With West Haven’s Christmas tree aglow in the background, The John C. Ireland Bandstand on the snow-covered Green is bedecked with huge electric snowflakes as Victorian lampposts decorated with angels blowing on trumpets illuminate the walkways during a Yuletide celebration from yesteryear. (Contributed Photo)

Christmas tree lighting on Green set for Saturday

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 23, 2022 — The annual lighting of West Haven’s Christmas tree on the Green will herald an evening of merrymaking Saturday.

The holiday festival will commence at 4 p.m. with the national anthem sung by West Haven High School senior Madelyn Roche.

DJ Sonya will play holiday-themed music while costumed Christmas characters and Victorian-clad carolers entertain families around the downtown park.

Radio personality Brian Smith will serve as the master of ceremonies for the event, which is presented by the city, ArtsWest CT, the First Congregational Church and West Haven United, an organization aimed at bringing the city’s volunteer groups together.

The four-hour festival will feature an inflatable Santa’s village and craft stations on the 5-acre Green, where children can make marshmallow snowman ornaments, decorate wooden ornaments, write letters to Santa, and make cards for U.S. troops overseas and those at the West Haven VA Medical Center.

The Yuletide festivities will continue at 4:30 p.m. with holiday classics performed by the Indonesian Angklung Community led by Dabar Ratupenu.

The musical group will collectively play an angklung, an Indonesian instrument made of a varying number of bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame, with each musician playing a single note. The tubes are carved to have a resonant pitch when struck and tuned to octaves, similar to Western handbells.

At 5 p.m., the West Haven High dance team will perform, followed by Top Hat Dance Academy a half-hour later.

At 6 p.m., Mayor Nancy R. Rossi will greet revelers from a portable stage on the Main Street side of the Green. The West Haven High cheerleading team will then escort Santa and Mrs. Claus to the stage, where they will join Rossi and her special guests to set the tree aglow.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive in the West Haven Fire Department’s 1935 Mack pump firetruck.

The city’s official Christmas tree is flanked by a smaller evergreen tree that will glow with fluorescent-colored lights.

Huge electric snowflakes will decorate The John C. Ireland Bandstand, and Victorian lampposts bedecked with angels blowing on trumpets will illuminate the walkways.

The decorated park will include a Touch-a-Truck and inflatable attractions that youngsters can go in and have pictures taken.

Before returning to the North Pole, Santa and Mrs. Claus will meet children and pose for snapshots until 8 p.m.

Just steps from Santa’s workshop, boys and girls can drop off wish lists at St. Nick’s official U.S. Postal Service mailbox.

West Haven United will hold a paper chain contest and award prizes. Shoreline Wellness Center will give out informational materials.

Along with hayrides, kids can ride in a vintage West Shore firetruck provided by Baybrook Remodelers Inc.

The activities are free, but people are asked to bring nonperishable items for the West Haven Emergency Assistance Task Force, which provides food for residents in need.

Volunteers from First Church will sell chicken tenders, french fries, hot dogs, coffee and cookies, and volunteers from West Haven United will sell hot chocolate, water and prepackaged snacks. Kettle King will sell kettle corn.

If it rains, the lighting will go on at 5 p.m. Monday.

Rossi urges support of Small Business Saturday Nov. 26

WEST HAVEN, Nov. 23, 2022 — Mayor Nancy R. Rossi has announced the city’s participation in the 13th annual Small Business Saturday on Nov. 26.

Saturday also marks the lighting of West Haven’s Christmas tree on the Green. The Yuletide event attracts hundreds of people each year, many of whom Rossi hopes take advantage of sales at downtown specialty shops.

Small Business Saturday falls between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It is a day to support the small, independently owned businesses that help create jobs, boost the economy and keep communities thriving across the country.

“West Haven has a vibrant business community that I encourage everyone to support by shopping locally on Small Business Saturday,” Rossi said.

Small Business Saturday was established by American Express in 2010 in response to the most pressing need of small-business owners — more customers — and has served as the ceremonial kickoff to the holiday shopping season for the nation’s nearly 32 million independent businesses ever since.

According to AmEx, U.S. shoppers reported spending a record $23.3 billion at independent retailers and restaurants on Small Business Saturday in 2021.

Similar to last year, the Small Business Saturday Coalition, led by Women Impacting Public Policy, a nonpartisan small-business advocate known as WIPP, is rallying mayors nationwide to encourage local consumers to shop small on Saturday.

“It is more important than ever to shop local, as businesses recovering from the pandemic now face shipping delays and rising inflation,” Rossi said.

Merchants and consumers can learn more about Small Business Saturday, including how to participate, at Shop Small.

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