Displaying items by tag: John Velazquez, Javier Castellano, Tom Burke, Maple Avenue

Front photo shows Hall of Fame jockeys Javier Castellano (left) and John Velazquez at the Maple Avenue Dunkin' Donuts on Aug. 30. Photo by Larry Goodwin. Gallery photo provided by Ed Lewi Associates. 

WILTON – As customers filed through the doors of Dunkin’ Donuts on Maple Avenue Wednesday morning, famed horse jockeys John Velazquez and Javier Castellano waited inside to greet them for a promotional contest and the introduction of a new flavor.

“It’s a pleasure to be here,” offered Castellano, who has competed at the Saratoga Race Course and other national thoroughbred tracks for nearly 20 years. He joked how that is not as long as Velazquez, who has raced for 27. 

Tom Burke of the Burke Network had coordinated the Hall of Fame jockeys’ visit to the Wilton store as a means to promote the Dunkin’ Donuts “Sip. Peel. Win.” contest. It offers a variety of prizes and specials to customers who purchase large or extra large coffees, teas, or hot chocolates.

Castellano and Velazquez enticed willing customers to peel off oversized stickers from a store employee who was disguised as a coffee cup; the jockeys also served up samples to people as they relaxed at tables in the store.

The “Sip. Peel. Win.” contest runs through the end of September at participating Dunkin’ Donuts stores, or until supplies run out. 

The celebrity-backed promotion, according to Burke, was also part of introducing Maple Pecan, a new Dunkin’ Donuts flavor, and the Maple Sugar Bacon Breakfast Sandwich.

“This maple-inspired event was part of a national Dunkin’ Donuts program, in which 15 Dunkin’ Donuts shops located on Maple Streets, Maple Roads and Maple Avenues throughout the country offered free maple-flavored coffee and breakfast sandwich samples,” explained a statement from the Albany firm Ed Lewi Associates.

The “Maple Pecan-flavored coffees and lattes serve a sweet and nutty taste for an exciting new way to stay energized around the changing of the seasons,” the statement continues. The flavor is available in the “full coffee lineup” at Dunkin’ Donuts stores, it adds, including hot or iced beverages, espresso, and frozen or cold-brew coffee.  

For more information, visit the websites www.sippeelwin.com or  www.DunkinDonuts.com.