Celebrating 10 Years Of Great Hot Dogs, And Counting

Mustard’s Last Stand has stood the test of time: the little hot dog stand in the center of New Hartford is celebrating its 10th anniversary!  Open only two days per week ~ Friday and Saturday ~ the stand is a favorite stop for locals and those who make it their destination for an afternoon drive.  Our reporter and her husband Bob recently stopped by to catch up with the owners and to eat lunch at the stand.

Since it was a Saturday afternoon, it was Jennifer Lajoie who was manning the stand.  Jennifer expertly assembled the two hot dogs while chatting with our reporter and her co-worker and his wife who had driven out from Farmington for their favorite hot dog lunch.  Our reporter and her husband went to sit on the picnic table and eat in the shade of the large tree in the garden area next door to the Peddlers’ Junction building while they waited for Jennifer to join them.  A steady stream of customers kept her at the stand and soon Bob joined the line to pick up two more hot dogs with some of the delicious home-made saurkraut.

Jennifer joined our reporter, with her young daughter, Jordan keeping an eye on the stand.  ”So what made you decide to open a hot dog stand?”  Our reporter asked.  ”Actually, it was Jeff’s idea.”  Jennifer said and then went on to describe the circumstance.  ”11 years ago, I’d just had Jordan and Jeff was working long hours at the dealership.  I was feeling pretty alone with Jordan and one day I told him I needed him to be more available to the family.  Soon after that he came up with his idea of opening the hot dog stand, right there in our front yard. ”  She added, laughing:  ”I guess I asked for it ~ I wanted him home and that’s what he did!”  The first year, she said, he was home full-time, manning the hot dog stand every day of the week.  The second year, they decided to keep the hot dog stand open part-time, allowing Jeff to return to his job at the dealership and eventually, allowing Jennifer to return to work part-time.  At this point, Jeff mans the hot dog stand on Fridays, and Jennifer takes over on Saturdays.

Over the years, Mustard’s has built up a loyal clientelle.   “There was one couple, an elderly man and his wife who drove here regularly to  get their hot dogs.” Jennifer said.  ”Finally I asked them where they came from and they said from Granby.  Imagine all the hot dog stands they had to pass to come here!”  ”People really enjoy the saurkraut.”  Jennifer said.  She and Jeff are happy to serve up the saurkraut with their hot dogs or for a special event, but they won’t part with their recipe.   “It’s our own recipe that we developed and people really like the hint of sweetness to it.”

Another aspect of the business that Jennifer really enjoys is the number of people who stop by and ask about the Kennedy family.  ”I tell them “I am a Kennedy!”  Some of those people used to live in New Hartford years ago and they knew my grandfather, and my grandmother and my mother.  And they come back to New Harford and connect with my family again.”  The Kennedys have owned the Peddlers’ Junction building and the two-family house next door since Jennifer’s grandfather’s day.  ”My father bought the little house next to the bridge and turned it into a hairdressing salon for my mother, so she could work right next door to where we live.”  Jennifer added.  Just as she and Jeff are doing with their hot dog stand on their front lawn.

Our reporter and her husband Bob lingered a while longer, enjoying sitting at the picnic table, listening to the birds right in the business center of New Hartford, while Jennifer left them to go and tend to a couple who had just pulled up on their motorcycle, hungry for some good hot dogs.

Arbella Insurance Group Gives $500 Grant To New Hartford Volunteer Ambulance

The Arbella Insurance Group Charitable Foundation recently awarded a $500 grant to the New Hartford Volunteer Ambulance Association. Jennifer Lajoie, who is an employee of the Arbella Insurance Group applied for the grant for the local Ambulance Association and she presented the check to the association at their Annual Meeting this past April 21. In presenting the check, Jennifer said that a relative had recently needed the help of the ambulance service and she had been impressed by the way the members of the ambulance group had provided the service her relative needed. Jennifer thanked the members of the Ambulance Association for the work they do in our community.

The $500 grant will be used by the Ambulance Association to purchase an AED unit (an Automated External Defibrillator) for the New Hartford Senior Center.

This is the second grant that the Arbella Insurance Group Charitable Foundation has awarded to a local group through Jennifer’s efforts. The first grant, awarded in 2009 was for $1,000 which the Friends of Brodie used to purchase a metal climbing tower at Brodie Park.

Many Thanks: to Jennifer Kennedy Lajoie for pursuing the grants from her employer’s charitable foundation for the benefit of our community.