By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
The West Haven Centennial Celebration will officially close with a concert by American Swingtime Featuring the Echoes of Sinatra Orchestra on Sunday.
The show is set for 2-4 p.m. in the West Haven High School auditorium, 1 Circle St. Face masks are required regardless of vaccination status.
Presented by the City of West Haven Centennial Celebration Committee, the concert finale is part of the community’s 100th anniversary festivities, a six-month series of free events commemorating West Haven’s 1921 birth and its incorporation by the General Assembly as Connecticut’s youngest municipality, said Mayor Nancy R. Rossi, the committee’s honorary chairwoman.
The six-piece EOS Orchestra, fronted by Frank Sinatra tribute artist Steve Kaz, will trace the career and life of Ol’ Blue Eyes through music and storytelling.
According to Kaz, the show will also include big-band standards from Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Count Basie and selections from the Great American Songbook.
“Don’t miss the opportunity to experience this exciting show, featuring classic songs, skilled storytelling and world-class musicianship,” Kaz said.
The concert will join a long list of special events observing West Haven’s secession from Orange a century ago, including the Centennial Boat Parade in June, the Centennial Savin Rock Festival in July, the Centennial Fireworks and the “Hubbard Farms” exhibit in September, and the Centennial Fire Expo and the “100 Years of Veterans” exhibit in November. The rural and residential sections of Orange separated in 1921 when the residential part, West Haven, became the state’s youngest town.
In the spirit of West Haven’s birthday, committee Chairwoman Beth A. Sabo will sell signed copies of the new centennial book, “City of West Haven: Village to Town,” along with centennial coins, lapel pins and WestHavenOpoly, the centennial version of the board game Monopoly.
All book and merchandise proceeds generated by the committee will offset expenses and support the $50,000 centennial budget approved by the City Council, said Sabo, the city’s commissioner of human resources.
For other centennial merchandise, visit the official online store at https://merchwebstores.com/West-Haven-Centennial/shop/home.
The store, hosted by West Haven vendor West Shore Associates, sells such centennial-branded merchandise as long- and short-sleeved T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, stainless steel tumblers, stemless wine glasses, insulated beverage bottles, ceramic mugs, retro sunglasses, canvas and cotton tote bags, eco-performance face masks, and pigment-dyed twill and mesh trucker caps.
A portion of the vendor’s merchandise proceeds will support the centennial account, Sabo said.