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Centennial includes fireworks, Savin Rock Festival
WEST HAVEN, June 10, 2021 — The City of West Haven Centennial Celebration Committee will toast the community’s 100th anniversary with a six-month series of free concerts, historical exhibits and fireworks — headlined by the long-awaited return of the Savin Rock Festival, Mayor Nancy R. Rossi announced.
The festival, last held in 2017 because of a $50,000 budget deficit under the previous administration, is coming home to the 151-year-old grounds of Old Grove Park on July 30-31.
According to Rossi, the committee’s honorary chairwoman, the Centennial Savin Rock Festival will showcase West Haven’s past 100 years and the “sights, sounds, smells and tastes” that made the 20th-century Savin Rock Park “the playground of New England.” More details are forthcoming.
Rossi said the committee is pulling out all the stops for the West Haven Centennial Celebration by throwing a birthday bash to remember — 100 years in the making.
The committee has hung decorative blue-and-white centennial banners around the community in observance of West Haven’s 1921 birth.
To mark the milestone, the committee has opened the centennial’s official Online Store.
The store, hosted by West Haven vendor West Shore Associates, sells such centennial-branded merchandise as long- and short-sleeved T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, stainless steel tumblers, stemless wine glasses, insulated beverage bottles, ceramic mugs, retro sunglasses, canvas and cotton tote bags, eco-performance face masks, and pigment-dyed twill and mesh trucker caps.
Another local vendor, JOD Designs, a veteran-owned screen printing company, will sell centennial T-shirts at events.
A portion of the vendors’ merchandise proceeds will offset expenses and support the $50,000 centennial budget approved by the City Council, Rossi said.
In addition, the committee will sell a centennial coin, lapel pin and book, said committee Chairwoman Beth A. Sabo, the city’s commissioner of human resources.
According to Sabo, most of the book’s content was generously provided by Dan Shine, one of the foremost authorities on West Haven history.
The committee will also sell centennial lawn signs for $10, said Sabo, adding that each person who buys a sign will get entered into a raffle for a chance to push a “start button” to help launch this year’s fireworks. The winner and up to three guests will also dine on burgers and hot dogs under the Savin Rock Fireworks Committee’s hospitality tent before and during the display, she said.
All merchandise proceeds generated by the committee will support the centennial account, Sabo said.
Did we mention fireworks?
The 2021 fireworks, billed as “They Will Be Heard on the 3rd,” will launch off Bradley Point Park at 8 p.m. Sept. 3, with a rain date of Sept. 4.
The display, moved from July 3 to Labor Day weekend to safely accommodate the many throngs expected, is presented by the centennial committee and the fireworks committee.
Before the fireworks, people of all ages can shake, rattle and roll to funk and rock music performed by the Kathy Thompson Band on a portable stage in front of Savin Rock from 6-8 p.m.
“We don’t celebrate many historic events in West Haven, and I’m excited to mark our 100th anniversary with several concerts, events for children, the Centennial Savin Rock Festival and the September fireworks,” Rossi said. “And that’s just the summertime events. There will be more ways to celebrate West Haven’s past and its people through the end of the year.”
On June 12-13, the centennial festivities will commence with a West Haven Historical Society open house exhibit, “From Village to Town,” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the society’s Poli House headquarters, 686 Savin Ave.
The exhibit will include maps chronicling the growth and development of West Haven, formerly known as West Farms, from a Colonial settlement in 1648 to its evolution as a separate town in 1921, society President Jon E. Purmont said.
“We are delighted to share with the public many artifacts, photographs and archival material that explain why West Haven became a separate town,” Purmont said.
Also on June 12, the Centennial Boat Parade will set sail across the West Haven seaboard at 1 p.m. The procession of more than 100 boats will pay homage to the community’s nautical heritage and 3 miles of publicly accessible beaches on Long Island Sound — the crown jewels of West Haven, Rossi said.
The parade will follow the city’s coastline from the jetty off Sandy Point in New Haven Harbor, known as the West Haven jetty, to the Oyster River in Baybrook, according to West Haven Harbor Master Robert Pimer, who has charted the course for the committee and will help steer the procession.
