Welcome back to Behind the Stacks! As a reminder, both West Haven Library locations will be closed on July 3 and 4 in honor of Independence Day. We hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday; and maybe you’ll see some familiar library faces down at the beach for the fireworks. And don’t forget that the library is participating in the Summer Meal program this summer. Feel free to stop by or call the library to request a copy of the complete Summer Meal schedule, which includes all otherS participating breakfast and lunch locations.
On July 15 we invite kids aged 0-8 and their families to a Beachside Storytime at Oak Street Beach! Come enjoy a story, make music, play parachute games, and decorate a seashell craft. Remember to bring a blanket, towel, or chairs for seating. No registration is required for this event–feel free to drop in! Also on that date, our Ora Mason branch will be hosting another Red Cross Blood Drive from 11 to 4. Visit our website at westhavenlibrary.org to schedule your appointment in advance, which is recommended. If time allows, walk-in appointments will also be available.
In celebration of America’s 250th, join us for Revolutionary West Haven: A Presentation on the British Invasion of New Haven 1779. Ed Kacey will be hosting this presentation about the Revolutionary War and West Haven’s contributions.
This event will be held at the West Haven Veteran’s Museum and Learning Center on 30 Terrace Ave. Refreshments will be available and attendees will be led on a tour of the museum after the presentation. Transportation will be available from the library to the museum and back. Registration is required in order to utilize the transportation services. Call the library at (203) 937-4233 to register or if you have any questions.
The Village Improvement Association (VIA), which is the library’s governing board, is excited to announce that they have purchased 3 brand new Launchpad Quests. Launchpad Quest is an interactive digital discovery hub for kids, designed to make learning feel like play. Kids explore educational games, stories, and creative activities guided by friendly characters called Playaway Pals.
Each Quest is tailored to their age, helping them build skills while staying engaged and motivated. Kids select their age group so activities feel just right–not too easy, not too hard. Playaway Pals guide kids through games, stories, and hands-on learning activities. Kids build confidence as they solve problems, create, and explore. Every Quest blends entertainment with meaningful skill-building. Puzzles, logic games, and interactive stories help kids think and reason, improving their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
These Launchpads help foster creativity and imagination with music, art, and storytelling to encourage self-expression. Science, math, and technology concepts are presented in kid-friendly ways to improve STEM skills. While playing, these Launchpads encourage kids to strengthen their reading, vocabulary, and comprehension skills. Parents can feel safe and secure as their child plays! There are no advertisements, no logins, and no collection of personal data. Stop by the Graham Room or our Ora Mason library and check them out!
And now, once again, let us travel back in time as we uncover interesting stories from arguably simpler times with our Reference Associate Shane’s segment: Archival Oddities… Take it away, Shane!
“Something my coworkers are often shocked to learn about me is that for about a year of my life I was an ardent student of pugilism, AKA bareknuckle boxing. I think it’s my warm and fuzzy personality and lack of stamina that puts people off, until they learn that most of my time back then was spent learning how to be punched in the face. Aside from some lingering cranial trauma, I left with a love of combat sports. Imagine my surprise when, in my journeys through the archive, I found that West Haven was once a hub for the gentle art of fisticuffs.
“It’s not too strange to consider, especially when West Haven was once a glowing hub for a multitude of sports including baseball and the racing of cars, boats, and even horses. Not far from all that was the White City Stadium, named for the city that thinks it knows how to make pizza. Host to more than just a glorious tower covered in 60,000 white lights, this was where legends were made.
“June 30, 1931, world lightweight champion Tony Canzoneri arrived in New Haven from his home city of New York. According to reports he was anxious for this fight, a ten round title bout that would decide if either he or Nebraska’s own Herman Perlick would walk away with the belt and the legacy. Perlick had made a name for himself in the Nutmeg State for an amateur fight in New Haven, and an attempt at the featherweight title made in Waterbury within the last two years. In his corner will be his older brother, Henry, originally set for the undercard fight until an eye injury suffered in training disqualified him. With his own flesh and blood watching through one eye, will he finally take home a title, a validation of a lifetime of hard work?
“No, he did not, Tony Canzoneri smoked him like a salmon and went on to be considered one of the greatest fighters of his era. This one event from almost a hundred years ago grabbed my attention, however. Boxing is still very relevant to this day, and the rise of MMA has only created more attention for combat sports. I myself made plans with friends to watch the recent Rousey/Carano fight.
“The greatest joy I always find in the archives is how similar we are to our ancestors. Photos of the White City Stadium crammed to the brim with spectators as ardent sports reporters run their pencils across pads trying to memorialize every detail. It makes me wonder what else was the same back then, obviously there was no Dunkin or Chicks by the beach, but I guarantee fresh beverages and convenient proteins were abundant. These fights would be the talk of the break room and the playground. Perhaps as my friends and I root for Ronda Rousey, somewhere near the sea there’s still a lingering echo cheering for Canzoneri.”
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