By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
Broadway star and “American Idol” winner Nick Fradiani will headline the Savin Rock Festival on July 27 in Old Grove Park, 1 Palace St.
On July 26, the festival’s opening night will feature the tribute band Foreigner Journey Experience.
Mayor Dorinda Borer said the annual event will pay homage to West Haven’s proud amusement park heritage.
According to Borer, the shoreline festival will showcase the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Savin Rock Park, once known as Connecticut’s Coney Island and locally as “the Rock.”
The event is presented by the Savin Rock Festival Committee from 5-10 p.m. July 26 and 9 a.m.-10 p.m. July 27.
Along with live music, the festival will include the traditional midway of rides and games by Marenna Amusements and, of course, boatloads of seafood and other mouthwatering dishes.
Marenna will offer wristbands for unlimited rides for $25 and 25 tickets for $20.
According to committee Chairman Ed O’Brien, a number of nonprofit organizations will have informational booths in the 154-year-old Grove, and a fleet of food and dessert trucks will offer burgers, hot dogs, chicken, fried dough, lobster rolls, gyros and meatball bombs, as well as ice cream.
The craft fair, a festival staple, will also take place, spread beneath the park’s oak trees.
Parking costs $10 for nonresidents and is free for residents, provided their vehicles are registered in West Haven.
Parking is available in the grass lot off Oak Street, across from the Surfside public housing complex at 200 Oak St., and in the municipal lot at 6 Rock St., the former Savin Rock Conference Center.
Handicapped parking is available in the municipal lot on Altschuler Plaza, off Captain Thomas Boulevard.
Parking is also available at West Haven High School, 1 Circle St. The city will run a shuttle from the school to the Grove starting at 5 p.m. July 27.
The festival will open at 5 p.m. July 26 with a greeting by Borer and the national anthem sung by West Haven High sophomore Paige Kenny.
Radio personality Brian Smith will serve as the “ringmaster” of ceremonies for a seventh time.
Covergirl, “Connecticut’s premier party band,” will play “the hits you love in an unforgettable style” from 6-7:30 p.m., followed by the Foreigner Journey Experience, performing the radio anthems of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame bands, including Foreigner’s “Double Vision” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” from 8-10 p.m.
Day 2 will kick off at 9 a.m. July 27 with the Rotary Club’s pancake breakfast, followed by the Department of Parks and Recreation’s bocce tournament at 11 a.m.
From 10 a.m.-4 p.m., firefighters of the West Haven Fire Department, led by Fire Marshal Roger Sicotte, will demonstrate the department’s 35-foot smoke trailer and show children what to do in case of a fire. Sicotte will also have a fire safety and public education table with informational materials.
From noon-1 p.m., the Savin Rock Theatre Company will present a performance by Broadway singers.
At 1 p.m., don’t miss the inaugural “Great Bartender Race,” which is sure to serve up nonstop fun and laughs. Teams of four will compete in a relay race at Oak Street Beach to determine who has the best bartenders in West Haven.
At 2 p.m., West Haven firefighters will demonstrate the Jaws of Life tool by prying open parts of a vehicle to free those trapped inside.
From 2-3:30 p.m., two bands from the Rock House School of Music, Echo Box and MeltDown, will open the diverse musical lineup by playing respective sets of rockers.
From 2-4 p.m., children’s activities will fill the Grove, including airbrush tattoos, balloon twisting and face painting. Also, look out for princesses and superheroes — even Dennis the Clown — interacting with children around the park.
From 4-5:30 p.m., tribute group Faster Things will play the hits of the Allman Brothers Band, including “Melissa,” “Ramblin’ Man” and “Jessica.”
Then, in their farewell concert from 6-7:30 p.m., popular local rock band The Navels will perform the best of Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks and other ’70s and ’80s favorites.
Before The Navels take the stage, West Haven’s own Grace Kelly Nowak will sing the national anthem.
At 8:15 p.m., after a spirited introduction by Borer welcoming Fradiani from Broadway to West Haven, the Guilford native and former West Haven resident will entertain festivalgoers with original songs, classic covers and Neil Diamond gems during a high-energy 90-minute show. Fradiani won Season 14 of “American Idol” in 2015 and just finished starring as Diamond in the production of “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical,” which ended its Broadway run on June 30.
West Haven’s flagship festival was established in 1982 by the Chamber of Commerce — initially under the direction of Brian M. Stone, David Gesler and Michael Shiner and thereafter by John L. Perrone and his wife, Mary Perrone — to bring organizations, clubs, businesses and families together for a summer festival that celebrates life in one of America’s oldest maritime communities.
From the dawn of the Savin Rock House hotel in 1838, the Rock had long been a resort hub until it was officially incorporated as an amusement park by the Savin Rock Park Co. on Memorial Day 1925, when it opened to 300,000 visitors and 66,000 automobiles in one spectacular day.
For the next 40 years, the famous seaside park captured the hearts and imaginations of “Rock rats” young and old. “The playground of New England” closed on Sept. 21, 1966, to pave the way for the Savin Rock Urban Renewal Project.