Last Friday, Stewart’s Shop held an official Grand Opening at its new location at 3733 Route 9W on the corner of Chapel Hill Road in Highland.

Stewart’s Shop Public Relations Manager Robin Cooper welcomed everyone to the opening of the new $3 million facility, the 13th Stewart’s shop in Ulster County. In honor of the event Stewart’s presented a check of $1,000 to the Highland Babe Ruth League for kids.

Lloyd Supervisor Dave Plavchak welcomed the new Stewart’s Shop to Highland.

“We’re thrilled to have you and we’re really impressed already by what you’ve done,” he said. “With the check to Babe Ruth we absolutely look for businesses that want to support our community and work with us and we’ll work with you. The store is beautiful, it went up quickly and this is a perfect corner for it. I know for myself and the Town Board and the whole town, we wish you nothing but success and we hope that you do very well.”

Ulster County Legislator Gina Hansut and Kevin Lynch, Director of Economic Development for Ulster County, highlighted the benefits of the new store to the area.

“Stewart’s has always been a great partner for our community, from the ice cream socials to the baseball teams and also the fact that you support local New York State farmers. That’s where all your milk and eggs come from and we appreciate that. Welcome to Highland,” Hansut said.

Kevin Lynch said County Executive Jen Metzger “is very supportive of enterprises like this because they bring businesses and communities together. Certainly, community engagement and fostering economic development is a mainstay in our county and the more we can do not just to support this community but to provide jobs and to fund things for projects that are impactful and foundational.”

Robin Cooper said Stewart’s began considering this new site about three years ago. He said Highland was one of the easiest communities to deal with, from the planning stages through to completion.

Cooper said this is Stewart’s 360th store, with 350 in New York, from Ulster County and north to the Canadian boarder and west to Syracuse, and 10 in Vermont.

Cooper said Stewart’s backs up its commitment to the communities they serve by donating money each year to worthwhile organizations and causes, amounting to about $9 million a year.

Tina Colgan handles fundraising and securing sponsorships for the Babe Ruth League for kids.

“Stewart’s has been very generous to us over the years. They donate food and products for our snack-bar at the field, such as ice cream, candy, water and sodas,” she said. “I know they are also very generous to the football program and the schools in town. They are just great and every year it fills my car.”

Colgan said they once had a freezer malfunction and all of the ice cream that Stewart’s had donated was lost.

“I called them up and they re-donated the ice cream,” she said. “They work with me for whatever we need for the snack bar.”

Tina said many other businesses and organizations also support the League.

“The Highland Rotary was very generous and helped us buy a new state-of-the-art sound system and we are the only local field with lights,” she said.

Colgan also thanked the American Legion for allowing parking on their property when they have games.

She said this year they have about 200 boys and girls in the League from ages 4 to 12.

“The spring season starts in January and we do weekly clinics with batting, throwing and everything at the Highland High School and they have been generous with giving us space,” she said. “We get out on the field in April, after the snow melts, and we run until July 4, and we start our fall season in mid-August and play until Halloween, depending on the weather.”