 Santa Claus, West Haven’s supreme history buff, holds a paperback copy of the new centennial book, “City of West Haven: Village to Town,” and WestHavenOpoly, the centennial version of the board game Monopoly, at City Hall on Friday. Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and author Dan Shine will sign copies of the $20 book from 5:30-7 p.m. Dec. 20 at the city’s Main Library, 300 Elm St. People can also buy the $30 board game at the book signing. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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Centennial book signing set for Main Library on Dec. 20
WEST HAVEN, Dec. 10, 2021 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and author Dan Shine are signing more copies of the new centennial book, “City of West Haven: Village to Town,” at the city’s Main Library, 300 Elm St.
The signing is from 5:30-7 p.m. Dec. 20.
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, along with WestHavenOpoly, the centennial version of the board game Monopoly, 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 and the $30 board game are the perfect gifts for the holidays. |
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Vietnam Vets collecting toys for West Haven Community House on Sunday
WEST HAVEN, Dec. 10, 2021 — West Haven Vietnam Veterans Inc. is collecting toys for children ages 4-12 on Sunday.
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.
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 Frank Sinatra tribute artist Steve Kaz, center, will lead American Swingtime Featuring the Echoes of Sinatra Orchestra in a concert at 2 p.m. Sunday 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)
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Sinatra tribute show closing centennial festivities Sunday
WEST HAVEN, Dec. 10, 2021 — The West Haven Centennial Celebration will officially close with a concert by American Swingtime Featuring the Echoes of Sinatra Orchestra on Sunday.
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. |
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 West Haven Mayor Nancy R. Rossi delivers poignant remarks commemorating Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor during an observance on the Veterans Walk of Honor in Bradley Point Park on Tuesday. Looking on is Louis P. Esposito Jr., Rossi’s executive assistant and the master of ceremonies. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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Pearl Harbor remembered at solemn Bradley Point tribute
WEST HAVEN, Dec. 7, 2021 — The city and the West Haven Veterans Council commemorated Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on the Veterans Walk of Honor in Bradley Point Park on Tuesday.
Before a gathering of veterans, city officials and residents, Mayor Nancy R. Rossi delivered poignant remarks honoring the American patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice 80 years ago during Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.
On Dec. 7, 1941, just before 8 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time, a swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes descended on the island of Oahu and bombed the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor, killing 2,335 service members and 68 civilians.
“This event would launch the neutral United States into action during World War II,” said Rossi, speaking in front of a black granite memorial in honor of World War II Army Pfc. William A. Soderman, who received the Medal of Honor after distinguishing himself in December 1944 while defending an important road junction near Rocherath, Belgium.
“The men and women who lived during this tumultuous time would become known as the greatest generation,” Rossi said. “As time passes, events, such as the horrific attack on Pearl Harbor, seem to drift into the historic domain. It is essential that we recognize the valor of our brave servicemen and -women who prevented tyranny.”
The solemn service featured a presentation of the colors by the West Haven Police Honor Guard, and Louis P. Esposito Jr., Rossi’s executive assistant, served as the master of ceremonies.
Representing the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, Florence Stoeber, the wife of the late Jack Stoeber, a Navy veteran of Pearl Harbor and Iwo Jima who was a regular at West Haven’s Pearl Harbor rites for many years, read the names of the 18 Connecticut servicemen who died at Pearl Harbor. Firefighter Tony Mancini tolled the West Haven Fire Department’s chrome bell each instant a name was called.
Stoeber, whose ashes were scattered in Pearl Harbor after he died Jan. 16, 2016, at age 97, was a .50-caliber machine-gunner aboard the destroyer tender USS Whitney in the Pacific theater of World War II.
“We also honor the 18 military lives from Connecticut that were lost on Dec. 7, 1941,” Rossi said. “Their sacrifices, like all of our veterans’ sacrifices, will never be forgotten. We recognize these brave servicemen and -women’s contribution toward reconciliation and how that peace continues to create a brighter future for us all.”
Floyd Welch, Connecticut’s last known Pearl Harbor survivor, died Aug. 17, 2000, at age 99. Welch, of East Lyme, served aboard the battleship USS Maryland and helped save many lives aboard the bombarded battleship USS Oklahoma.
In observance of Pearl Harbor Day, Veterans Council President Dave Ricci led the crowd in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and Vice President Steve Carney and member Rick Foley laid a wreath at the base of the William A. Soderman Memorial.
