Centennial Fire Expo set for Nov. 6 at Savin Rock

WEST HAVEN, Oct. 26, 2021 — West Haven’s three fire departments will salute the community’s 100th anniversary with an exposition of all things fire service.

The Centennial Fire Expo is set for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 6 in the parking lot of the Savin Rock Conference Center, 6 Rock St., and in front of Savin Rock. The rain date is Nov. 7.

Free parking is available in the lots of the conference center and West Haven High School and the lots off Captain Thomas Boulevard.

The expo, presented by the City of West Haven Centennial Celebration Committee, is part of a six-month series of free events commemorating the community’s 1921 birth and its incorporation by the General Assembly as Connecticut’s youngest municipality.

West Haven’s fire service includes the independent West Haven Fire Department, which serves the First Fire Taxation, or Center, District, and the independent West Shore Fire Department, which serves the Shore’s 2nd District. It also includes the 3rd District’s formerly independent Allingtown Fire Department, which was taken over by the city in July 2012 and is now known as the City of West Haven Fire Department Allingtown.

Together, the departments have been in operation for 350 years — West Haven since 1888, Allingtown since 1907 and West Shore since 1918.

West Haven Chief James P. O’Brien, West Shore Chief Stephen Scafariello and Allingtown Chief Michael R. Terenzio are organizing the large public exhibition, which will feature engine and truck displays, including antique fire apparatus, and a fire service exhibit at the Savin Rock Museum, 6 Rock St.

The expo will include Mack firetruck rides, a hazmat trailer, food trucks, the departments’ rescue boats and fire merchandise vendors, along with pop music by Acoustic Mafia and an appearance by Sparky the Fire Dog, said organizer Beth A. Sabo, the committee’s chairwoman.

It will also include educational demonstrations on smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, drone technology, home sprinkler systems, first aid, and fire code and investigation.

West Haven firefighters will demonstrate the departments’ 35-foot smoke trailer and show children what to do in the event of a fire.

Allingtown firefighters will install car seats for people. They will also inspect those already installed to ensure that the portable seats have been properly fastened for securing small children.

Fire apparatus dealers and members of the University of New Haven’s Fire Science and EMS/Paramedic clubs will have resource tables with information on products and programs.

Jennifer A. Amendola, the director of the 911 Communications Center at police headquarters, will educate people on the structure of West Haven’s Emergency Reporting System, known as ERS.

Representatives of Griffin Hospital will give doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to those 18 and older, and members of the city Health Department will have information on the coronavirus, food sanitation and the flu.

The city Department of Emergency Management will have information on West Haven’s Community Emergency Response Team, storm preparation, post-storm recovery, and natural and human-made disasters.

Emergency Management Director Joseph Soto said the CERT program, which needs volunteers, educates volunteers on disaster preparedness for hazards that could impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations.

Soto will sign up residents for the city’s emergency notification system to receive alerts. The Citizen Notification System enables the city to quickly provide residents with critical information in a variety of situations, such as severe weather, unexpected road closures, missing persons, and building or neighborhood evacuations, he said.

The system is operated in partnership with Everbridge Inc. of Burlington, Massachusetts, the world’s leader in incident notification systems.

Once registered in Everbridge’s secure database, the site will send subscribers time-sensitive messages via cell, home or business phones or email or text messages. The notifications are broadcast through West Haven’s Emergency Operations Center.

Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, the committee’s honorary chairwoman, said the expo will join a long list of special events observing West Haven’s secession from Orange a century ago, including the Centennial Boat Parade in June, the Centennial Savin Rock Festival in July, and the Centennial Fireworks and the “Hubbard Farms” exhibit in September. The rural and residential sections of Orange separated in 1921 when the residential part, West Haven, became the state’s youngest town.

In the spirit of West Haven’s birthday, Sabo will sell copies of the new centennial book, “City of West Haven: Village to Town,” as well as centennial coins, lapel pins and WestHavenOpoly, the centennial version of the board game Monopoly.

All book and merchandise proceeds generated by the committee will offset expenses and support the $50,000 centennial budget approved by the City Council, said Sabo, the city’s commissioner of human resources.

For other centennial merchandise, visit the 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.

