Celebrating 40 Years of Community and Looking Toward the Future

Submitted by Kirstin Stewart, Shagbark Lumber & Farm Supplies Store Manager

 For 40 years, Shagbark Lumber & Farm Supplies has been more than just a local business. Since serving its first customer in 1986, Shagbark has been a place where relationships are built, neighbors can gather, and community has always come first.

What started out as Uncle Bud’s small dairy farm turned farm supply business by Fred Hunt and his sister Joanna Hunt, has now grown into a cornerstone of East Haddam, serving generations of customers while remaining committed to the values that built it: hard work, good service, family, and giving back.

Throughout these past years, one of the things that has helped set Shagbark apart is its dedication to local community events. What began with small gatherings such as bringing Santa to town eventually grew into annual traditions that both customers and staff have come to look forward to year after year.

Events such as Chick Day, Fall Weekends in October, to several other customer appreciation events, have always been about so much more than products or promotions. They have been about bringing people together, supporting local causes, and strengthening the connections that make our community so special.

As these events have continued to grow throughout the years, today they feature family friendly activities, local vendors, live music, food, and product demonstrations. It’s also an opportunity to support local causes and organizations such as Save Our Lakes and the East Haddam Ambulance, that work daily to make our community a better place to live. They have become a celebration of everything that makes small-town communities unique. It’s about neighbors helping neighbors, local businesses supporting each other and creating time for a community to come together and enjoy each other’s company.

This year is especially meaningful as we come together to celebrate Shagbarks' 40th year of service to this community. Reaching this milestone is a testament to the loyalty of our customers, the dedication of our staff, and the endless support of the community that has stood by our side for four decades. To mark this occasion, we are very excited to host a special anniversary celebration on June 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This special event will also highlight an exciting new chapter in our history as we celebrate our partnership with ACE Hardware. This partnership allows us to continue to serve the community we love, but also to offer expanded access to trusted products, national brands, and additional resources that will help us to better serve East Haddam and surrounding towns for many years to come, while maintaining the small hometown feel you’ve come to know and love.

Visitors who attend our June 27 celebration will have the opportunity to meet representatives from many well-known brands such as Milwaukee Tools, Big Green Egg, Weber, and several others. These vendors will be onsite along with local businesses showcasing their offerings, answering questions and sharing with you new and exciting products now available to you through Shagbark.

As always, our event will host plenty of family friendly activities such as Face Painting by Pam, live music by the Locamotives, free food, vendor displays by local artisans, organizations, and community partners. As well as in store promotions and raffle prizes by Milwaukee, Jonathan Green, Craftsman and so much more! Bringing everyone together to create an event that truly reflects the people and businesses that makes East Haddam such a special place to call home.

Most importantly, this year’s 40 and Fired-Up celebration is our way of saying thank you. Thank you to the customers who have supported us over the last 40 years. You’ve kept our doors open and the lights on. Thank you to the employees both past and present whose hard work has helped build Shagbark into what it is today. Even though the building is made of wood, you have all laid a brick on its foundation. And lastly thank you to this community for continuing to shop local, support local businesses and remind us every day why we are thankful to do what we do.

As we look back and celebrate these last 40 years, we are also looking forward to a bright future. We want you to know that we are committed to the same values that started it all: to be the good works you wish to see in the community. We hope you’ll join us on June 27 as we celebrate this exciting milestone together, because we couldn’t have done it without you.