On any typical Saturday or Sunday, Wilton’s Rise Doughnuts attracts a block-long line of customers for its famous doughnuts (and fritters, if you’re lucky). But this past Sunday, Mar. 30, customers got an extra sweet treat to find a special guest star baking behind the counter and in the kitchen.
Sure enough, actor Blake Lively was working at Rise on Sunday morning, something she confirmed to fans herself on Instagram, sharing two stories about her experience.
“baking with genius food friends and their kitchen mixer the size of a car,” she wrote on the video of an industrial-sized mixer that she posted to her Instagram story on Sunday. Known as someone with a love of baking, Lively also wrote, “This is what my happy place looks like…”
While Sunday’s story only showed unidentified hands and feet near the mixer, the videos she shared on Monday, Mar. 31, confirmed that she was there, with a cameo at the end of a doughnut montage revealing Lively about to take a bite out of a Boston Cream.
“Never in my life have I tasted anything quite like @risedoughnut,” Lively proclaimed. “I would travel far and wide for these things. And maybe even get up at 5am on a Sunday to work there.”
Several customers shared images and social media posts of the celebrity in the kitchen, as Lively happily posed for selfies with people lined up along the open baking area.
One happy customer wrote on Instagram, “Blake Lively is sweet and lovely…Being so kind and caring to little ones and being patient to chat and willing to take photos with everyone @risedoughnut [the] whole time.”
Lively lives in nearby Pound Ridge, NY, and she and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, frequently post photos on social media about local places they visit.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional photos and caption details.
The doors are wide open at Wilton Congregational Church for Easter celebrations. All are welcome as the church marks this season of hope, renewal and new life — the traditional elements of Easter’s promise. The sounds of uplifting music and the joy of children’s laughter at the annual Easter Egg Hunt are just a few of the powerful ways Wilton Congregational Church brings the messages of Eastertide to our community.
Here is a calendar of Easter highlights open to all:
Palm Sunday, Apr. 13: Worship Service and Blessing
9:30 a.m.: Worship begins with a festive palm procession into the Wilton Congregational Church sanctuary and a blessing of the palm branches. Traditional music, including the sounds of the organ, provide a familiar grounding for this celebration on the first day of Holy Week.
Maundy (Holy) Thursday, Apr. 17: Passover Seder and Service of Tenebrae
6 p.m.: As a reminder of the Jewish origin of the Last Supper, which took place at the Passover meal, and the ties between our faith traditions, Wilton Congregational Church will host an abbreviated seder and a simple Maundy Thursday supper in Pilgrim Hall. The message of Passover, with its theme of liberation from oppression, is a lesson from which all faith traditions may learn. (Please register for supper in advance: 203.762.5591.)
7 p.m.: After the supper, the Service of Tenebrae will take place in the church’s historic sanctuary. Tenebrae is the Latin word meaning “darkness,” and the service traces the dramatic arc of the Passion Story. As each Biblical portion of the story is read aloud, the choir provides musical interludes, and candles are extinguished one by one until the sanctuary is eventually draped in darkness.
Good Friday, Apr. 18: Day of Service at Ambler Farm and Prayer Vigil in the Church Sanctuary
10 a.m.-12 p.m.: Wilton Congregational Church is hosting “Do Good Friday” at Ambler Farm (257 Hurlbutt St.), bringing together intergenerational volunteers for a morning of service to further the work of Ambler Farm, connect participants with creation and deepen relationships with each other.
12-4 p.m.: Then, in the Wilton Congregational Church sanctuary, a prayer vigil will provide the opportunity for quiet reflection, offering a space for shared spiritual connection and support within the Wilton community and beyond.
Easter Sunday, Apr. 20: Sunrise Service at Hillside Cemetery, Worship Service in the Church Sanctuary and Easter Egg Hunt
6 a.m.: Easter Sunday begins early with an outdoor worship service at Hillside Cemetery (165 Ridgefield Rd.). All are invited to gather at the top of the hill for a short service featuring music, scripture and a homily as the sun rises over Wilton on Easter morning.
10 a.m.: Worship in the sanctuary will feature the soaring music of a string quartet and trumpet, traditional Easter hymns accompanied by the organ, and children singing along with the adult choir in festive Easter music. After the service, children of all ages are invited to participate in a giant Easter Egg hunt, featuring hundreds of colorful, treat-filled eggs.
Learn more about Wilton Congregational Church