Rossi is encouraging city residents to descend on the beaches along Beach Street, Captain Thomas Boulevard and Ocean Avenue for a front-row view of the boating spectacle.
“I cannot wait for our residents to witness this one-of-a-kind boat parade along our very shore,” said Rossi, who will join Pimer at the helm aboard his harbor master boat. “This event is a tribute to the enduring history and legacy of West Haven as a true maritime community.”
Committee member John Biancur said he expects over 100 boats of varying sizes to participate in the free parade, including motorboats, personal watercraft, and sailboats from the Prospect Beach Fish & Game Club and the City Point, Pequonnock, Waucoma and West Haven yacht clubs. It will also include rescue boats from the West Haven, West Shore and City of West Haven Allingtown fire departments.
Biancur said the parade is open to all watercraft operators, provided they meet at the West Haven jetty at 1 p.m. and follow the Police Department’s patrol boat throughout the route. The rain date is June 13 at 2 p.m.
A Juneteenth event, “West Haven Celebrates Juneteenth,” will take place in Brent Watt Park on Tile Street in Allingtown from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 19 — the traditional commemoration date of the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States.
President Abraham Lincoln first issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring all slaves free in Confederate territory on Sept. 22, 1862, but the news took time to travel. June 19, 1865, is the date when word of the proclamation reached African Americans in Texas.
West Haven’s Juneteenth activities, held rain or shine, will focus on performances by talented young people from the area, including cheerleaders, a poet, dancers, a saxophonist and singers, said Councilwoman Robbin Watt Hamilton, D-5, a committee member.
The community event will include remarks from dignitaries, a rendition of the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, Watt Hamilton said.
It will also include a drum call by Rhythm From the Heart, a performance by the Village Drill Team and a concert by The Nu Groove Band, which specializes in R&B and classic rock.
Local artists and authors will show their works, and vendors will sell novelties and wares, including T-shirts, jewelry and soaps. The Cool Runnings food truck will serve the taste of Jamaica.
Watt Hamilton said the Health Department will offer the COVID-19 vaccine to those 18 and older.
The centennial kickoff ceremony is scheduled for Old Grove Park on June 24 — 100 years to the day of West Haven’s incorporation by the General Assembly as Connecticut’s youngest municipality.
The 7 p.m. event will include opening remarks by dignitaries and the recognition of West Haven centenarians, followed by a two-hour show by The Pop Rocks, “Connecticut’s ultimate ’80s experience,” as part of the West Haven Centennial Concert Series. The rain date is June 29.
To coincide with the June 24 kickoff, the West Haven Child Development Center and the West Haven Community House will start distributing centennial diaper bags to the first 100 West Haven babies born on or after June 24 through the city clerk’s office at City Hall, 355 Main St. Call the office for details at 203-937-3535.
The concert series will continue with Rubber City, “one of Connecticut’s premier concert, party and club bands,” in the Grove at 7 p.m. July 9. The rain date is July 12.
On July 10, the West Haven PTA Council will present “Chalk the Walk” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the boardwalk behind the Savin Rock Conference Center, 6 Rock St., followed by its Sand Sculpture Contest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 17 at Oak Street Beach. The rain dates are July 11 for the chalk event and July 18 for the contest.
The concert series will resume with Airborne, a contemporary jazz group, on the Allingtown Green at 7 p.m. July 17 and Simply Swing, a 10-piece orchestra featuring “swinging horns, a dynamic rhythm section and wonderful vocals,” in the Grove at 7 p.m. July 23. The rain dates are July 26 for Simply Swing and July 28 for Airborne.
On July 31, the Centennial Coed Beach Volleyball Tournament is set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Sea Bluff Beach courts. The rain date is Aug. 1.
The concert series will follow with the Chicago blues of The Cobalt Rhythm Kings at 7 p.m. Aug. 13 and the R&B of Shaded Soul Band at 7 p.m. Aug. 27, both in the Grove. The rain dates are Aug. 16 for Cobalt Rhythm Kings and Aug. 30 for Shaded Soul.
On Sept. 5, the series will culminate in the Grove at 7 p.m. with a two-hour concert by What a Fool Believes, a “Doobie Brothers experience” celebrating the Doobies’ 50th anniversary. The rain date is Sept. 9.
