Passport to Sandy Hook Welcomes Over 800 Visitors

Restaurants, delis, financial institutions, retail and even a music store make up the diverse businesses located in the Sandy Hook Village Center. On Saturday, the second annual Passport to Sandy Hook gave families access to anywhere in the village.

Michael Burton, president of the Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity, which organized the event, said over 250 passports were handed out — twice as many as last year.

"We estimate over 800 people attended the event," Burton said Sunday. "It was awesome. A bigger turnout than last year. We had about 27 merchants participating."

People went to each business with their passports to have it stamped and once it was filled out, the passports that were turned in were entered into a drawing for three prize packages worth a total of $2,300.

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Passport to Sandy Hook was sponsored by Newtown Savings Bank and the event was broadcast live on i95.

"The main purpose is to promote each and every business by giving people a reason to visit every store," Burton said.

Often times it leads people to go to businesses they wouldn't normally go to, according to Burton, who said the hope is that the owners will gain some new customers.

In addition to eating a variety of foods and shopping, the day included a bouncy house for the kids, a police K-9 demonstration, touch a truck with vehicles from Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue, music and other entertainment.