Brewster In Bloom This Weekend; Tennstedt Named Brewster Chamber’s Person Of The Year

BREWSTER – Sharon Tennstedt is a name many Brewster residents are familiar with. 

She’s served on the vision planning committee, crafting Brewster’s 10-year master plan, has been a co-chair on the council on aging’s board for nine years, was the president of the Brewster garden club, participated in the bay property planning committee, and currently serves as the COA’s liaison to the Sea Camps advisory committee. Outside of the Brewster boundaries, she was the president of the board of directors for Elder Services of Cape Cod and the Islands. She also is currently involved in the leadership group for Healthy Aging Cape Cod and volunteers regularly with WE CAN. 

She’s made an incredible impact on the Cape Cod community, which is why Kyle Hinkle, executive director of the Brewster Chamber of Commerce, and the rest of the chamber board named her their 2025 person of the year. The honor is bestowed upon a local resident who exemplifies true community service. 

Receiving the news of her person of the year honor came as a complete surprise. 

 “First, I was stunned,” she said with a laugh. “Once I got past the initial surprise, it’s a great personal honor to me. To have what I’ve been able to do, to have that work be recognized publicly is just an incredible honor.”

Tennstedt will lead the Brewster in Bloom parade this Sunday, May 4. 

Now in its 39th year, the event has blossomed into a two-day extravaganza, starting May 31 with the annual Brewster Band concert on May 2 at the Brewster Baptist Church beginning at 7 p.m. 

On Saturday, May 3, the Cape Cod 5 Bloom run is set to take place at 10 a.m. Registered runners will meet at the Brewster Inn and Woodshed. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. at the inn parking lot. 

The parade will take place on Sunday, May 4. Residents are encouraged to set up along Route 6A, as the start of the parade forms at Eddy Elementary School. Tennstedt will be in attendance. 

Throughout Saturday and Sunday, the annual arts and crafts fair will be open to the public for free. Located at the Sea Camps bay property, the fair features more than 86 makers and artists showcasing their work. On Saturday, the event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; on Sunday, it will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

For more information and additional events, visit brewster-capecod.com. 

Tennstedt’s love of service started early in her career. Her background is in clinical mental health work, but in the 1970s she registered in a Ph.D. program at Boston University majoring in medical sociology with a minor in social gerontology. 

After completing clinical work, she focused on research, specifically in the field of aging. Over the next 40 years, her research spanned surveys and observational studies to multi-center national clinical trials. 

Tennstedt and her husband bought a home in Brewster in 2004 and became fulltime residents in 2014 after they retired. Once ingrained in the community, she sought out opportunities for volunteer positions that fit her background. 

 “Every volunteer opportunity that I have taken on has been one that’s allowed me to use my professional skills and experience,” she said, noting that the garden club is a personal interest. 

Her lifelong interest in gardening drew her to the garden club in 2018. After her retirement, she looked for the opportunity to join a club focused on the hobby. Although it had been a passion of hers, she wasn’t able to devote much time to it throughout her career. While she was president of the board, the garden club decided to join the chamber as a member, increasing its visibility around town. 

Aside from following her passions, she’s been an impactful advocate for senior living in Brewster and Cape Cod as a whole. She was instrumental in crafting the five-year action plan for the council on aging that helped secure a full-time program coordinator position. Currently, she’s working with the Barnstable County initiative Healthy Aging Cape Cod to build out the volunteer database that was originally established by the United Way about 10 years ago. 

 Since establishing herself as a Brewster resident, Tennstedt has been a consistent participant in the Brewster in Bloom festival. She has walked in the parade with the garden club and been a viewer on the sidelines cheering as floats pass.

 What does Brewster in Bloom mean to Tennstedt?

 “It is our celebration of community.”