WestFest, a festival sponsored by the University of New Haven Mayor’s Advisory Commission, is slated for the downtown Green from noon-8 p.m. Sept. 18. The rain date is Sept. 19.
On Sept. 25, a “Hubbard Farms” exhibit, presented by Hubbard family member Steven Johnstone, will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Hubbard Farms Park, a wooded 7.6-acre park with walking trails in West Shore’s Hubbard Road neighborhood. The rain date is Sept. 26.
The West Haven Veterans Museum, 30 Hood Terrace, will hold an exhibit, “A Salute to Veterans of the Last 100 Years,” at 10 a.m. Nov. 9.
Other commemorative events will include walking tours of Allingtown and a fire muster in front of Savin Rock with members of West Haven’s three fire departments and the Orange Volunteer Fire Department.
Also planned is a reenactment of a spirited town meeting discussing West Haven’s separation from Orange in 1921 and starring leaders from both communities.
More details on those events are forthcoming. |
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 West Haven Mayor Nancy R. Rossi congratulates eighth graders of Bailey Middle School’s Team 9 on their promotion to high school at a ceremony behind the school gym Wednesday. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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Rossi congratulates students at school promotions
WEST HAVEN, June 10, 2021 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi attended outdoor promotion ceremonies this week at Savin Rock Community School and Bailey Middle School.
On Tuesday, Rossi congratulated Savin Rock fourth graders of teacher Kerry McQueeney’s class on their promotion during a ceremony in the school parking lot.
Most of the school’s 87 fourth graders will attend Carrigan Intermediate School for grades five and six in late August, said Savin Rock Principal Taryn Driend, who led the ceremony with McQueeney.
On Wednesday, Rossi spoke at Bailey and congratulated the school’s Team 9 eighth graders on their promotion to high school at a socially distanced ceremony behind the school gym.
Rossi applauded students’ families and teachers for their guidance and support and helped Principal Robert Bohan present students with certificates of promotion. They were joined onstage by Assistant Principals Paul Giglietti and Stacy Sutton and Colette Bennett, who coordinates English language arts, social studies and library media studies for the school district.
Most of the Eagles’ 473 eighth graders, a class shaped by the coronavirus pandemic, will attend West Haven High School in late August.
Rossi will also wish students well at outdoor promotion ceremonies at Carrigan Intermediate School on Friday and Haley Elementary School on Tuesday. |
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 Bailey eighth graders at their promotion ceremony. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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 Rossi congratulates Savin Rock Community School fourth graders on their promotion during a ceremony in the school parking lot Tuesday. With Rossi are Principal Taryn Driend, right, and fourth grade teacher Kerry McQueeney. (City Photo/Louis P. Esposito Jr.)
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Centennial Boat Parade sets sail at 1 p.m. Saturday from West Haven jetty
WEST HAVEN, June 10, 2021 — A fleet of more than 100 boats are expected to set sail and parade across the West Haven seaboard at 1 p.m. Saturday to christen the community’s 100th anniversary.
The West Haven Centennial Boat Parade, presented by the City of West Haven Centennial Celebration Committee, will pay homage to the community’s nautical heritage and 3 miles of publicly accessible beaches on Long Island Sound — the crown jewels of West Haven, Mayor Nancy R. Rossi said.
The parade will follow the city’s coastline from the jetty off Sandy Point in New Haven Harbor to the Oyster River in Baybrook, said West Haven Harbor Master Robert Pimer, who has charted the course for the committee and will help steer the procession.
Rossi is encouraging city residents to descend on the beaches along Beach Street, Captain Thomas Boulevard and Ocean Avenue for a front-row view of the boating spectacle.
“I cannot wait for our residents to witness this one-of-a-kind boat parade along our very shore,” said Rossi, who will join Pimer at the helm aboard his harbor master boat. “This event is a tribute to the enduring history and legacy of West Haven as a true maritime community.”
Organizer and committee member John Biancur said he expects over 100 boats of varying sizes to participate in the free parade, including motorboats, personal watercraft, and sailboats from the Prospect Beach Fish & Game Club and the City Point, Pequonnock, Waucoma and West Haven yacht clubs.
