Mark Lutz and Laurene Basso, the owners of Station 25 Restaurant in Newtown, threw a Thank You Dinner for the snowplow drivers from the Public Works and Parks and Recreation departments last week. Approximately 50 drivers work between the two departments, and about half were able to attend the dinner thrown in their honor.

“Driving a snowplow is dangerous and hard work,” the couple said Monday, March 9. “The drivers are away from their families during the worst times of storms. Visibility is limited, the roads are treacherous, and the hours are long. … it’s a huge undertaking.”

Newtown has been on the receiving end of three big snowstorms since the beginning of the year. The first snow of the year occurred over the weekend of January 17-19. Intermittent storms that weekend dropped a total of 9.5 inches by that Monday morning. The second, on January 25, brought another 14-16 inches of snow.

A nor’easter that arrived on February 22 then added 12-18 inches across town before moving out of the area the 30 hours later.

On Monday, Basso said their son works for the Public Works Department in Brookfield, so she and Lutz know first-hand how daunting driving a snowplow is. The two felt the best way they could say thank you to the drivers and recognize their hard work and commitment was to invite them to the restaurant for a special dinner.

Among the featured items on the menu of the Waterfall Plaza eatery on March 9 were BBQ baby back ribs, baseball steak, chicken scarpariello, penne alla vodka, chipotle meatloaf, and other delicious entrees.

The drivers expressed how grateful they were for the show of appreciation for their efforts and the recognition of how demanding it is to drive a snowplow in the New England winters.