Ansonia’s yearlong celebration of the city’s 125th anniversary culminates July 19 with Summerfest, a day of music, sports, food, and fireworks at Nolan Field.
The eight-hour celebration kicks off at 2 p.m. Nolan Field is at 350 Wakelee Ave.
Admission is $5 for adults, and children 12 and under get in free.
Organizers promise “an accommodating re-enter policy will be in effect” for the event to satisfy all your quasquicentennial needs.
“This will be a do-not-miss summer event celebration for everyone,” Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti said in a prepared statement. “The featured entertainment is wonderful, diverse and creative and should be enjoyed by all.”
Batter Up
Festivities will commence with an “unscripted baseball living history game” being billed as The Great Baseball Rematch.
Set in 1889, the game “reunites” teams from Ansonia — the “Coppermen” — and Derby — the “Osbornedales.”
The game will hark back to the late 19th century, when teams of tradesmen from Ansonia and Derby would form baseball clubs and play against each other.
And the game will dovetail with the reason for the celebration itself — when the city of Ansonia in 1889 split off from the city of Birmingham, which covered modern-day Derby and Ansonia.
Tryouts and practices have been underway for the past month or so, with teams comprised of residents from Ansonia, Derby, Shelton, and Seymour.
Players will don 19th century-style flannel wool uniforms and use replica equipment authentic to the period — those really small mitts you’ve always seen in black-and-white footage of early baseball games.
Click here to read a story about a recent practice from the Connecticut Post’s Michael P. Mayko with some great accompanying photography.
Music
Following the game, there will be a concert just beyond the centerfield fence.
Opening the show will be Rob Zappulla Orchestra, an 18-piece big band from Hartford, who will play a set list including Sinatra classics and Top 40 hits from the 60s and 70s.
The concert’s featured group will be Eight to the Bar, voted “Best Live Band in 2013” by Hartford Magazine, who specialize in swing, jazz, and R&B offerings.
Fireworks! Food! And More!
The concert will be followed by a fireworks display presented by Stop & Shop, one of 15 businesses sponsoring the Summerfest.
Also on site will be an Ansonia Photo History Exhibit displaying historic photos of city landmarks, streetscapes and more, culled from private collections and the vaults of Ansonia Public Library and Farrel Pomini, the “presenting title sponsor” of the event.
The exhibit is curated by Randy Carroll, chairman of the Ansonia Historical Commission.
And throughout the event a Restaurant Row of food vendors will showcase menu items from area eateries.
Click here for more information on how to become a vendor at the event.
The event is being developed and managed by city residents (and 1976 Ansonia High School graduates) Greg Martin and Garry Giannone of Copper City Marketing Group.
For more information and to keep abreast of event news, check out Summerfest’s Facebook page.
A map below shows the layout for the Summerfest.