The procession will also include rescue boats from the West Haven, West Shore and City of West Haven Allingtown fire departments.
Biancur pointed out that the parade is not limited to just yacht club members. It is open to all watercraft operators, provided they meet at the West Haven jetty at 1 p.m. and follow the Police Department’s patrol boat throughout the route.
“The committee is reaching out to the boating community to take part in this unique event,” Biancur said. “We are also inviting as many people as possible to come down to our beaches and see our parade.”
Skippers are asked to decorate their boats in patriotic colors, including displaying American, Connecticut or West Haven flags.
The rain date is Sunday at 2 p.m.
Although the parade will celebrate West Haven’s 100th anniversary, the official centennial kickoff ceremony is June 24. Details are forthcoming.
The committee is planning a series of commemorative events to observe the 1921 birth of Connecticut’s youngest town, said Rossi, the honorary chairwoman.
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West Haven Historical Society plans centennial exhibit Saturday-Sunday
WEST HAVEN, June 10, 2021 — The West Haven Historical Society will hold an open house exhibit, “From Village to Town,” on Saturday and Sunday as part of the community’s centennial celebration.
The free exhibit will take place at the Poli House, 686 Savin Ave., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
Read the full News Release.
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Sound Health publishes 13th edition
WEST HAVEN, June 10, 2021 — For the latest COVID-19 vaccine information and resources, stay connected and engaged during the pandemic with Sound Health, the Health Department’s newsletter.
Read about all things public health at Sound Health, Volume 13.
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 West Haven Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, flanked by members of the West Haven Fire Department Honor Guard, left, delivers remarks during the dedication of the 13th phase of the brick Veterans Walk of Honor in Bradley Point Park late Saturday afternoon. (City Photo/Andrew Kosarko)
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Veterans, families attend ‘brick’ event; watch on YouTube
WEST HAVEN, June 8, 2021 — Joined by West Haven Veterans Council members and city officials, more than 200 veterans and their families from across the state and beyond turned out for the dedication of the 13th phase of the brick Veterans Walk of Honor in Bradley Point Park late Saturday afternoon.
Amid a radiant sky and a warm summerlike breeze, the seaside ceremony, postponed from a week earlier because of rain, featured remarks by Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and Veterans Council President Dave Ricci.
Rossi’s executive assistant, Louis P. Esposito Jr., served as the master of ceremonies.
“It makes me proud and happy to gather for this ceremony,” Rossi told the crowd. “If you are from West Haven, you will surely recognize many names engraved (on the brick Walk of Honor). It is literally a walk down memory lane, and I hope you’ll take time to experience that.
“So while we dedicate this new phase to all veterans, let us especially remember those service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. God bless them, and God bless everyone here today.”
The half-hour ceremony commenced with a flag-raising by the West Haven Fire Department Honor Guard, composed of members of the West Haven Fire Department, the West Shore Fire Department and the City of West Haven Fire Department Allingtown.
It followed with the singing of the national anthem by Nora E. Mullins, a prayer by Mullins’ father, Planning and Zoning Commissioner Steven R. Mullins, and the singing of “God Bless America” by Grace Kelly Nowak.
“Today we dedicate these bricks and we dedicate this day to the memory of those who felt that freedom was worth fighting for,” said Ricci, a Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War. “God bless everybody, God bless America.”
Before the retiring of the colors, former West Shore Fire Department Lt. Kevin McKeon played taps.
After the ceremony, families lined the Walk of Honor to search for bricks they purchased in honor of loved ones. Each brick has a personalized message engraved in charcoal lettering.
In November 2006, the Veterans Council began the first of 13 campaigns selling bricks to memorialize vets on the 100-yard walkway between the William A. Soderman and Vietnam Veterans memorials.
About 2,850 bricks have been installed so far, including 130 for the 13th phase and 51 for the 12th phase, which was dedicated May 25, 2019. Last year’s ceremony was postponed because of the coronavirus.
In May 2015, the dedication of the eighth phase included the dedication of a granite stone in memory of Veterans Council President Lorelee “Lori” Grenfell, who died in 2015 at age 60. The memorial was crafted by Giordano Bros. Monuments of West Haven.
The Walk of Honor’s first phase and the city’s Korean War Memorial were dedicated in May 2007.
