Hey, it’s Karen!

The Thread City Hop Fest started in 2014 when a very well-intentioned brewer who shan’t be named may, or may not, have overcommitted to a half-marathon organizing team. Instead of a beer for every runner, and with very little time, a beer fest was born. I launched it and ran it through 2020 when I stepped away. It remains something I am very proud of. Over the years since it launched, the Hop Fest has brought together 60+ brewers, thousands of attendees, and the best part is that to date it has raised over $284,000 for local organizations.

Books & Brews was a no-brainer collaboration between Willibrew and the Willimantic Public Library. A book club run by the library and hosted at the restaurant. The event continues to this day, but what’s not to like about getting together with friends to talk about a book you’re reading, enjoy a beverage and a bite to eat?

Crafty was another opportunity for Willibrew to team up with their neighbors either in the restaurant or in their shops. Participants got to enjoy Willibrew food and drink while learning something new and getting to know the downtown Willimantic neighborhood. We painted, decorated cupcakes, tie-dyed t-shirts, made jewelry, and Christmas wreathes. The event continues to this day with a different name, which I think just goes to say we’re never too old to have a little fun.

The Spirit of the Season Holiday Giveaway was my spin on a more traditional shopping passport promotion where shoppers collect stamps. It kicked off on Small Business Saturday and ran for several days. Shoppers visiting participating businesses would be asked to fill out a card with their name and contact info, nominate a downtown business they loved, as well as a local charitable organization. At the end we chose three shoppers who won a variety of really great gifts and gift cards, the local media donated advertising packages for the winning merchants, and the chosen charitable organizations received cash donations. It may have been my idea but it was embraced by local banks and community foundations that funded it.

FILL-anthropic was my charitable drinking club. It came to me when I was volunteering for the local emergency shelter and trying to fundraise. Often I’d ask people if they could make a cash donation and they felt that a small amount wouldn’t be helpful. But I knew that a lot of small donations add up, so I came up with the idea of asking for just $5 — the price of a beer at the time. We met on the 2nd Wednesdays of the month, chose local organizations, and raised over $8,000 doing it. FILL ran from 2010 to 2015 when I had to step away.