Front: Noah Spaulding, grandson of the Marsch’s (Gail Peckler-Dziki/The Report).
By Gail Peckler-Dziki
Correspondent
Festival Foods, the company that purchased Sentry in Paddock Lake last May, specializes in community involvement, including a fireworks show.
When Travis Pitz, new store manager, heard about the Western Kenosha County Kiwanis, he jumped right in.
“I love the sense of neighborhood and family that I feel in Paddock Lake and western Kenosha County,” Pitz said in a recent interview.
“We seek community involvement,” Pitz explained, “and we work to improve that community involvement on a regular basis. We intentionally give back to the community.”
Festival Foods has a specific team that works on community involvement to develop a good relationship between the business and the communities it serves.
Two past Kiwanis presidents, Steve Bluemel and Jason Kron see a great future in a partnership with Sentry and Festival Foods.
“Five weeks after Festival Foods moved here,” Bluemel said, “the Kiwanis have a major corporation helping us to fund the Paddock Lake fireworks. That offset a lot of pressure right away. They are donating fifty percent of the cost of fireworks this year.”
Bluemel said that Bartolotta Fireworks has worked with Kiwanis for more than 12 years, giving a great show for a very reasonable price, but it still makes effort to raise the funds.
The Kiwanis run the Paddock Lake fireworks show and while the village can occasionally contribute financially; the lion’s share of the cost has been covered by Kiwanis member fundraising efforts.
Current vice president and soon to be president Dave Marsch said, “We have a booth at the Kenosha County Fair and sell hot dogs, hamburgers and brats. We do raise money but also have the lowest prices at the fair because we cater to families that attend the fair.”
In addition to contributions to the County Fair, an annual golf outing that was moved to Twin Lakes Country Club this year is another community effort, according to Kron.
“We raise about $10,000 every year,” he explained, “and fifty percent, or about $5,000 is donated every year to Make-a-Wish Foundation. The donation is given to an individual as close to this area as possible.”
Bluemel said plans to work in cooperation with Pitz and the village are in the works.
“Next year, we are looking toward working with Sentry and the village for a day-long event with live bands, food and a beer tent the day of fireworks,” he said.
Festival Foods is a fourth generation-owned grocery chain with 25 stores in Wisconsin yet there is a strong sense of community involvement. Visit to the website, festfoods.com and click on the About Us title on top and you will see the first choice listed is Community Involvement.