Howdy-do, sweets! It’s been a while since last we writ, but schedules change and hafta be adapted to whot’s going on in our little corner of the universe. And whilst, there ain’t a whole lotta meaty stuff going on in these Dog Days, there is enuff fodder for our grist mill of whot’s happening hereabouts.
I guess the foist thing to note is that the fireworks went off as expected and a good time was had by all and sundry. There was some angst about the weather, as there always seems to be, and word is that things went back and forth with city officials, including Herroner, watching their weather apps as well as the local updates trying to figger out if the storms that were supposed to arrive would be late.
As it toined out, they were not only late, they weren’t much and the show was determined to go on as usual. Of course, there was enuff noise here and abouts to let anyone know a show was in progress. Then, there was the inevitable “little shows” that went on after the big one was over. At a few points it sounded like the third battle of the Marne (sans taxies) around the neighborhood, but it quieted down soon enuff that those of us who wanted to git a bit of shut eye did, in fack, do so.
Meanwhile, that wasn’t the big news over the last little while. Last week was quite something. A bit of a forest fire is raging in Canada, and (Iyam told) upper parts of New York State, and the smoke decided to follow the winds and park itself in our area.
Honeybunch, on Wednesday of last week Cobina thought there was gonna be a tornado! The sky was a pale orange color and it looked like the Gates of Hades. It was jest the smoke from the fire, and whilst that was goin’ on the acrid smell of burnt wood hovered over the city and the region.
It was like that for a couple o’ days, and then the winds shifted and we were able to git things somewhat back to normal. But, there was a faint smell of burnt wood still in the air. This is the second year in a row that fires in Canada have found their way down to our shores, but last year was nothing like what we experienced these last days. Quite something.
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The Wag was in for tea t’other afternoon, and sez he was getting quite the kick outta watching videos of foreign visitors traversing our country for the World Cup. He was quite amused, and proud, by the way people appreciated not only our nation, but our people.
The media in Europe is much like the media here, snotty, snobby, and uppity enuff to talk down to people. Well, the bad publicity the foreign press, and much of our own press, give this country was put to rest in the minds of many, many people.
Whilst much of the good stuff came from the south with Southern Hospitality, even our brethren from the Massachusetts Bay Colony and New Yawk behaved themselves and were up for high praise from a lot of people.
The Wag sez he couldn’t stop watching videos as they were posted.
One visitor mentioned in a post that he couldn’t understand why people from this country complain so much, when, compared to where he was from, things were freer and friendlier. Why, indeed, Felicia, why, indeed.
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Closer to home, the end of July means the annual Savin Rock Festival, which is this weekend, and we see that things are ready for a good time and, we hope, good weather. That lit’le variable has been hit or miss over the years.
Tennyrate, Cobina gits a bit nostalgic when this festival comes around, cuz she remembers when it was foist planned by the West Haven Chamber of Commerce (since deceased) with several others involved. Names like John and Mary Perrone, the dynamic duo of Dodie Ireland and Mary Tracy, as well as others worked to make the foist Festival quite something.
It was held in the Ken Strong Stadium at the high school, before it was the showcase it is now. The football field was there, but oldtimers remember when the area where Biondi and Piurek Fields are was just muddy, swamp brown dirt that flooded with the least sprinkle.
The first festival was not the concert-laden thing it is now, it was more a showcase of what the city had to offer – and remember, in those days, the city was a destination town, where people moved in cuz of what we had to offer. That was before the financial crash of 1988-89, and the subsequent folly of the 1991 budget battle put the city behind the eight-ball.
Tennyrate, it was quite something, with estimates that first weekend being around 100,000 spectators. Of course, the high school renovated the fields, and it morphed into what we have now. So, while the work was done, another venue had to be found to handle the fest.
The event almost died a premature death cuz, effen yew remember, the Old Grove was the site that John and Mary, et al wanted. That was the era, which was recently highlighted by Steve Hildrich both in the papyrus and during a talk, where the shore was in flux.
The redevelopment plan that was still in force banned over-the-counter sales on the plots of land withing its purview. It took some razzle dazzle and some negotiating, but the festival was saved, and has been over there ever since.
It’s hard to believe eh foist one was some 46 years ago, and there has been a lotta water under several bridges, but here we are.
Let’s hope the weather cooperates and the people show up for what promises to be a fun event.
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Nelly Nuthatch came by and we were talking about the recent spate of problems the city seems to be having with watering holes in the city. In fact, two establishments seem to have gone the way of all flesh after officials determined they were violating a few ordinances, not only concerning health codes, but legal hours.
The closures happened around the 4th of July, and many of the cited venues have got their act together. But it did bring up a discussion from Nelly about the fame our main drag seems to have here and about concerning the number of watering holes that seem to be planted along the avenue from the shore to Allingtown.
We know that the local university still has the “tradition” of the Campbell Avenue Crawl, wherein a student tests his or her mettle by visiting and imbibing each establishment. I ain’t sure if anyone has completed the circuit, but many have tried. One wonders what their heads felt like the next morning.
Nelly’s take on the whole matter was that at least the city is taking inspections and ordinances seriously, especially when some ne’er do wells seem to have infiltrated and done some dangerous thing. Doesn’t help the city’s image, and doesn’t make residents feel good about their town.
Keeping the lid on the nonsense, however, is the thing that will clean up matters and help both the image, and the attitude.
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Sammy Bluejay happened by, and mentioned that things are moving along at the Kelsey all of sudden. The shell of the new building is starting to take shape with walls being put up. Over on Beach Street construction on the new coffee shop is moving along with windows now installed, and some other work taking place.
Across the street, the new pumping station is still in progress, and the Debonair Motel site is being cleaned up after demolition was completed. Soooo, it seems like things are moving along.
‘Twasn’t too long ago that each missive I would mention the problems over there on Beach Street – and that was more than a decade ago, come to think of it. Now, all of a sudden, things seem to be moving in the right direction.
Then there is the natural habitat that was once the Haven site over on First Avenue. It’s been about four years since demolition started and about three since it was completed, give or take. Needless to say nothing has occurred over there, with the exception of some survey work that was done last summer.
No one knows what’s going to happen, but Cobina would be nicely surprised effen something happened before the year was out. It’s only been 12 years since the Haven was announced, and 29 years since the “Water Street Project” was ballyhooed.
As the saying goes, “I wouldn’t want to hang as long” as we’ve been made to wait.
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Felicia, our national delegation from the state, particularly our two senators and our own Rosa DeLauro Greenberg have been making themselves quite the talk of the town – and not in a good way. In fact, many writers of colyumes and setch are wondering how the voters in this state put these people back in office term after term. Good query.
Sen. Murphy is making the rounds on talk shows with everyone wondering effen he’s trying to find his way on a national ticket – not as the top guy, but as the second on the list, otherwise known as the Veep. Some of the quotes attributed to him are, to say the least, off the wall. And everyone knows it’s jest political theater, but does the man have a filter? Does he realize some of the things he’s saying are just bat guano cray-cray?
Then there is our own RDG, third district rep in Congress. Methinks Rosa’s sell-by date is in the rearview mirror and has been for some time. The woman has been a raving lunatic during hearings to the pernt even people sitting next to her are putting their heads in their hands. Maybe the purple hair dye is seeping through into her cranium.
With that bit o chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,