By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
From high-energy music, food trucks and helicopter rides to a kids zone, crafters and everything in between, the Savin Rock Festival was the place to be on July 24-25.
West Haven’s annual shoreline festival, held in Old Grove Park, paid homage to the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Savin Rock Park, the legendary amusement park once known as Connecticut’s Coney Island and locally as “the Rock.”
The heritage event was presented by Mayor Dorinda Borer and the Savin Rock Festival Committee and was sponsored by Premium Parking, Riva Bar & Restaurant, Carmody, Torrance, Sandak & Hennessey LLP, The Frankson Fence Co. Inc., and Greenskies.
The festival’s opening night showcased Bee Gees Gold, performing a career-spanning set of the Gibb brothers’ chart-topping hits. Bohemian Queen, “the ultimate Queen tribute band,” headlined Night 2, complete with costume changes and musical gems galore from Freddie Mercury and company’s acclaimed rock ’n’ canon.
Both nights attracted thousands of families to the historic Grove.
The two-day event featured a variety of free children’s activities, including inflatables, a foam pit and firetruck rides, as well as a smorgasbord of food and dessert trucks, nonprofit organizations with informational tables, and the traditional craft fair.
The festival opened both days with Borer greeting the large crowds and followed with a spectacular performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by West Haven’s own Grace Kelly Nowak.
WOW Radio personality Brian Smith once again served as the “ringmaster” of ceremonies.
Night 1’s musical opener, the Rum Runners, “one of Connecticut’s most popular cover bands,” played a nonstop set of party classics that kept the crowd dancing.
Day 2 kicked off with the West Haven Rotary Club’s free pancake breakfast, followed by the city Department of Parks and Recreation’s annual bocce tournament.
Back by popular demand, the festival offered helicopter rides for $60 per person. From morning to dusk, people of all ages lined up to take a five-minute flight aboard two helicopters up and down the West Haven shoreline.
West Haven’s Police and Fire departments handed out informational materials and promotional items at their tables.
Firefighters of the West Haven Fire Department, led by Fire Marshal Roger Sicotte, demonstrated the department’s 35-foot smoke trailer and showed children what to do in case of a fire.
To help festivalgoers stay cool and hydrated, the Fire Department set up a cooling tent and misters, and the Regional Water Authority set up its Water Wagon.
The kids zone featured Bache the Klown, crafts, face painting and games, including a beach scavenger hunt and a sandcastle contest sponsored by Surfside Veterans.
The zone also included a children’s concert by West Haven’s own Judy Pancoast. The Grammy-nominated recording artist hosted a meet-and-greet after the concert.
West Haven’s finest made it two in a row, winning the second annual cornhole tournament against the city’s bravest for bragging rights until next year’s contest.
West Haven firefighters demonstrated the Jaws of Life tool by prying open parts of a vehicle to free those trapped inside.
Members of West Haven Professional Firefighters Local 1198 held their annual fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. All proceeds went to MDA, including sales from beverages, popcorn and chips and ticket sales from a bounce house, a dunk tank, a speed pitch and raffles.
Night 2’s musical opener, Bo and the Hot Heads, featuring music scene veterans Rich Weber, Rob Hames, Lou D’Amato and Max Cappello, performed energetic covers of party rock anthems that also got people on the dance floor.
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 later by John L. Perrone and wife Mary Perrone — to bring organizations, clubs, businesses and families together for a summer event that celebrates life in one of America’s oldest coastal 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 four decades, the famous seaside park captured the hearts and imaginations of “Rock rats” young and old. “The playground of New England” shuttered on Sept. 21, 1966, to pave the way for the Savin Rock Urban Renewal Project.