Westfield Rolls Out the Red Carpet

Now that we've welcomed you to About Town, it's time to start talking about all the other red-carpet treatment being shown to your friends and neighbors. From one Blue Devil who's got the back of another 800 miles from home, to Westfielders showing a little love to new teachers with an hour of free downtown parking, your bustling little 'burb is showing a welcome flare for, well, welcomes...


IF I KNEW YOU WERE COMING, I'D HAVE BAKED A CAKE

When you're a Blue Devil, you're a Blue Devil all the way... Just ask Josh Solomon, a 2010 WHS grad, current Northwestern University freshman and Patch contributor, who got a shout-out from another WHS alum.

Evanston, IL resident Lori Keenan — known around these parts as Lori Fontana, Class of '81, was reading the Evanston Patch last week when she clicked on the Westfield link for Solomon's column, "From Westfield to Evanston", where the journalism major will chronicle his freshman year.  So Keenan gave him a shout.

"I saw he was a Westfield grad coming to Northwestern," Keenan said. "I went to school in Michigan and had family nearby. Sometimes it's nice to have a home-cooked meal or a plate of cookies, so I wanted to say hi and welcome him to town."

Solomon's already got a full schedule: freshman camping trip, orientation and dorm assignment in the next week. He starts classes Sept. 21. Keenan is confident he'll enjoy the ride.

"Westfield and Evanston are such similar communities and I am sure he'll see the parallels," she said.

AND NOW A WORD FROM HIS SPONSOR...
When Keenan isn't driving her one-woman welcome wagon for wandering Westfielders, she's a mom and owner of  Smarthinking PR,  a public-relations and advertising agency. 

She and her husband, Peter, moved to Evanston 12 years ago after a four-year stint in London, where two of her three children were born. The family was leaving London and hoping to return to Chicago, when a friend suggested they give Evanston a shot. They fell in love with the Westfield-esque town where they're raising their kids: Teddy (14), Annie (12) and Matt (8).

Keenan retains close ties to Westfield though. Her parents, Anne and Dom Fontana, continue to call Westfield home after 40 years.

THE WELCOMES KEEP ON COMING

Westfield keeps showing the love to at least for one new resident. The Presbyterian Church will welcome Rev. Emily Wilmarth as the church's new youth pastor for a few more Sundays. Since Wilmarth arrived in August, when many residents are (ahem) going to Sunday services Down the Shore, church officials want to keep the intros going until Sept. 19, when the church holds its annual Rally Day – a welcome to the new church year celebration – on the front lawn. Now that's a welcome!

A WARM WELCOME TO WESTFIELD

Who hasn't gotten in on the welcoming action in this town? The Downtown Westfield Corporation wants to make sure they're in on it. Continuing an annual tradition, the DWC has welcomed all new teachers to Westfield with a downtown Westfield tote bag filled with goodies meant to entice teachers to shop and dine in the downtown stores.

According to DWC Executive Director Sherry Cronin the tote bags included Westfield Today newsletters, Destination Westfield shopping guides and an all-important parking token for an hour of free parking downtown.

A WELCOME, THEN A THANK YOU
With all of these welcomes we have to mention one departure in town. Edison students have gotten used to Doug Layman as their assistant principal for the last few years. Sadly Layman will be leaving the Westfield schools at the end of the month for a principal's job closer to his home in Sussex County. Members of the Edison community have said they will miss Layman's work in the school. We wish him the best in his new endeavor and hope his new school is as welcoming as his current one.

ON THE ROAD
During a lunchtime traffic jam in Echo Lake  Park, About Town got to spend a half-hour studying the bumper sticker of the car in front of it:

EVERYTHING IS FINE.

JUT KEEP WATCHING TV.