Large portions of gratitude were served up at the Easton Public Market’s test kitchen on Wednesday as Ed Kerns was honored for his pivotal role in making the Karl Stirner Arts Trail (KSAT) a success.
Kerns’ plate was filled with praise for his contributions, a certificate of commendation from Easton Mayor Sal Panto, a resolution signed by members of the KSAT Board of Directors, and four framed KSAT photographs.
“It’s just a token of our appreciation for the incredible amount of work that you’ve done, and the vision that you’ve provided, and the language that you’ve provided that really helped guide the arts trail to where we are today,” said Jim Toia, KSAT executive director and curator. “Those words were so, so important to us, and that vision went well beyond the one or two years of work that you were starting to do — to think about the 10 to 15 years down the road to where we are now.”
“You’ve dedicated a lot of time over the last 10 years to this effort, and we want to say thank you,” said Panto.
A former KSAT board chair, Kerns acknowledged the roles of the late Richard McAteer, Panto, and former Lafayette College President Dan Weiss in bringing the arts trail to fruition.
“What we’ve done for the town is create … a green museum,” said Kerns, “and that was the original concept, the original language. Most great colleges and most great towns have some sort of museum space that any person of cultural inclination can enjoy.”
KSAT board member Theresa Hogan presented the four photographs, which she purchased from a series shot by fellow board member Ed Shaughnessy. Selections from the collection are being exhibited at the market, with proceeds from sales benefiting KSAT.
