New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
West Haven history to be on display this weekend
WEST HAVEN — Visitors to Hubbard Farms Park this weekend will get an up-close look at the city’s history.
The “Hubbard Farms” exhibit, part of the city’s centennial celebration, will recognize the legacy of the Hubbard family and farm with a Civil War encampment, as well as activities for children, food and live music, the city said in a release.
The exhibit will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 25 at the 7.6-acre park in the Hubbard Road neighborhood of the city’s West Shore area, the release said. Rain date is Sept. 26. It will be presented by Steven Johnstone, a member of the Hubbard family, as part of the city’s six-month series of events marking its centennial.
The festivites will begin at 11 a.m. with a performance by classic rock band
The Navels, followed by guitarist John Ciambriello at 2 p.m. Activities for children will include balloon making and face painting, according to the release.
The encampment will feature Civil War relics collected by the 8th Regiment Connecticut Volunteers, Company A, a Union
Civil War reenacting group, the release said. Members of the regiment will answer questions and be available for photos, the release said, and will perform a musket salute.
According to Johnstone, the release said, “The park property was a dairy and hay farm from the late 1700s until 1973, when his family sold the land to a local builder, who was unsuccessful in developing the property — the last remaining part of the farm that was not sold and developed. In the late ’70s, the property was sold to the city, which made it into a nature center in the mid’90s.”
The exhibit will include farm antiques and heirlooms, photos and more, the release said, and also photos of an extensive park restoration project last year. The park, formerly the Hubbard Nature and Education Center, was renamed Hubbard Farms Park and reopened in September 2020 after a five-month cleanup led by Johnstone, according to the release.
“A lot of people are going to be surprised when they show up this weekend,” Johnstone, president of the Hubbard Family Association, said in the release.
And there will be food — lots of it.
Johnstone and executive chef Dana Loehn of West Haven, owner of Creative Kitchen & Catering in Shelton, created a centennialand farm-themed menu of items for sale, including
The Hub, a jumbo hot dog with pepper relish, spicy brown mustard, chili, cheese and onion crisps.
Other items prepared by Loehn will include District 10 — a hand-formed beef patty with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle, American cheese, mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup and garlic chips — and The Centennial, slow-braised brown sugar pork over mashed potato and topped with coleslaw, and crowned with corn muffin.
Creative will offer kids’ meals, as well as desserts, the release said. The exhibit and food tents are sponsored by the Yale University West Campus, according to the release.
Centennial Committee
Chairwoman Beth A. Sabo will sell centennial coins, lapel pins and WestHavenOpoly, a centennial version of the board game Monopoly, the release said.
For other centennial merchandise, visit the official online store at https:// merchwebstores.com/WestHaven-Centennial/shop/ home.
Parking for the Hubbard Farms event is available at Pagels Elementary School, 26 Benham Hill Road. The park can be accessed through a gate behind the school next to the playground, the release said, and parking also is available on side streets and part of Hubbard Road. Hubbard Road from Honeypot to Jones Hill roads will be closed for the duration of the event, officials said.
For a complete list of centennial events, visit www.cityofwesthaven. com/343/ Centennial-Events.