The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Eli Cannon’s beer fest raises $18K
MIDDLETOWN — The summer is moving right along in Middlesex County, and the chamber continues to be on the move.
Before previewing some of the events and activities of the week, I want to officially wrap up the 13th annual Middletown Motorcycle Mania Wednesday on Main Street and the surrounding areas.
This major event, held in honor of one of its founding sponsors, Dan M. Hunter, featured over 7,000 bikes and over 12,500 spectators. It was presented by Hunter’s Ambulance, Hunter Limousines & the Hunter Family, and driven by Haymond Law.
The entertainment was terrific, the vendors did very well, the restaurants were packed, and we are
proud that the event continues to defend its title as the largest one-day summer motorcycle event in New England. The show bikes that were entered for awards were unbelievable, and I am happy that Middlesex County was wellrepresented when the bike awards were presented.
In addition to Hunter’s Ambulance, Hunter Limousines, the Hunter Family and Haymond Law, event sponsors also included, the city of Middletown, Liberty Bank, Middletown Downtown Business District, Brookfield Indian Motorcycle, Eli Cannon’s Tap Room, Bank of America, Gengras Motorcycles, Indian Motorcycle of Springfield, MedExpress Urgent Care, the Flood Law Firm, Marcum LLP New Haven, Witter’s Web, All American Productions, Middlesex Music Academy, Lyman Orchards Golf Club, First & Last Tavern, and WMRD/WLIS Radio.
I also want to take a moment to once again acknowledge the fine work of the city of Middletown personnel that worked to make it a safe and enjoyable evening for everyone. From Director Bill Russo and the team at Middletown Public Works Department, Geen Thazhampallath and the team at the Parking Department, Fire Chief Rob Kronenberger, Fire Marshal Gary Gessaro and the entire Middletown Fire Department and all of the emergency services personnel, everyone did a truly professional job.
I want to especially thank the Middletown Police Department whose members worked very well
with our staff and volunteers to make sure that the event was secure and wellorganized. All of the officers and support staff were extremely helpful once again and we appreciate it very much. I thank Chief Bill McKenna, Officer Peter Batsaros, and the entire MPD for their support of the 13th Annual Middletown Motorcycle Mania. A special thank you also goes out to Mayor Dan Drew and members of the Common Council for their continued support of all of our downtown events.
I want to express my sincere appreciation to Event Chairman Rich Greco, Event Coordinator Haley Stafford, the chamber staff, and our over 100 volunteers for their unbelievable support of Motorcycle Mania.
This week, another busy one, features a few major chamber events and a number of other important meetings. Tuesday afternoon, I look forward to attending a meeting of the Connecticut Culture and Tourism Advisory Committee at the DECD offices in Hartford. The chamber will always recognize that tourism is a key economic driver in our region and throughout our state. I look forward to meeting with my fellow committee members as we continue to work to make Connecticut a key tourism hub in the northeast United States.
Later Tuesday afternoon, I look forward to participating in the official check presentation to the Middlesex County Coalition on Housing and Homelessness after a record-breaking Eli Cannon’s Charitable Beer Fest Aug. 6. The Beer Fest, which featured over 75 brewers from as far away as Maine who donated their products for all to taste, introduces people from all over the state to all that downtown Middletown has to offer.
The 9th year of this terrific event raised $17,844 for the Coalition on Housing and Homelessness, which continues to do critically important work that is reducing homelessness in Middlesex County. I thank Rocco and Aubrey LaMonica and their entire team at Eli Cannon’s Tap Room, and look forward to celebrating with them and the coalition.
Tuesday evening brings us to Westbrook for our annual Business After Work Networking Reception at Water’s Edge Resort and Spa. The Water’s Edge team puts out a delicious spread of food and drink at this annual event, which always includes a little extra shoreline flavor, and the views of the beach and water are remarkable. The Business After Work is for key employees of chamber members and will, as always, feature some of the best networking around.
I thank the Dattilo family, Director of Sales Keith Lindelow, Senior Sales Manager Karen Robidoux, and the entire Water’s Edge team for hosting us and for their continued support of our chamber. We look forward to a great evening in Westbrook.
Wednesday morning, our August Member Breakfast Meeting featuring UConn Head Football Coach Randy Edsall will be held at the Red Lion Hotel. Sponsored by People’s United Bank, it will feature an update from the coach on the upcoming season of Husky football, which begins Aug. 30 vs. UCF. Coach Edsall recently returned to the position, and we are thrilled that he is back leading the Huskies.
Excitement continues to build for the September Business After Work networking reception which will be held aboard the Lady Katharine Cruise Boat, Mystique Sept. 12. Mystique is docked at Harbor Park, 80 Harbor Drive in Middletown. Members can board the boat at 5 p.m. and network while docked. At 6 p.m., the Mystique will take a trip down river and will return at 7 p.m. This event will feature a terrific spread of food and drink and the best networking around.
I thank the owner of Lady Katharine Cruises, Essex Steam Train and Riverboat, for hosting this event and for their strong support of our chamber. Kevin Dodd and his team continue to great work throughout region, and we continue to appreciate their effort.
The chamber will welcome FedEx Ground President & CEO Henry Maier as guest speaker Sept. 21. Mr. Maier assumed his role in June 2013 and is responsible for the strategic direction and performance of the company. He also serves on the FedEx Corp. Strategic Management Committee. His visit coincides with the opening of the 525,000square-foot, state-of-the-art distribution hub in the Westfield section of Middletown.
FedEx Ground has more than 90,000 employees, an average daily volume of 8 million packages, and annual revenue of $18 billion (FY2017).
The meeting will be immediately followed by a Lenders Forum, which will feature a panel discussion and mini expo with representatives of bank, nonbank and community lending sources. Attendees will learn how to access the money they may need either now or in the future. The event will feature information on conventional bank financing, nonbank and community business lenders, SBA & DECD loan programs and other important topics about financing your business.
Save Oct. 24 for Connecticut Connections, Middlesex County's Premier Business EXPO. This full day of events and activities will include the main expo hall with over 110 exhibitors from a wide variety of industry sectors, a career fair with over 50 employers who are hiring, our annual Small Business Awards Luncheon, which will honor a number of our small business champions, and other content ranging from politics to substance abuse prevention and more.