Maya McFadden Photos
The "Young Kings" take home the tournament championship.
Newhallville celebrated its past, present, and future at a closing event at an annual summer community reunion and basketball tournament hosted at Lincoln Bassett Park.
Organizers present Newhallville leaders with appreciation awards.
The Newhallville Neighborhood Corporation joined forces with its community partners the Newhallville Management Team, Ward 20 Alder Devin Avshalom-Smith, Newhallville/Hamden Strong, Mt. Calvary Deliverance Tabernacle, Newhallville Community Matters, and others to host the family bash Sunday.
The partners hosted an all-day celebration of basketball tournaments, a championship game, free food, and a back to school giveaway for families to get prepared for the upcoming school year. The organizers also hosted an awards ceremony to present city citations and recognition plaques to long-term neighborhood leaders.
Watch the full awards ceremony above.
Avshalom-Smith and members of the Newhallville Neighborhood Corporation presented five awards to community leaders who have positively impacted the neighborhood for years.
The awardees included DeeDee Handy-Morris, Barbara Walker, Pete Cox, the late Ardelle Tucker, and Douglas Edge.
The honorees were given city citations from Avshalom-Smith, who described them as “folks who deserve to be honored and given their flowers while they’re still here with us.”
“This award ain’t about me. It’s about y’all, the community,” Cox said. “The community is everything to me. I came home 25 years ago, so many people counted me out.”
After overcoming periods of homelessness and incarceration, Cox is now a counselor and entrepreneur. The community celebrated his community service Sunday.
Cox, who grew up in Newhallville, gave thanks to the neighborhood for supporting him.
“Shoutout to Newhallville, I grew up out here. When nobody didn’t want me, they brought me back,” he said. “I ain’t nobody without y’all.”
Devin Avshalom-Smith presents recognition award for the late Dr. Ardell Tucker.
Newhallville Neighborhood Corporation CEO Gary Gates has been hosting the summer reunion and tournament for the past 20 years. The Sunday championship game concluded this year’s tradition of highlighting the talents of youth and neighbors.
“So often the narrative around Newhallville centers around violence, but for something like this we saw what the community truly looks like,” Avshalom-Smith said. “We are a lot of fun, full of love, comradery, and long-lasting bonds.”
The summer tradition is one of many counters to the negative narratives presented of the neighborhood, Avshalom-Smith said.
“We are underserved, but we still come together to make sure our families and kids have what they need,” he added. “Our community members are actively planting seeds of hope to elevate the neighborhood as a whole.”
Sister and cousin of Randy Cox; LaToya Boomer and Sunny Cox.
Community organizations tabled at the Sunday event while DJ Bink B played music throughout the day.
At one table Sunday, the family of Randy Cox looked for support from the community in regards to a recent incident in which he was paralyzed while in police custody. Cox’s sister LaToya Boomer sold shirts picturing her brother’s face to “raise awareness of such a unfortunate and crazy situation.”
She provided neighbors with the updates that Cox has since been moved from the hospital to a rehab center. She said he no longer is limited in speaking since his breathing tube was removed from his mouth. However, he remains paralyzed from the neck down.
Contributed
Kim Harris celebrates new backpacks with students.
On Aug. 28 Newhallville United will join with neighborhood partners to host its third annual back-to-school festival with dozens of organizations tabling along the Farmington Canal.
Garry Gates: "We're able to keep the kids alive."
Gates presented the winning team of Sunday’s championship game with a golden basketball trophy after the “Young Kings” took the win against team “Get Right.”
The Sunday started with two playoff games to determine who would compete in the championship match.
Then for the second year, the New Haven Police Department (NHPD) faced off on the court against the New Haven Fire Department (NHFD). For the second year in a row the NHFD took the win.
The event was funded with the help of community donations of volunteer time and money.
“This works,” Gates said. “We’re able to keep the kids alive in the process and looking forward to next year for them to play again.”
The championship game involved the teams “Get Right” and the “Young Kings.” The two went the tournament season undefeated until the final few weeks of the six-week tournament.
At halftime, the score was 35 – 32, with team Get Right leading. Then the Young Kings took the lead with 50 – 46 and led for the remainder of the game. The final score was 72 – 58.
Davon Warner who helped lead the Young Kings to victory.
Young Kings team member Davon Warner, 22, said he has played in the Newhallville tournaments since his teens.
After his team took a loss to team Get Right two weeks ago, he said, he and his teammates returned to the court Sunday to “finish it up.”
Warner, a New Haven native, is a student athlete at Albertus Magnus College. He said the summer tournament has become a staple for city youth.
He attributed his team’s win Sunday to its “advanced chemistry” developed from playing together for years.
Warner and his team celebrated their win Sunday by splashing bottles of cold water on each other’s heads on the court.
Lawrence Jones gives back to his neighborhood.
Newhallville residents like Lawrence Jones volunteered their time Sunday to provide food and snacks, and run a bouncehouse and water slide.
Jones, a member of the M‑Pire Auto Club, used a crew member’s cotton candy machine to spin together dozens of free sweet treats for kids and an occasional parent.
“It feels good to give back to my community and do my part,” he said. “With all the negative things going on everywhere, something like this really counts and is something to hold onto.”
Tracey Porter, Avshalom-Smith, and Robyn Porter.
Newhallville Neighborhood Corporation team.
The Newhallville Neighborhood Corporation announced that it will next work on pushing the city to upgrade and renovate the park.
“We want to look like Mill Rock,” Gates said. “We deserve that.”
The organizers added that they will soon start a petition to rename the park after tournament founder Dave Durham to recognize his contributions to the neighborhood.
Newhallville native Daziah Stanley with family.
Newhallville native Daziah Stanley joined the Sunday celebration with her four kids to support her community.
Stanley and her kids sported a children’s clothing line her family established called “Young Kings.”
“There are a lot of people that bring good to the community, and when they do I like to support them,” she said.
Thank you to the Newhallville Neighborhood Corporation, the Newhallville Management Team, Ward 20 Alder Devin Avshalom-Smith, Newhallville/Hamden Strong, Mt. Calvary Deliverance Tabernacle, Newhallville Community Matters, and everyone else who organized, volunteered, donated and participated. Congratulations to the honorees.
It is wonderful to see so many positive and productive fairs, festivals and events all over the city by the people, for the people, to strengthen community ties and uplift the neighborhoods.