By John Mauer
The folks at Davis IGA surprised Kent with their 35th Anniversary party held both inside and outside of the store on a sunny (almost) spring day. The event combined good food with children’s entertainment and adult fascination.
IGA's Gary Davis
The food demos were everywhere. Outside, the IGA was serving bratwurst, hot dogs, hamburgers, and ice cream. Inside, the variety was amazing: chicken wings, chicken fingers, meat balls, cheeses, éclairs, cup cakes and more. And all over, independent food vendors provided tastes of their goodies: frozen tarts from Daphne Baking Company, the pickle guy, the pesto guy, the maple sugar guys, and more.
The fun maker
But wait, there was the pony ride. Oh, and the tuxedoed man on stilts giving away balloon creations to delighted children. And music from the Litchfield Jazz Festival (remember to go). And the gift bag from the Davis IGA itself.
The front of the store was taken by raffles to benefit the Kent Veteran’s Memorial. And the right parking lot overflowed with a classic car show from muscle machines to old Fords, and, oh, that beautiful Mercedes.
And I’m sure I didn’t get everywhere. The biggest party in Kent tells us all why we favor our home town IGA. Well, maybe the support that the Davis family gives to the community already does that. Thanks Gary, Audrey, and Marie, and the generations of the Davis family to come.
This was a wonderful event, and I swear, the entire town and people from all over the area attended! Vita and I, as well as the Litchfield Jazz Camp teaching artists who performed, were so pleased to be a part of the celebration!