The ceremony included a procession of West Haven fire chiefs and officers and 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 also included the national anthem sung by Nora E. Mullins, opening and closing prayers given by Councilman Victor M. Borras, D-8, and taps played by former West Shore Lt. Kevin McKeon. |
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 Representing the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, Florence Stoeber, the wife of the late Jack Stoeber, a Navy veteran of Pearl Harbor and Iwo Jima, reads the names of the 18 Connecticut servicemen who died at Pearl Harbor in 1941. Looking on is Louis P. Esposito Jr., Rossi’s executive assistant and the master of ceremonies. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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 Firefighter Tony Mancini rings the West Haven Fire Department’s chrome bell 18 times in honor of the 18 Connecticut servicemen who died in the Japanese bombing of the U.S. Navy base on Oahu, Hawaii. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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 The West Haven Police Honor Guard leads the opening procession. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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 The West Haven Fire Department Honor Guard carries the American flag to the William A. Soderman Memorial Flagpole for the ceremonial raising. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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 Members of the West Haven Fire Department Honor Guard raise the Stars and Stripes. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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 West Haven Veterans Council President Dave Ricci leads the crowd in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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 Nora E. Mullins sings “The Star-Spangled Banner.” (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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 The West Haven Police Honor Guard presents the colors as Nora E. Mullins sings the national anthem. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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 Councilman Victor M. Borras, D-8, gives the invocation. Looking on is Louis P. Esposito Jr., Rossi’s executive assistant and the master of ceremonies. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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 West Haven fire chiefs and officers stand at attention. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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 West Haven Veterans Council Vice President Steve Carney, front, and member Rick Foley lay a wreath at the base of the William A. Soderman Memorial. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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 Former West Shore Fire Department Lt. Kevin McKeon plays taps. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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Residents urged to test for radon
WEST HAVEN, Dec. 7, 2021 — City Health Director Maureen B. Lillis is encouraging residents to protect their health by testing their homes for radon, the second-leading cause of lung cancer.
Radon is a colorless, odorless and naturally occurring radioactive gas formed from the natural decay of uranium. It is found in rock, water and soil.
While radon in outdoor air poses a relatively low risk to human health, it can enter homes from the surrounding soil and become a health hazard inside buildings, Lillis said.
Lillis said testing for the presence of radon in the home is recommended in the winter months.
A limited number of free radon test kits have been made available to West Haven residents by the state Department of Public Health. To receive a test kit, call the city Health Department at 203-937-3660.
A sanitarian from the department will deliver the kit and help place it in the home, Lillis said.
To learn more about radon, visit the DPH Radon Program.
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Fighting cancer
WEST HAVEN, Dec. 7, 2021 — (Pictured): Dubel’s Cafe owner Fred Hugendubel, left, and Art Gilbert, the co-chairmen of the Dubel’s Golf Tournament, present an $8,100 check for the West Haven Breast Cancer Awareness Program to committee member Beth A. Sabo outside Dubel’s at 260 Campbell Ave. on Monday.
The money was raised at the tournament in October and will benefit the program’s Susan A. Ruickoldt Scholarship Fund.
The fund was founded 19 years ago in memory of Ruickoldt, a city schoolteacher who died of breast cancer in 1997, and a $2,000 check is awarded to a female high school senior from West Haven who plans to continue her education.
(City Photo/Michael P. Walsh) |
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 WHEAT Executive Director Rose Majestic, second from left, receives an oversize check for $2,000 from Killian M. Gruber, the 2020-21 chair of the University of New Haven Mayor’s Advisory Commission, and Mayor Nancy R. Rossi at the West Haven Emergency Assistance Task Force on Dec. 2. With them are, from left, Juan Dominguez, the general manager for Sodexo at UNH; MAC adviser Chris Haynes; and the Rev. E. Carl Howard, the senior minister of the First Congregational Church of West Haven. (City Photo)
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UNH Mayor’s Advisory Commission raises $2K for WHEAT
WEST HAVEN, Dec. 6, 2021 — WHEAT Executive Director Rose Majestic received an oversize check for $2,000 from Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and members of the University of New Haven Mayor’s Advisory Commission at the West Haven Emergency Assistance Task Force on Dec. 2.
The money was raised by the commission and Westies Care at UNH’s sixth WestFest celebration Sept. 18 on the Green and will benefit WHEAT’s food pantry at 674 Washington Ave. The pantry provides food for residents in need.
Westies Care was aided by the First Congregational Church of West Haven, said Phil Liscio, the president of the not-for-profit charity.
Also joining the late-afternoon presentation were MAC adviser Chris Haynes, 2020-21 MAC Chair Killian M. Gruber, Juan Dominguez, the general manager for Sodexo at UNH, and the Rev. E. Carl Howard, the church’s senior minister.
Sodexo, a food service company that manages UNH’s dining services, was one of WestFest’s title sponsors this year.
Majestic said the donation will help WHEAT at a time when it is most needed by providing 100 food items per week for a year.
The festival proceeds were generated from the sale of wristbands for inflatables, a 50-50 raffle and food, as well as from a dunk tank, Gruber said.
WestFest is organized annually by the MAC, a collaborative, student-driven task force formed in March 2015 to strengthen town-gown relations. Last year’s event was postponed because of the coronavirus.
The UNH commission is now led by 2021-22 Chair Christyllis A. Douglas, a sophomore studying psychology, and Haynes, an associate professor of political science and national security.
Westies Care Inc. was founded by Liscio in 2009 in memory of his son, Daniel L. Liscio. To honor his undying spirit, the Liscio family established a scholarship program and organized community outreach projects in Daniel Liscio’s name. |
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UNH men’s hockey team collects food for city’s needy
WEST HAVEN, Dec. 6, 2021 — (Pictured): University of New Haven men’s hockey coach Devin Bertrand, right, presents several bags and boxes of food items to West Haven Youth and Family Services Director Diane Dietman in the second-floor hallway of City Hall on Nov. 30.
The UNH hockey team collected the nonperishable items from players, coaches, staff members and fans during a food drive at West Haven’s Bennett Rink on Nov. 20.
Dietman said the food will benefit families of the West Haven Interagency Network for Children.
(UNH Photo/Amber Bertrand) |
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 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 Nov. 27. (City Photo/Andrew Kosarko)
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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 Nov. 27.
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. |
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