 Frank Sinatra tribute artist Steve Kaz, center, will lead American Swingtime Featuring the Echoes of Sinatra Orchestra in a concert at 2 p.m. Dec. 12 in the West Haven High School auditorium. The two-hour show will trace Sinatra’s career and life through music and storytelling and will close the West Haven Centennial Celebration. (Publicity Photo)
|
|
|
|
Sinatra tribute show closing centennial festivities Dec. 12
WEST HAVEN, Nov. 30, 2021 — The West Haven Centennial Celebration will officially close with a concert by American Swingtime Featuring the Echoes of Sinatra Orchestra on Dec. 12.
The show is set for 2-4 p.m. in the West Haven High School auditorium, 1 Circle St. Face masks are required regardless of vaccination status.
Presented by the City of West Haven Centennial Celebration Committee, the concert finale is part of the community’s 100th anniversary festivities, a six-month series of free events commemorating West Haven’s 1921 birth and its incorporation by the General Assembly as Connecticut’s youngest municipality, said Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, the committee’s honorary chairwoman.
The six-piece EOS Orchestra, fronted by Frank Sinatra tribute artist Steve Kaz, will trace the career and life of Ol’ Blue Eyes through music and storytelling.
According to Kaz, the show will also include big-band standards from Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Count Basie and selections from the Great American Songbook.
“Don’t miss the opportunity to experience this exciting show, featuring classic songs, skilled storytelling and world-class musicianship,” Kaz said.
The concert 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, the Centennial Fireworks and the “Hubbard Farms” exhibit in September, and the Centennial Fire Expo and the “100 Years of Veterans” exhibit in November. 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, committee Chairwoman Beth A. Sabo will sell signed copies of the new centennial book, “City of West Haven: Village to Town,” along with 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. |
|
|
|
Rossi holding town hall meeting in person, on Facebook at 6 p.m. today
WEST HAVEN, Nov. 30, 2021 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi is inviting residents to participate in a town hall meeting in person at City Hall or virtually on Facebook Live at 6 p.m. today.
The community event is aimed at fostering communication and transparency between City Hall and West Haven residents.
Residents can attend the town hall in the Harriet C. North Community Room of City Hall, 355 Main St., or they can participate in the meeting on the Facebook Live page called UNH Mayor’s Advisory Commission. Face masks are required for City Hall attendees.
The town hall is sponsored by the mayor’s office and the University of New Haven Mayor’s Advisory Commission, a collaborative, student-driven task force founded in 2015 to strengthen town-gown relations.
The UNH commission is led by Christyllis A. Douglas, a sophomore studying psychology, and adviser Chris Haynes, an associate professor of political science and national security.
All members of the community are encouraged to participate in the town hall and ask questions. The moderators are Haynes and Allison E. Mahr, a sophomore studying international affairs.
Participants can send questions before the meeting by email to amahr2@unh.newhaven.edu or chaynes@newhaven.edu. They can also submit questions during the meeting in the “Comment” section on Facebook Live.
Participants are allowed one question with a one-minute time limit. At the beginning of the question, they must state their name and the subject of their question, with all comments related to the city or government of West Haven.
Participants must keep all dialogue courteous and respectful.
For more information, call the mayor’s office at 203-937-3510, or send an email to amahr2@unh.newhaven.edu or chaynes@newhaven.edu.
|
|
|
|
 West Haven Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, with grandson Arthur Rossi, 11, right, leads Executive Assistant Louis P. Esposito Jr. and Santa and Mrs. Claus in a countdown to light the Christmas tree on the Green at the city’s holiday kickoff Saturday. (City Photo/Andrew Kosarko)
|
|
|
|
Rossi lights city’s Christmas tree; watch on YouTube
WEST HAVEN, Nov. 30, 2021 — Santa and Mrs. Claus joined Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and a group of essential workers who helped West Haven through the coronavirus pandemic to light the Christmas tree on the Green at the city’s holiday kickoff Saturday.
After arriving in the West Haven Fire Department’s 1935 Mack pump firetruck, Santa and Mrs. Claus were escorted to a portable stage on the Main Street side of the Green by the West Haven High School cheerleading team to the sound of applause and shouts of glee from an estimated 400 merrymakers who braved the bitter cold.
Before the lighting of the tree, which is flanked by two smaller evergreen trees adorned with fluorescent-colored lights, Louis P. Esposito Jr., Rossi’s executive assistant, thanked and praised the mayor’s special guests — nurses, first responders and other front-line workers from West Haven — as the all-ages crowd clapped and cheered.
Rossi then thanked people for coming and led them in a countdown to set the tree — and the Green — aglow.
