More than 150 attendees sampled Creole-inspired cuisine and a selection of beverages, socialized, and danced to mix of pop and Zydeco music as the Newtown Chamber of Commerce hosted its first event celebrating Mardi Gras — right here at the Newtown Community Center.

Dubbed “The French Quarter: A Mardi Gras Celebration,” the special event was held Thursday, February 20, in the Community Center’s multipurpose room, which was heavily decorated and accessorized for the occasion, with attendees marveling at authentic Mardi Gras masks loaned by Eric Chanko, and a huge paper mache parade head provided by local artist Robert Kaiser.

“We love Mardi Gras and had these fun masks from years past,” Chenko said in a release. “They are beautiful, but too heavy to wear. We donated them to the Chamber and loved seeing how they incorporated them into the event. I just wanted to give a little bit from my old hometown — New Orleans — to my new hometown, Newtown.”

Chamber spokesperson and co-organizer Helen Brickfield said the public event served two purposes — to provide a venue for residents to meet local business owners, and to attract folks from out of town to see more of what local businesses and the community have to offer.

“Chamber events are marketed to what we are calling Greater Newtown, so we market to a 25-mile radius. Our goal is to bring new consumers to Newtown for all that we have to offer both personally and professionally,” Brickfield said.

Newtown Chamber Vice President Judith Miller added, “Events are a way for businesses to showcase what they do best. That’s the common theme in the Chamber’s major events — Newtown Day, Martini Madness, and now Mardi Gras. Newtown [residents] like to work hard and have fun, and we provide events that bring Newtowners together in a relaxed setting.”

Louisiana-inspired appetizers were served up by Lucas Local Oyster Bar, and an assortment of French delicacies and cream puffs infused with Litchfield Distillery Maple Bourbon were crafted by Ms Miller’s daughter and pastry chef Samantha with S.S. Sweets.

Manzi Insurance of Newtown sponsored the dessert table. One Plug Entertainment brought a photo booth with Mardi Gras props from Danielle Raguzin with RE/MAX Experience. Marleen and Bill Cafarelli of Photo and Video Art Works in Newtown traversed the crowd taking photos and video, and Bryan Roth with Edward Jones sponsored the registration table.

Litchfield Distillery sampled two batched drinks, a vodka drink and a bourbon drink, along with a spirits tasting table. Woodbury Brewing signed up to pour its own Don’t Go Romanov, a Russian Imperial Stout.

Woodbury Brewing also offered its Champils, a pilsner-style beer brewed with hand-pressed chardonnay grape must and Tardif de Bourgogne hops.

Chamber member Nick’s Chilled & Distilled provided wine selections, while authentic Cajun and Mardi Gras music came courtesy of entertainment sponsor and DJ, “Dr John” Voket of 99Dollar DJ & Entertainment Service. (Voket is also an associate editor of this newspaper.)

Sovita Chiropractic helped folks relax with chair massages; ServPro of Newtown and Southern Litchfield County assisted with clean-up; and the C.H. Booth Library had personnel on hand to showcase the many business support services available. Expedia Travel, Caraluzzi’s, and Loree’s Fine Foods were also sponsors and/or providers.

Learn more about Newtown Chamber membership, events, and activities by following the organization on Facebook — or visit newtown-ct.com