High-school students Alicea Velez & Isabel Rowe filed the following report and sent in these photos from Saturday’s New Haven 375th birthday party on the Green:
The day full of events on the Green for New Haven’s 375th birthday party ranged from hands-on activities and information on New
Haven’s history, to excellent musical and dance performances. Many great organizations came to help celebrate the event and to make it a fun-filled day. As a member of Lancraft Fire and Drum Corps said, “I couldn’t have asked for a nicer day.”
Neighborhood Music School sponsored an instrument “petting zoo” with a variety of instruments for everyone to try out. Some other favorites amongst kids included historical hat making and recreational activities provided by the New Haven Department of Parks, Recreation, and Trees.
People of all ages put their dreams on a communal board: what they want to do before they die, what their dream world looks like.
Long Wharf provided theatrical entertainment for young children. Alisa’a House of Salsa came down to talk about modern Latin dance.
A favorite of adults was the zumba and yoga demonstration held on the Green. Hands-on touch tanks featured star fish and other sea animals brought to the event by Schooner Inc. People could also enjoy a relaxing horse-and-carriage ride around the Green.
(Click here to read about the planting of a tree to replace the felled Lincoln Oak, as well as a contest to guess the contents of two time capsules unearthed after Superstorm Sandy.)
The Elm City Dance Collective performed, as did the Contemporary Classical Ballet Theater. Kenneth Reveitz did a poetry and spoken word performance, Music Haven’s “Harmony in Action” and “All Honors Orchestra” performed a variety of classical music, and the INTAKE Music Ensemble and Generacion Latina Virgen del Cisne, a group of professional musicians, performed different styles of music such as classical Western and modern music on native instruments. Esther Golton and Kristen Graves, both professional musicians, played folk music. “Folks seemed to like my set, and I enjoyed playing outdoors on a beautiful spring day to celebrate the 375th anniversary of this absolutely wonderful city,” Golton said afterwards. “It’s been an incredible pleasure discovering all New Haven has to offer.”
The closing performance was by Lancraft Fife and Drum Corps, whose mission is to “preserve and perform the traditional music of Colonial Americans.”
