Newtown Boy Scouts have been serving coffee and donuts to holiday travelers for about three decades. While coffee stops used to be set up for most major holidays, the program has dwindled down to Boy Scout Troop 370, who continue to offer free coffee and baked goods to travelers over Memorial Day weekend.

After 30 years of offering the travel break at the vacant lot on Church Hill Road opposite the Exit 10 East off ramp, the coffee break will be moving just slightly west this year. Scouts will be moving into the upper parking lot of Newtown Hardware next weekend, utilizing part of that space for a pair of tents that will again be open all weekend.

Troop 370 Scoutmasters Bill Watts and Burt VandeWeerdt visited the lot this week, when they decided where each tent would be located. One tent will be set up in the northeast corner of the lot, for food and coffee serving, and the second will be in the northwest corner, providing shade from sun or shelter if there should be rain.

“This will be good,” Mr Watts said Tuesday afternoon. “It’s a perfect location.”

The former location is no longer accessible for Scouts, or anyone. While the eastern intersection of Church Hill and Edmond Roads had been used for years, berms that were installed at the commercially zoned vacant lot at 75 Church Hill Road two years ago made it difficult for the Scouts to accommodate many travelers. The new location should allow a number of travelers to pull off the main roadway, park safely, and enjoy a break.

“This should work just fine,” Mr VandeWeerdt said. “It’s a perfect location. We’re still right off the highway. We’ll add a few more signs, and people should be able to find us.”

Mr Watts said the use of the parking lot was offered by Mike Sorrentino, the owner of Newtown Hardware.

“He was more than gracious to us,” Mr Watts said. “He said we can have use of this for as long as we want to continue running the coffee stop.”

The Scouts will also be using power supplied by Mr Sorrentino’s business for part of their operation over Memorial Day weekend. Jimmy Antonopoulos, one of the owners of neighboring Pizza Palace, has also promised to supply some of the weekend’s water and power, said Mr Watts.

 Boy Scouts of all ages volunteer during the weekend-long event. Parents are required, according to Mr VandeWeerdt and Mr Watts, to be at the tent with their Scouts.

Volunteers spend at least one four-hour shift at the tent.

“The shifts overlap too, so there is never any time where no one is here, or here alone,” Mr VandeWeerdt  said.

Mr VandeWeerdt and Mr Watts will put in 10–15 hours of time before next weekend even commences. Behind the scenes planning and arrangements, tent placement and set up, and other tasks will take up some of their time. Both will also put in nearly 30 hours over the weekend.

“We’ll check on supplies regularly, and the boys,” said Mr Watts.

Teardown and cleanup will mean another few hours before the coffee stop is closed up for the season.

The Boy Scout Memorial Day Weekend Coffee Stop will open on Friday, May 22, at 3 pm, and remain open straight through to 6 pm Monday, May 26.

Between 2,000 and 3,000 cups of coffee are served, the men estimate, along with up to 1,000 cups each of iced tea, lemonade, and water. The troop goes through thousands of donuts, they said.

“They’re all donated, from Dunkin’ Donuts, Big Y, Stop & Shop,” said Mr Watts. “And Eunice at Bagel Delight gives us a lot of bagels every year. She takes care of us too.”

Other local bakeries may also be added to the list of donors within the next week, said Mr Watts, who is hoping to reach out to former Andrea’s Pastry Shop owner Tony Posca. Mr Posca has opened a new bakery, Bakes & Cakes, in Southbury.

“Tony’s donuts are fabulous,” said Mr Watts. “He used to give us a lot of donuts, so we’re hoping he’ll be able to get involved again.”

The relocation will allow the Scouts to continue an important tradition.

“We’ve had people stopping to see us for every one of our 30 years here,” Mr Watts said. “We see people from all over the United States, and even Canada.”

Mr VandeWeerdt agreed, saying travelers “tell us they look forward to seeing us.”