A portion of the vendor’s merchandise proceeds will support the centennial account, Sabo said.

For a complete list of centennial events, see the Schedule.

West Haven Senior Center receives donation

WEST HAVEN, Oct. 26, 2021 — (Pictured): Elderly Services Director Alyssa Maddern, left, receives a copy of “Super Word Seeks” and other cognitive-focused products donated by Debra Yurschak Rich of Penny Publications on Wednesday at the West Haven Senior Center.

Penny Publications LLC, based in Norwalk, is recognized as North America’s leading puzzle magazine company.

(City Photo/Dirmy Mack III)

Veterans of last 100 years honored Nov. 7 at city museum

WEST HAVEN, Oct. 26, 2021 — The Veterans Museum & Learning Center will observe West Haven’s centennial with an exhibit honoring the community’s service members.

The open house exhibit, “A Salute to Veterans of the Last 100 Years,” is slated for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 7 at 30 Hood Terrace. Doughnuts and refreshments will be served.

The exhibit, presented by the City of West Haven Centennial Celebration Committee, is part of a six-month series of free events marking the community’s 1921 birth and its incorporation by the General Assembly as Connecticut’s youngest municipality.

The public display will include a “visual representation,” or wall, of more than 300 names of West Haven men and women from the past 100 years who defended the liberty and integrity of the United States while serving in all branches of the armed forces, said Arlene DeGrand Painter, who manages the museum.

Painter said city Human Resources Commissioner Beth A. Sabo, the committee’s chairwoman, will talk about the patriotic memorials, monuments and statues for veterans in West Haven and the annual services commemorating them.

Museum member Barry Josephs, an Army veteran of the Vietnam War, will discuss the history of Veterans Day, Painter said.

The event will also include tours of the museum, a living history of America at war.

The 9,000-square-foot museum shows collections from the 102nd Infantry Regiment and the New Haven Grays, a protective force formed after the War of 1812. It also displays relics from each conflict since the U.S. fought for independence, allowing visitors to walk a timeline around the camouflage-clad warehouse off Sawmill Road.

Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, the committee’s honorary chairwoman, said the exhibit will join a long list of special events celebrating West Haven’s secession from Orange a century ago, including the Centennial Boat Parade in June, the Centennial Savin Rock Festival in July, and the Centennial Fireworks and the “Hubbard Farms” exhibit in September. The rural and residential sections of Orange separated in 1921 when the residential part, West Haven, became the state’s youngest town.

In the spirit of West Haven’s birthday, Sabo will sell copies of the new centennial book, “City of West Haven: Village to Town,” as well as centennial coins, lapel pins and WestHavenOpoly, the centennial version of the board game Monopoly.

All book and merchandise proceeds generated by the committee will offset expenses and support the $50,000 centennial budget approved by the City Council, Sabo said.

For other centennial merchandise, visit the 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.

A portion of the vendor’s merchandise proceeds will support the centennial account, Sabo said.

For a complete list of centennial events, see the Schedule.

Rossi, Shine sign centennial book; next signing is Nov. 17

WEST HAVEN, Oct. 21, 2021 — (Pictured): Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and author Dan Shine sign a paperback copy of the new centennial book, “City of West Haven: Village to Town,” for Juliet Taylor, an Army veteran from Bridgeport, in the first-floor foyer of City Hall on Wednesday night.

The $20 book, printed in partnership with GHP Media of West Haven, chronicles the stories and photos that shaped West Haven’s past 100 years. The information was sourced from the “Historian’s Corner” series written by Shine, one of the foremost authorities on West Haven history.

The 116-page historical work, which has black-and-white and full-color photos, was commissioned by the City of West Haven Centennial Celebration Committee to commemorate West Haven’s 1921 birth and its incorporation by the General Assembly as Connecticut’s youngest town.

Rossi, the committee’s honorary chairwoman, and Shine will sign more books from 5:30-7 p.m. Nov. 17 at the city’s Main Library, 300 Elm St.

The book is also available for purchase in the Department of Human Resources at City Hall, 355 Main St., or by calling Commissioner Beth A. Sabo, the committee’s chairwoman, at 203-937-3558.

(City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Phase 1 of shoreline restoration project underway