Read the full story, see the photos and watch the video at West Haven Tree Lighting. |
|
|
|
|
|
Hanukkah menorah lighting marks Festival of Lights
WEST HAVEN, Nov. 30, 2021 — (Pictured): Rabbi Chanoch Wineberg of Chabad of Westville in New Haven, joined by his children, leads a Jewish blessing and the lighting of the menorah on the West Haven Green at the sundown celebration of the first day of Hanukkah on Sunday.
Among those attending were Mayor Nancy R. Rossi; City Council members Robbin Watt Hamilton, D-5, Treneé McGee, D-7, Barry Lee Cohen, R-10, and Gary Donovan, D-at large; City Clerk Patricia C. Horvath; Tax Collector Dorothy Chambrelli; and Planning and Zoning Commissioner Steven R. Mullins.
The annual ceremony marked the Jewish Festival of Lights, an eight-day commemoration of rededication of the Temple by the Maccabees after their victory over the Syrians.
Before the lighting, Rossi delivered words of inspiration, saying: “Never be afraid to stand up for what’s right. Judah Maccabee and his band faced daunting odds, but that didn’t stop them. With a prayer on their lips and faith in their heart, they entered the battle of their lives — and won. We can do the same.”
(City Photo/Patricia C. Horvath) |
|
|
|
 From left, West Haven Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, Councilman Gary Donovan, D-at large, City Clerk Patricia C. Horvath, Councilwoman Treneé McGee, D-7, mayoral aide Ruth G. Torres and Councilwoman Robbin Watt Hamilton, D-5, pause before the annual Hanukkah menorah lighting on the West Haven Green. (City Photo/Dorothy Chambrelli)
|
|
|
|
Santa delivering gifts in Center, Allingtown fire districts
WEST HAVEN, Nov. 30, 2021 — Santa Claus will be driving around the Center and Allingtown fire districts delivering gifts to children Dec. 11, starting at 2 p.m.
District residents can drop off wrapped gifts with their child/children’s name/names and address labeled for delivery to the Center District, 622 Second Ave., from 6-9 p.m. today and Dec. 1 and to the Allingtown District, 20 Admiral St., from 9 a.m.-noon Dec. 4.
Donations for the gift delivery service are $10 for the first household gift, an additional $5 for a second household gift, and $2 for each additional household gift.
Because of COVID-19 precautions, Santa and his helpers will be wearing face masks and cannot enter homes.
Santa can deliver to 160 households only — no apartments or condominiums. Gifts and donations will be collected on a first-come, first-served basis.
The service is offered to residents of the Center and Allingtown fire districts.
Anyone with questions can send an email to co.1hookandladder@gmail.com. |
|
|
|
Vietnam Vets holding toy drive for West Haven Community House
WEST HAVEN, Nov. 30, 2021 — West Haven Vietnam Veterans Inc. is collecting toys for children ages 4-12 on Dec. 11.
The toy drive will take place on the Green from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and benefit the West Haven Community House at 227 Elm St.
Organizers will not accept stuffed animals or toy guns.
|
|
|
|
 West Haven Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and author Dan Shine sign paperback copies of the new centennial book, “City of West Haven: Village to Town,” at the city’s Main Library on Nov. 17. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
|
|
|
|
Centennial book signing heralds gift-buying season
WEST HAVEN, Nov. 18, 2021 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and author Dan Shine signed copies of the new centennial book, “City of West Haven: Village to Town,” for West Haven history buffs at the city’s Main Library on Nov. 17.
The $20 book, printed in partnership with GHP Media of West Haven, chronicles the stories and photos that shaped the community’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 the community’s 1921 birth and its incorporation by the General Assembly as Connecticut’s youngest town, said Rossi, the committee’s honorary chairwoman.
The paperback book is also available for purchase while supplies last in the Department of Human Resources at City Hall, 355 Main St., or by calling Commissioner Beth A. Sabo at 203-937-3558.
Sabo, the committee’s chairwoman, said the book is the perfect gift for the holidays. |
|
|
|
Become a certified lifeguard
WEST HAVEN, Oct. 21, 2021 — If you’re 15 or older and looking for a great part-time job or a challenging career that’s in demand, the American Red Cross Lifeguarding Program is one of the best places to start.
Lifeguarding lets you work as part of a team to help people safely enjoy the water. You could even save a life!
By registering for the free Red Cross-certified lifeguard training course, you will save $450 and gain a job working for the Department of Parks and Recreation.
The starting pay is $13.50 per hour.
Learn more and register at Park-Rec.
|
|
|
|
Every Friday is #FunFactFriday on W. Haven centennial Facebook page
WEST HAVEN, July 29, 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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share via Email
