AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler
From snowflakes on the windows and gift-wrapped packages on the walls to the elf perched on the coffee maker, the allure of warm java and honey dipped donuts remains a strong draw for young and old at the fixture that is Severna Park’s Donut Shack.
All of it was a delight to two-year-old Ezra who was enjoying a donut with his grandfather Larry Altman last Saturday. The scene was reminiscent of one Larry has seen repeated often over the years. Having known Donut Shack founders Bill and Stacey Prevezanos during their three-decade operation of the shop, Altmann is pleased with today’s ownership group, headed by Ali Matthews and Ben Hilliard. He believes they’re every bit as dedicated as the Prevezanos to maintaining the shop as a neighborhood mainstay – a place for locals to gather with friends or family or buy a box of donuts to take home for Sunday morning brunch.
“I love that Donut Shack is still here,” Altmann said. “It’s a sign of continuity in an area that’s rapidly changing from its small-town environment to an urban one. Lately, I see parents who came here for donuts as kids coming back with their own children. I wanted my grandson to have the same experience.”
He added how happy he and his friends are that the new owners have not changed Donut Shack but have kept the original counter, booths and character of the place. They’ve also continued the Prevezanos’ tradition of providing job opportunities for teens like Owen Dinsmore and his sister Kim who were at the counter on Saturday.
According to Kim, Saturday was a very busy day.
Looking back to the shop’s Grand Re-Opening on February 29th of last year, Ali Matthews recalled that, as owner/operator, she had a lot to learn. Thirteen days later, the learning curve grew even steeper when it was announced that, because of COVID-19, social distancing was going to be the new norm.
Despite the pandemic mandated closure of their counter and table areas, the shop continued operations and remained busy. There was still quite a demand for Donut Shackâs beloved donuts so they began taking and filling orders for coffee and donuts at a table by the front door and initiated an online business that was steady.
According to manager Paul Schiro who oversees online deliveries, the shop has seen a tremendous expansion of those services in the months since.
“We do deliveries weekly through Severna Park and Arnold,” Schiro said. “In addition, every week we go to a different section of the county or to the Eastern Shore. We try to hit every destination every five weeks. One week we’ll do Glen Burnie, Pasadena and Millersville. The next week we’ll hit Linthicum, Odenton and Severn. The third week we’ll do Crownsville and Crofton. The fourth week we’ll do Edgewater and Annapolis. Then we’ve needed to split up the Eastern Shore, where’s there’s tremendous demand, so we head for Stevensville and Graysonville and Chester the fifth week ad Queenstown and Centerville the sixth week. We kind of work it counter -clockwise.”
He added that Donut Shack makes doorstep deliveries. Depending on the weekend, they may have four or five different deliveries using drivers who are locals. Schiro does all the mapping on the weekends at night.
He notes that the delivery business came about solely as a response of the pandemic but remains so popular it’s become a regular service.
“We began deliveries in Severna Park and Arnold with an incredible response and decided to just keep going and continued expanding and expanding,” said Schiro.
There is no doubt that the popularity of Donut Shack donuts has spread by word of mouth. But social media sites like Facebook and Instagram have helped too. The shop also maintains an email list.
It’s great fun to visit the shop which is open daily from 6 am to 8 pm. Its original decor seems almost retro by today’s standards. For little ones, it’s reassuring to know that Donut Shack believes in Santa.
Ali Matthews recalls that the staff learned to make donuts directly from master donut-maker Bill Prevezanos. It took a bit of time to perfect them and recapture the original Donut Shack donut taste. Customers like Larry Altmann can attest to the fact that they’ve accomplished that goal.
For pick-up at the shop or delivery, customers may visit Hand Cut Donut Shop With Ceremony Coffee – Donut Shack (theshackisback.com).
Christmas Eve Services in-person at some local churches
For those who are still thinking of attending an in-person Christmas Eve worship service, they are being offered by many, but not all, Severna Park churches. All are requesting that worshipers wear masks. We’ll list several here.
Severna Park Evangelical Presbyterian Church – 6 pm service w/childcare for 4 yrs. and younger – 8 pm Candlelight Service
Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church – 4 pm Childrens Pageant – 7 pm Contemporary Service – 8 pm Traditional Christmas Eve Service with Choir and Orchestra – 10 pm Traditional Service with Communion
Severna Park United Methodist Church – 4 pm Family Service featuring Children’s Christmas Pageant – 9 pm Traditional Christmas Eve Service with choir, bells and brass quintet – 11 pm Traditional Service with choir.
Trinity Bible Church – 7 pm Christmas Eve Service
St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church – Christmas Eve Mass Schedule – 4 pm at church – 4::15 pm in auditorium – 6 pm at church – 8 pm at church – Midnight at church
Our Shepherd Lutheran Church – 3 pm- Traditional Christmas Eve Service with candlelight and communion – 4 pm Children’s Service with candlelight and communion – 5 pm Traditional Service with candlelight and communion – 6 pm Traditional Service with candlelight and communion – 7 pm Traditional Service with candlelight and communion
Severna Park Baptist Church – 5:30 pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Service – 7:30 pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
St. Martin’s-in-the-Field – 4 pm Christmas Eve Family Service – 8 pm Holy Eucharist Rite II
NOTE: The churches listed will also have livestreaming.
