A night of synergy, community spirit and open house events, greeted those who came out for Westville Village’s annual holiday tree lighting. Those working behind the scenes to make it all happen, wouldn’t call themselves elves, but ….
Switching on the holiday tree lights before an anticipation-filled, record crowd was the easy part of Westville Village Renaissance Alliance’s (WVRA) efforts to promote community and commerce last Friday evening. Much earlier in the day, the hard work of setting up the sizable, 20-foot Norwegian Spruce and stringing it with lights, proved a task worthy of a community effort.
Kieran Coleman, left, Luke Hanscom, center, Chris Heittman.
A small group of volunteers working with WVRA Executive Director Chris Heitmann had their hands full attempting to hoist the tree into a pre-dug hole at Westville’s public parking lot. More help was needed. Heitmann made an executive decision, calling across the street to barber David Moore of Top Cuts Barber shop just entering with a couple of the day’s first customers. All were pressed into service, including this reporter (which is why there is no photograph of the Herculean effort).
With the tree finally dropped into place, a giant support stand was constructed and additional stabilizing lines were added at strategic points.
Henninger left, Heitmann right.
Standing precariously atop two outstretched ladders, Heitmann and Johnathon Henninger, a Westville photographer, began the task of spiraling strings of Christmas lights around the tall and broad evergreen.
Bradley left, and Hutton.
Less dangerous, but no less important, was the work of Westville’s perennial beautification wizard, Kate Bradley. Together with volunteer Beth Hutton, one of CItySeed’s market managers and Westville resident, she decorated parking lot environs with holiday roping and pin lights.
This year, the word renaissance seems particularly appropriate in describing Westville and the new energy and the robust commerce that has taken root, primarily at Westville Village’s west end.
Wisdom.
On hand to greet visitors at their open houses were business owners Neville Wisdom, the fashion maven whose recent return to Westville to start his clothing manufacturing business seems to have catalyzed much of the business boomlet….
… Alisa Bowens of Alisa’s House of Salsa (and WNHH host of the Alisa’s Culture Cocktail radio show), who moved from downtown New Haven to Westville (912 Whalley Avenue) last summer and has produced a torrent of creative programming at her Latin dance school …
… Alex Dakoulas of the new, retro Strange Ways shop featuring clothing accessories, flair art and oddities …
Garrison, background, and Lee at a recent art exhibit.
… and Bree Garrison and Jamie Lee, whose Project Pasta vegan-Italian cafe at 904 Whalley Ave. is slated for a spring opening. They offered coffee from New Haven’s Happiness Lab, with hot cider and live music, and an art installation of the work of Westville painter Frank Bruckmann.
Co-owner Mistina Hanscom receives a congratulatory bouquet of pink roses.
Luke and Mistina’s Hanscom’s Lotta Studio’s special guests included a pop-up satellite cafe serving coffee from The Coffee Pedaler store on East Street. (Read more about Lotta Studio’s multi-faceted photo studio and co-working space in this recent Independent article.)
Vendors from Hamden’s Broken Arrow Nursery displayed an array of holiday wreaths,while Meg Fama and The Farm Belly food truck dished warm comfort food and beverages.
As visitors mingled throughout Westville, videographerTravis Carbonella captured some of the people and places that make Westville special.
DAVID SEPULVEDA PHOTO
McDonnell left, Tim and Jaime Kane.
The sounds of trumpeter Tim Kane and saxophonist Dylan McDonnell signaled the start of the tree-lighting festivities. Event host, Jaime Kane, who would later lead the celebratory gathering in a round of Christmas carols, welcomed the audience ….
… and later introduced the Monk-Flake Singers, whose rousing, gospel-infused singing may prove a harbinger of more good music to come.
Monk-Flake Singers’ Marcella Flake, a retired New Haven schoolteacher whose father was first cousin of jazz legend Thelonious Monk, said she is fulfilling a dream in opening her Westville-based Monk Center for Academic Enrichment and Performing Arts. The center will be coming to the former Westville Wines space on West Rock Avenue. “The center will offer classes in constitutional law and mock trials, introduction to engineering and amusement park physics, as well as a range of creative performing arts,” noted Flake. “I’ve been pregnant with this dream and finally get to give birth” she said.
The Monk-Flake Singers’ final number, infused with soulful exuberance, set the stage for the cheers and applause that erupted at the end of the tree lighting countdown, and the start-up of a holiday season whose best qualities were already on full display.
Oh Christmas tree, indeed.
