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Museum Hosts Business After Hours
Management Plan for Beacon Hill Presented
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| Branford First Selectman Unk DaRos operates car 775 under George Boucher's guidance. J. Hakner |
On May 22, the museum hosted a ``Business After Hours'' session
with the Branford and East Haven Chambers of Commerce. This catered event was
preceded by the formal presentation of the new land management
plan for Beacon Hill.
At about 5 PM, Connecticut Company Car 775 traveled from East
Haven to the location of the old quarry, a trip which it first
made in 1904. Hon. Mayor Joe Maturo of East Haven had a prior
engagement, but was able to stop by briefly to convey his
support.
The car was operated by Hon. Unk DaRos, First Selectman of the
Town of Branford, who brought our guests to the new quarry stop.
There, he presented to Ainsley Highman, Vice Chairman of the Branford Parks
and Open Spaces Authority, the new land management plan which
had recently been approved by the Department of Environmental
Protection after many years of
work by the Authority and the Branford Land Trust.
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| Presentation of the management plan. (l-r) Bill Horne of the Branford Land Trust, Ernie Anderson, museum trustee, Ainsley Highman of the Branford Parks and Open Spaces Authority, First Selectman Unk DaRos. J. Hakner |
Under the plan, Beacon Hill will be managed as a state park.
A small parking area, accommodating a half dozen automobiles,
will be constructed
at the base of Beacon Hill, at the present end of Pent Road.
From there, several walking trails of varying difficulty are being
laid out on the hill. The museum's trolley line, in season,
provides an alternate means of access for hikers, including the
new loading platform near the quarry on Riverside east curve.
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| Bill Horne is welcomed by George Boucher as the ceremonial first passenger at the quarry stop. Behind Bill is Fran Reitman and John Cushing, Executive Director of the Branford Chamber of Commerce. To the left is Ken Rosen, the museum's chairman, and John Gaudiso, the outgoing President of the East Haven Chamber of Commerce. J. Hakner |
After presentation of the plan, Bill Horne, President of the
Branford Land Trust, was welcomed aboard by museum General Manager
George Boucher as the ceremonial first passenger at the new stop.
Ray Mercado, Manager of Community Relations for WalMart, presented
to Mr. Horne and the Branford Land Trust the Good Neighbor
Environmental Education Award, which will be used jointly with the
museum to interpret the environmental significance of Beacon Hill.
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| The crowd mingles and enjoys a reception catered by Shoreline foods of Branford. J. Hakner |
Upon returning to the Farm River Road stop, our guests found the
Business After Hours session starting up. This is a monthly meeting
of the Chamber of Commerce which the various businesses
and organizations therein take turns hosting. Although this was
the first time that the museum has hosted this event, the execution
was nearly flawless despite the showery weather. Our guests, who
numbered about 100, thoroughly enjoyed the trolley rides and our
exhibits within the Quonset building.
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| Our guests admire the vintage car card advertising aboard car 775. J. Hakner |
This was also the first time that the event was held in conjunction
with the East Haven Chamber of Commerce, in fact, one of the major
sponsors, Holiday Inn Express, is an East Haven business. Our other
sponsors included Shoreline Foods, Walmart, Columbia Coffee, the
Branford Land Trust, and the Branford Historical Society.
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| Museum President Don Engel addresses the crowd. To his left is John Cushing, Executive Director of the Branford Chamber of Commerce. J. Hakner |
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| At Business After Hours events, merchants contribute door prizes. Here one of our younger guests draws a winning business card from the basket. J. Hakner |
