Gene Pitney's Life Celebrated in Arts Center East Exhibit

VERNON, CT — The career and life of music legend and Vernon native Gene Pitney will be commemorated in a special exhibit at Arts Center East.

Te exhibit, "Gene Pitney — The Rockville Rocket," will run from July 22 through Aug. 18 at the center, located at 709 Hartford Turnpike in Vernon. An opening party is slated for Saturday, July 21 from 7 to 10 p.m. and gallery hours are slated for Thursdays through Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.

This exhibit includes never-before-seen artifacts from Pitney’s personal archives that document his early years in theRockville section of Vernon as well as his Hall of Fame career.

The exhibit will also feature a 1950’s jukebox (the same model as the one in the movie, "Town without Pity," also a Pitney song) and the tuxedo Pitney wore when performing at the Academy Awards.

Special events during the exhibit include a Sock Hop dance party, scavenger hunts, door prize drawings, a book signing and presentation by Anthony Renzoni, author of "Connecticut Rock ‘n’ Roll," and question-and-answer sessions with friends and peers of Pitney.

United bank is sponsoring the exhibit. See more here.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel

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