Also Being Honored at October 7 Event will be WWII and New Britain Fire Department Veteran Al Nelson, the “Mayor of New Britain Stadium;” Golf Registration and Dinner-Only Tickets Available Now

New Britain, Conn., August 5, 2022 – The Golden Kielbasa Veterans Open, the state’s premier veterans charity golf event, has established a reputation over the years of not only raising significant dollars for veterans causes, but by honoring distinguished veterans for their service in an eagerly-anticipated dinner ceremony following each event’s full day of golf.

This year, on October 7, 2022, at Tunxis Plantation Country Club, the DAV Hardware City Chapter 8-hosted event, presented by Liberty Bank, will honor a living veteran as well as two veterans no longer with us – and the honorees are very familiar to many New Britain and New Britain-area supporters.

Being honored posthumously for their service to America, the state and the Greater New Britain community will be Angelo Tomasso, Sr. and Angelo Tomasso, Jr., the iconic business and community leaders better known, perhaps, throughout the region for their long-time ownership of the Tomasso Company/Tilcon and charitable works than for their military service. Angelo Tomasso, Sr., served America proudly in World War I prior to establishing the Tomasso Company in 1923, and his son, Angelo, Jr., served valiantly in World War II, earning a Purple Heart for wounds sustained in the Philippines before coming home and eventually taking over the company in 1952 following his father’s passing.

Also being honored will be a lifelong New Britain resident who served four years in the Navy during World War II and another 30 with the New Britain Fire Department, protecting his community and fellow citizens. But 94-year-old Al Nelson may be more familiar as the “Mayor of New Britain Stadium” and the City’s No. 1 baseball fan. Nelson is an institution at the stadium and has attended virtually every New Britain Red Sox, New Britain Rock Cats and New Britain Bees home game since the Red Sox moved to the city from Bristol in 1983, attracting legions of friends and admirers along the way.

Tickets for the steak and chicken barbeque dinner in the Tunxis Pavilion are $75 per person. Tables of eight are $600. Cocktail hour begins approximately 4 p.m., with a pre-dinner ceremony at 5 and dinner commencing at 5:15. All times are approximate subject to when golf play concludes.

Those interested in attending are encouraged to consider making a day of it and registering a foursome. Golf registration is $175 per player, which includes range, greens fees, cart, premium gift bag, lunch and beverages on the course, prizes and post-golf dinner, silent auction and raffle. The shotgun start will be at 11 a.m.

A wide variety of sponsorship packages, ranging from $100 for a tee sign to $5,000 for a Diamond Sponsorship, are available for local companies and organizations wishing to support the cause.

Complete event information, golf registration, sponsorship registration and dinner-only tickets are available at www.davchapter8.org. Look for the Golden Kielbasa Veterans Open in the “Events” section.

Since its founding in 2009, the Golden Kielbasa Veterans Open has raised more than $150,000 for DAV Hardware City Chapter 8, House of Heroes Connecticut and other veterans causes. Some 200 golfers are expected at the 2022 event.

For further information, visit the website or contact Tournament Director Dennis Buden at dennis.buden@davchapter8.org or 860-558-0514.