 Officer Felicia Figol, with Officer Matthew Hayes and the departmentâs canine Baro offered a very well received demonstration of Baroâs training and capabilities.
The Childrenâs Adventure Center, The Sheehan Agency, and Coldwell Banker, while not within walking distance, also participated. Staff members from each of those locations had tables set up at 102 Church Hill Road, where they also stamped passports, answered questions, and shared goodies.
Muggy weather Saturday morning gave way to overcast skies by Saturday afternoon, but the weather held and the event â which would have gone on rain or shine â was able continue without incident.
If the goal of SHOP was to have people discover its business district, then that goal was certainly achieved.
âThis definitely worked,â said Newtown resident John Truitt upon turning in his passport. âI think there were six or seven places I didnât even know were here. This was a great idea.â
Fellow resident Pat Hubert was similarly pleased.
âThis is wonderful,â said Mrs Hubert. âThere are places I never knew about. This is a great way for people like [my husband and I], who live in another part of town, to come visit and really see more of Sandy Hook.â
Ken Ballard was able to attend this yearâs event. His wife Dawn had been to last yearâs inaugural event, he said, and he was more than impressed this year. The family, including twins Kenny and Gracie, was among those crowded around tables to decorate small pumpkins at Figs.
âItâs a great way to spend some time,â said Mr Ballard. âThey should do this twice a year.â
âThis is a super way to see the businesses, and meet the owners who own these places,â said Mrs Ballard. âItâs really nice.â
One of the unexpected discoveries for one participant was The Memorial Garden at Newtown United Methodist Church, an area of about 1,800 square feet on the northernmost edge of the churchâs property bordering Church Hill Road. Stone markers even lead from the sidewalk into The Ruth Watkins Memorial Garden, but countless people pass the place of contemplation daily without notice.
âIt was dedicated three years ago, and I canât tell you how many times I have passed that before today without noticing it,â said Jamie Morris. He and his wife, Anne Ragusa, took their time walking the full circuit of businesses on Saturday.
âWe had a great time,â said Ms Ragusa. â[SHOP President] Mike Burton and everyone did a great job organizing this.â
To view additional photos from Saturdayâs 2nd Annual Passport To Sandy Hook, visit NewtownBee.com and click on the Features tab, where this story has been posted.