In May 2008, the walkway’s second phase and a memorial in honor of World War II Army Pfc. William A. Soderman were dedicated.
Soderman received the Medal of Honor after he distinguished himself in December 1944 while defending an important road junction near Rocherath, Belgium.
Four years after his death, on July 1, 1984, the flagpole in Bradley Point Park was dedicated in Soderman’s memory.
City Human Resources Commissioner Beth A. Sabo has overseen the construction of all phases of the walkway, which was built by City Point Construction Co. of West Haven.
Sabo has also supervised the design and placement of the granite Korean War and Soderman memorials, which were made by Shelley Bros. Monuments of Guilford.
Also in 2008, 14 grave markers signifying every war in U.S. history and peacetime were dedicated. The markers are mounted on granite posts.
Watch the “2021 Veterans Brick Ceremony” on West Haven YouTube. |
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 Members of the West Haven Fire Department Honor Guard salute. (City Photo/Alycia Sandella)
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 Former West Shore Fire Department Lt. Kevin McKeon plays taps. (City Photo/Alycia Sandella)
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 The Veterans Walk of Honor, Bradley Point Park. (City Photo/Alycia Sandella)
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Every Friday is #FunFactFriday on W. Haven centennial Facebook page
WEST HAVEN, June 2, 2021 — The City of West Haven Centennial Celebration Committee has launched a new series called #FunFactFriday to promote the community’s 100th anniversary this year.
Every Friday, the committee will post tidbits celebrating historical events, people and places in West Haven from the past 100 years on its official Facebook page, City of West Haven Centennial Celebration - 1921-2021.
The page is administered by the city and edited by Dan Shine, one of the foremost authorities on West Haven history. Like the page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CityofWestHavenCentennialCelebrationCommittee.
The historical facts are compiled from various West Haven Library references by staff members Taylor Cordova and Kiana Arevalo under the supervision of Executive Director Colleen Bailie.
The committee is planning a number of commemorative events, starting this month, to observe the 1921 birth of Connecticut’s youngest town.
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 Grand Marshals Mike Pimer, wearing sunglasses, and Frank J. Corso steer West Haven’s Memorial Day parade up Campbell Avenue on May 31 from a golf cart driven by city Human Resources Commissioner Beth A. Sabo. (City Photo/Andrew Kosarko)
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Parade honors America’s fallen; watch on YouTube
WEST HAVEN, June 2, 2021 — Grand Marshals Frank J. Corso and Mike Pimer steered West Haven’s Memorial Day parade May 31 from a golf cart driven by city Human Resources Commissioner Beth A. Sabo.
Corso, an Army Air Forces veteran of World War II in 1942-45, and Pimer, a Navy veteran who served stateside in 1955-61 and again in 1962-68, led the 40-unit procession of veterans, bands and dignitaries, including Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and other city officials, along Campbell Avenue.
The morning parade stepped from Captain Thomas Boulevard north to Center Street, where throngs of people lined the 1 ½-mile course, American flags waving, for the annual patriotic march.
Last year’s parade was postponed because of the coronavirus.
Corso, who turns 100 in July, and Pimer, 83, were tapped by the West Haven Veterans Council, which helps the city organize the parade, for their years of service to the military, their fellow vets and their community.
The hourlong parade featured a dramatic flyover by a C-130 Hercules, a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft operated by the Connecticut Air National Guard.
The event, in memory of the deceased members of the U.S. armed forces of all wars, is the oldest parade of its kind in southern Connecticut.
In addition to marching bands and veterans groups, the procession showcased the traditional contingent of youth organizations and sports leagues, dance and Scout troupes, fraternal organizations and service clubs, local and state leaders, police officers and firefighters.
A wreath-laying ceremony followed the parade at the World War I Armistice Memorial on the Green.
Watch the parade on West Haven YouTube. |
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 Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and grandson Arthur Rossi, 11, hold American flags while waving to paradegoers along Campbell Avenue in the heart of downtown. (City Photo/Andrew Kosarko)
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 The West Haven Police Honor Guard leads Chief Joseph S. Perno, left, Deputy Chief Carl V. Flemmig Jr. and members of the department. (City Photo/Andrew Kosarko)
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