An Historic Walk

Hello dear friends,

I just want to write a brief note about what we are up to, right now. This past week we had our November council meeting where Rosie presented details of a proposal to partner with The West Haven Historical Society in a walking tour of downtown West Haven. We all agreed that it was a good idea and gave our blessing to iron out the details of that venture. Details are listed below:


Walking Tour of Historic Downtown West Haven


Presented by

West Haven Council on the Arts

And

The West Haven Historical Society


Dates: December 1, 8 and 15
Time: 10:00am
Location: Tour will assemble at the former Masonic Temple
304 Center Street, the future home of the West Haven Arts Center.
Tickets: $20/adults, $10/children 7-12, 6 and under free

Reservations Required

Call 932-2102 or 479-3522 for reservations or more information.


Proceeds to benefit both organizations.

In the next few weeks I'll be posting highlights of previous meetings for all to see. But, as our meetings are open to the public, I invite you to join us in person. Usually, we meet at city hall on the first Thursday of the month. If you would like to join us and want confirmation of date, time or place, email me at artswh@aol.com.

Barth

Apple Festival Brings Interest

On October 6th, the West Haven Council on the Arts participated in the 2007 Apple Festival on the West Haven Green. A good number of people stopped at our table to offer their support and to find out what we are doing in the community. We also welcomed several new members to the WHCA. If you would like to become a member of a dynamic organization dedicated to fostering art in our community, contact us and we will get you started. You don’t have to be an artist to join. Our members include people from all professions with many interests. Each and every talent is appreciated, from bus driver to x-ray technician. If your talent is a knack for getting things done and a desire to make West Haven a better place to live, we need you.

Members, or any citizens interested in the arts in West Haven, are welcome to join us at our monthly meetings which are usually held on the first Thursday of each month in Room A in the basement of West Haven City Hall. Check the blog or contact a council officer for changes to the schedule. Our November meeting will be held on the 2nd Thursday, November 8, 2007.

Come join us as we make West Haven a true Center of the Arts.

And the Winner Is...

The Savin Rock Festival was fun and pretty successful, overall. For 'The Council,' it was very successful. We met lots of people and got the chance to thank many for assisting in the achievement of our first major goal, the purchase of the Masonic Temple. (The future West Haven Arts Center)

We had over thirty submissions for our catch-phrase contest. All were quite good and any one of them might have been a winner for us. With the help of some festival attendees, our selection committee narrowed it down to 3 choices:

The Arts are alive with the Talent of West Haven
The HeARTbeat of West Haven
Don't Dream the Dream, Don't Live the Dream...Be the Dream

The 3rd prize winning entry was "The Arts are Alive with the Talent of West Haven," submitted by Roberta O'Brien who won $25 towards a ticket purchase for the Children's Program at The Downtown Cabaret in Bridgeport, CT.

2nd prize went to "Don't Dream the Dream, Don't Live the Dream...Be the Dream" which came from Geenamarie Rivera. Ms. Rivera won 2 tickets to the Ellington Jazz Concert series at the Yale School of Music, in New Haven, CT.

We hope that Ms. O'Brien and Ms. Rivera enjoy their prizes; thank you, ladies.

And the winner is...
The HeARTbeat of West Haven - submitted by Kathleen Smith

As the 1st prize winner, Ms. Smith's phrase will be used with all council promotional and advertising materials, when appropriate. But that's not all, Ms. Smith was awarded a West Haven prize package which included the following items:
1) A Lunch date with the mayor of West Haven, Mayor John Picard.
2) $100 in gift certificates to various downtown West Haven merchants ($25 from Leslie Jewelers, $25 from Gold Works, $25 from Blue Diamond Bistro and $25 from Flower Affair)

Our thanks go out to all who tried their hand at slogan writing and to the prize donors for their generous gifts.

We also congratulate Kathleen on her win.

Barth

West Haven Council on the Arts will join the Savin Rock Festival

The West Haven Council on the Arts is extremely happy and would like to thank our supporters personally. We have great news that we want to share with you. We invite everybody to visit us at our booth during the Savin Rock Festival this weekend. Members will be on hand Saturday, July 28th Noon - 6PM and Sunday, July 29th Noon - 5PM to greet people, renew memberships, accept new members and provide information about future plans for Arts in West Haven. The winner of the catch-phrase contest will be announced on Sunday, July 29th at 4:30PM.

Barth

A Great Day for the Arts in West Haven

Thank you to everyone who showed up on Friday, July 20th, to support the closing. The Masonic Temple, located at 304 Center Street in West Haven, CT, was officially handed over to the City of West Haven. The Masons did a great thing by supporting arts in our community. Everyone connected to the West Haven Council on the Arts thanks them from the bottom of our hearts.

After the ceremony, we enjoyed a performance by the kids from the West Haven Summer Youth Theater. There production of "The Wiz" will be presented on August 2nd and 3rd, 7pm at Carrigan School in West Haven. I hope everyone will support the return of Summer Theatre in West Haven. It allows children to explore another piece of this big world, whether it be on-stage or backstage.

Keep an eye out for some great photos on this blog.

Rosemary

Closing Scheduled for Masonic Temple Purchase

West Haven, CT – July 20, 2007 – The City of West Haven will be holding the official closing on the Masonic Temple on Friday, July 20th at 11:30am. Citizens should gather on the front lawn of the old Masonic Temple about 15 minutes prior to the official time. The building is located at 304 Center Street in West Haven, Connecticut.

West Haven plans on using the Temple as a base until City Hall is renovated. This should take about 2 years. After that, the former Masonic Temple will be turned over to the WHCAC. Plans are to make it an arts center for instruction, entertainment, and various arts-related functions. The building has just been through asbestos abatement and is ready for the next stage of planning. Help us demonstrate the importance of this step in making West Haven a place for the arts. By bringing an active arts center into the community, we bring trade and energy to our city. It is a good deal for everyone.

Help us support the arts! Bring your friends!

For more information, contact the West Haven Council on the Arts Cooperative:

WHCAC
304 Center St.
West Haven, CT 06516
artswh@aol.com
http://whcac.blogspot.com

(203) 932-2102

The West Haven Council on the Arts Cooperative is looking for creative writers to submit ideas for a unique catch-phrase to be identified with WHCAC and the City of West Haven. The Council will be awarding prizes to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. The 1st place winner’s creation will be attached to all WHCAC literature and advertising and help set West Haven on the road to being a destination location for arts activities in Southern CT.

Please submit ideas to West Haven Council on the Arts Cooperative. We suggest that they be creative but brief. ( Example from the Milford Fine Arts Council: Be a pART of ART in Milford)

Contest Details:

Submission Date - No Later Than July 20, 2007
Winners - To be announced at the Savin Rock Festival on July 29, 2007
Submit writing - by email to artswh@aol.com or on a 3 X 5 Index Card
Include - Name, Address, Day & Evening Phone and Email Address ( if available)

Mail to:
West Haven Council on the Arts Cooperative
PO Box 16513
West Haven, CT 06516

Good luck!