KENT, Conn.—It was Karen Chase’s official 80th birthday recognition, but when glasses of champagne were lifted in a toast on Saturday, the cheer that went up was for the First Amendment.
Sarah Chase and her husband, Bill Watts, were among those who honored Karen Chase on her 80th birthday Saturday during a fundraiser for Kent News, Inc., the parent company of the Kent Dispatch. Chase, who spearheaded efforts to revitalize a local Kent news organization, dedicated the proceeds from her Birthday Bash at Kelley’s Creamery and Minigolf in Dover Plains, NY, to the Kent Dispatch. It raised about $2,000 to help fund the nonprofit news site. A favorite at the lively event was Tally-Ho, held in Watts’ arms. Photo by Kathryn Boughton
That was okay with Chase, a determined advocate for freedom of the press. It was she who was behind the drive to revive the Kent Good Times Dispatch—now the Kent Dispatch—20 months ago. Now, as president emeritus of Kent News, Inc., the Dispatch’s parent company, she continues to support the news site in ways small and large.
Felix Sadtler, 4, put a little body English into his game Saturday at the Birthday Bash to celebrate Kent Dispatch founder Karen Chase in Dover Plains. Photo by Kathryn Boughton
Her birthday party, held at Kelly’s Creamery and MiniGolf in Dover Plains, NY, on June 28, was a fundraiser for the nonprofit news site, which is available free of charge for all to read at kentdispatch.org.
Attended by 40 persons, the event featured food, frolic and friendly conversation. A raffle featured items as diverse as a framed photograph, “White Narcissus,” by Chase, which was part of the fifth annual Exposure Award Microphotography Collection honored at a private reception at the Louvre Museum, in Paris in 2015, a handcrafted travel quilt and indoor and outdoor “family fun buckets.”
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The Kent Dispatch is supported through grants and private donations.
Karen Chase blows out the birthday candles on an ice cream cake during her 80th Birthday Bash Saturday as her daughter, Sarah Chase looks on. Funds raised during the event will benefit the Kent Dispatch, which Chase helped to found. Photo by Kathryn BoughtonJean Speck and Sarah Chase serve up birthday cake for the crowd. Photo by Kathryn BoughtonKent Historical Society curator Marge Smith waits to order her dinner during Saturday’s 80th Birthday Bash for Karen Chase. The event was a fundraiser for the Kent Dispatch. Photo by Kathryn BoughtonGood food and good fun was enjoyed by all at Saturday’s 80th Birthday Bash honoring Kent Dispatch founder Karen Chase. The event raised funds for the nonprofit news site. Photo by Kathryn BoughtonAndrea Schoeny, current present of Kent News, Inc., the parent company of the Kent Dispatch, pays homage to Karen Chase and all the other board members, past and present, who worked so hard to bring local journalism back to Kent. Photo by Kathryn BoughtonThe sign said it all during Karen Chase’s 80th Birthday Bash to benefit the Kent Dispatch. Photo by Kathryn BoughtonFelix Sadtler and Oliver Balassone-Schoeny, both 4, played chess after they golfed at Saturday’s 80th Birthday Bash for Karen Chase, which was a fundraiser for the Kent Dispatch. Photo by Elyse Sadler
Kathryn Boughton has been editor of the Kent Dispatch since its digital reincarnation in October 2023 as a nonprofit online publication. A native of Canaan, Conn., Kathryn has been a regional journalist...
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