Dear Eleanore Turkington:
I saw your question in the Nov. 28 edition of the West Haven Voice asking who runs the Apple Festival and whether it would be possible to relocate it to the Grove. I am the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the First Congregational Church of West Haven (FCCWH), and I am also on the Apple Festival Committee.
The Apple Festival is supported by generous donors and volunteers spread across many organizations throughout the city of West Haven and Greater New Haven County, but it is organized and operated by a group of dedicated volunteers from the FCCWH.
To answer your reader’s specific question about relocation, it would not be possible (to hold the Apple Festival at the Grove). The majority of the food is prepared on premises in the church’s commercial kitchen. The food prepared outside is done using the church’s health permit. The Grove does not have the facilities necessary for us to prepare all the food and operate the food service station. This is important as the FCCWH food service station generates a sizable portion of the proceeds from the festival. Those proceeds are not only allocated to the various missions of FCCWH, but thousands of dollars each year is given right back to community organizations such as the WHHS Band, Community House, Cub and Boy Scouts, and many others.
While the committee works from February through September to plan each festival, the actual setup and breakdown takes 3-4 weeks, which would not be possible if it were not hosted on the green and on the church’s property.
I hope this answers your reader’s questions. If I can ever be of assistance regarding the Apple Festival or anything else to do with the First Congregational Church, please feel free to reach out to me at any time.
Christopher E. Vargo, Jr.
Dear Eleanore Turkington:
On Beach Street, there’s a vacant lot. It’s on a little hill with cement steps and iron handrails leading up to it. Would you know who lived there? I walk past this area frequently and I am curious the actual name of the street it’s located on. The property is located on the corner.
RF Main Street Resident
Editor’s response: It was once the site of a large building that became the original Our Lady of Victory Church until the present edifice was constructed in the 1950s. The steps are remnants of that era.
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