Dear Felicia

Howdy do, sweets. Hard to believe, but here we are headin’ toward the end of July, and we’re already getting set for yet another Savin Rock Festival. Yew can tell it’s that time o’ year cuz the environs are getting “sultry.” I guess that’s the best way to describe it. We’ve had quite the summer with the three “H’s”: hazy, hot and humid, as the order of many a day.

This is summer the way you and I remember it. The domicile has been OK maybe a bit damp, but with the shore breezes, excep’ for a couple o’ nights it’s been more than bearable. But let’s talk about the Fest!

It seems hard to believe that it’s been more than 40 years – 43 by my count – since the erstwhile West Haven Chamber of Commerce (now subsumed into the Milford Regional Chamber) came up with the idea of a festival for mid- to late summer. I can remember the former Sheila Garfinkle, who was a married gal by that time, talking to our esteemed editor about the projeck when we were both at 666 Savin Ave., us in the basement, and the WHCC on the foist floor.

Tennyrate, Sheila came up with the idea and it was gonna be a remembrance of the past, but a look into the future, with all the businesses, civic and fraternal organizations and the fire departments taking part. John and Mary Perrone were the pushers behind the idea as members of the chamber, and the thing took off. Eventually, it was the Perrone couple that pulled that festival through some tough times.

The foist fests were at West Haven High School’s sports complex before it became the showplace it is now. Then it was Ken Strong stadium and a lotta barren fields with a baseball field in the south end, which the late Shrimp Flynn dubbed “Seagull Stadium.” It was gonna be a few years before that baseball field was raised up around 7 feet and became the premier site it is today.

Gloria “Dodie” Ireland and the Perrones along with Mary Tracy really took the bull by the horns, and got the thing on its feet for the first one, which was 1982. It was held at the stadium complex, and featured a lotta events, including a muster by the three fire departments, which kind of anchored the entire thing. More than 100,000 people were estimated to show up that foist three-day weekend. It was a bigger success than anyone imagined.

The thing continued to grow until 1987, when the reconstruction of the stadium and its surrounding area, which later became the Frank Fitzgerald Athletic Complex, was begun. These were tense times for the fest, cuz finding a new place for it was more of a problem back then.

The shoreline, particularly Old Grove Park was eyed as the best alternative, but there were problems. The Minichino administration had designated the shore area for the so-called “boardwalk” that we see today. But that was a move to insure that high-rises wouldn’t be part of any reconstruction of that area. Back then, effen yew remember, “Save Our Shore” was a mantra and a political force, and stayed that way until the Savin Rock Renewal Project lapsed after the 40-year life span.

The fack that the festival would have “over the counter” sales of food was a bugaboo cuz that was specifically prohibited in the renewal plan. It took an agreement by the then-redevelopment property owners to allow the waiver, which was finally done.

We remember the Perrones and Ireland worrying about the festival until it was finally given the go-ahead. And it was successful. Crowds continued to pour onto the shore and the thing became a celebration of all that the city had to offer.

Things have changed somewhat. Civic and fraternal organizations aren’t as big a part of the festival as they once were. The Chamber is gone, and its work was taken over by a city committee; and, once or twice, the festival was canceled due to the ongoing financial woes the berg has faced over the last three-plus decades.

It seems to be on surer footing now, and has become a three-day music festival that brings in people from all over. Crowd counts of more than 100,000 are regular, and people seem to have a great time overall.

Well, it’s here again. And as we git on in years, we marvel at the work of John and Mary Perrone, Dodie and John Ireland and Mary Tracy in getting things off the ground and making sure it prospered. In many ways it was a different town back then, but in many ways it’s still the same. This weekend, we get to see just how much.

~~~

Sammy Bluejay was here to let us know that things are really starting to percolate for two new businesses. Riva, the new restaurant where once stood Chick’s Drive-in has had what is now called a “soft opening.” That’s business-speak for opening the doors for business, but saving the hoopla for later.

Yew gotta give those owners credit, they suffered the slings and arrows of trying to git a new business off the ground, slogging through the delays and the hurdles, but they finally got things off the ground. Let’s hope it serves as a springboard for getting the rest of the Beach Street area settled.

Sammy sez that the former Debonair is still up in the air as to what might finally happen. There has been some talk that a new building will be constructed, but the details have been a bit sketchy. We shall see.

Meanwhile, we see that signs have been put up at the former West Haven Conference Center-cum Phyllis’, cum-the Casino, cum-Harbour Mist, not in that order. The new venue, known as the Kelsey at Savin Rock, is set to be open next year according to the banners put outside the building.

Sammy reminded Cobina that the approvals were given by the City Council, and there doesn’t seem to be any pushback on having it as a banquet venue by the usual suspects. So, it might actually go off without a hitch.

Sammy did say some people are wondering about what is gonna happen with the Savin Rock Museum, which was closed at that site when the Conference Center closed, and we hope it does get some attention. We should not forgit the past, especially one that is so linked to the namesake of the new building. The Kelsey Family had a lot to do with the way Savin Rock became a summer destination almost 200 years ago.

One idea that seems to have lost steam is getting a carousel over on the Rock area somewhere. Foist announced 29 years ago, the projeck had fits and starts, with the hope that the original carousel could be brought back home. That’s not gonna happen. About a decade or so ago, a move was made to git a similar one, from the same company, and one Savin Rock festival had the barrel organ that once was at the Rock carousel site make an appearance. But it’s kind of gone the way of the do-do bird as real effort.

Still, we’re glad to see things moving.

~~~

Iva Lootey brought to our attention the announcement made by the Land Trust of West Haven, Inc. that the area in front of the Old Grove Park, which has been completely leveled, is moving ahead to put in more native grasses and plants and is calling it an “Eco-Park.” That’s a better name than the original projeck, which was rawther technical and don’t have the oomph of the new name.

Tennyrate, that is going ahead, and Iva told me that the Eco-Camp is still operational over there and jest days after he said that, our esteemed editor happened to see Jerry Frumento, one of the original organizers of the camp three decades ago along with the late Mike Paone. Those two were quite the dynamic duo and put together a program that still draws hundreds of kids to the shore to learn about the water and what grows in and around it.

Jerry looks great and still has the spark that made him a very successful and popular teacher at the high school in his prime. The Frumento family has been a big one in the history of the city, and made several interesting contributions. We’re glad Jerry is still haunting our little slice of the universe.

~~~

It’s amazing how things seem to occur in sets. The local school system has had a few blips recently cuz newer employees, who’ve worked in the city for a short period of time, have up and left their positions. The good news is very competent and able people have been put in their places. We saw a picture of Superintendent Neil Cavallaro, and see the hair is getting streaked a lit’le grayer than the last time we looked, and things like this can’t help very much, but he and the system landed on their feet.

Things like this, losing people in clusters, sometimes happen in any business or organization, and it jest proves that jest when things seem their most settled, there is something that will muck things up.

With that bit o’ chatter, we’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,