Birthday banter between the transfer station’s Swap Shop founder Susan Sloan and attendant Jim Powelzyk led Sloan to throw a gala party for the 70-year-old last Sunday at Norbrook Brewery.
The event was a first for both of them. “I’ve never done anything like that before and Jim had never had a birthday party,” Sloan said.
She termed the event a “good friends’ function,” saying it offered townspeople a chance to mingle. “Jimmy knows so many people in town,” she said. “He knows tons of people at the transfer station, drives the ambulance and knows everyone in the fire department.”
Having decided to do something when Powelzyk reached a milestone birthday, Sloan conferred with some friends who offered to help. “I would watch who he talked to at the transfer station and then I would run up and slip them an invitation,” she said.
About 100 people attended the event, which included a bountiful buffet prepared by Lisa Ludwig of LisaBeth Confections and music by Andy Styles and friends. All the left-over food was sent for use at the firehouse where Ludwig’s husband is an assistant fire chief.
“Jimmy was quite surprised,” said Sloan, who succeeded in keeping the event a secret. “He doesn’t like being the center of attention, but I told him this was a good way to have people pay attention to him.”