Elm City Beat

By Andy Ross

On the evening of Friday, December 4th an official tree lighting ceremony came to the park at Wooster Square, and the new event for the area’s residents will hopefully become an annual holiday celebration.

“For years and years there has always been a lighted tree on the park in the same location,” explained Beverly Carbonella, President of the Wooster Square Historic Association which organized the event. “But this was first official tree lighting ceremony for Wooster Square.”

The 7-foot tall (pictured left) evergreen may be modest in stature but now stands proudly draped in traditional multi-colored Christmas tree lights at the top of the park on the Chapel street side alongside the Christopher Columbus Monument.

Elsie Chapman, a board member of the group, decided to organize the neighborhood residents because it is a wonderful opportunity to gather, mingle, and meet one another while sharing the feeling of a close-knit community.

To be sure the Wooster Square neighborhood is always doing something where neighbors can get involved and experience an authentic hometown spirit. Among other successful events there is the annual springtime Cherry Blossom Festival which celebrated its 36th year in 2009 and Soup for Sundays – a weekly Sunday evening soirée that runs from November through March.

Soup for Sundays involves neighbors hosting soup parties featuring a choice of two homemade soups in an open house setting, and participants are only required to bring their own bowl. The Saint Andrew’s Italian Festival is a neighborhood staple in the summertime, and Wooster Square holds a successful year-round Farmer’s Market and an active Block Watch.

These kinds of gatherings make the area brim with community pride, and the tree lighting ceremony was no exception.

As Wooster Square Historic Association board member Bonnie Rosenberg observed, ““Folks seemed to be meeting and greeting neighbors that they hadn't previously known. I especially liked seeing all of the babies, kids, and dogs that were having fun romping in the park around a lit tree while drinking warm cider, munching on cookies, and singing. It was a warm and fuzzy evening all around.”


Pictured top to bottom: Diana Karwan with son Will and dog Darwin

Officer Peter Krause (Pete the Cop) sipping hot cider with neighborhood resident Chris Piscitelli

Pictured: Wooster Square Historic Association Board Members Bonnie Rosenberg, President Beverly Carbonella and Board member Elsie Chapman