Westfield Is Turning 300. These People Are Planning The Party

WESTFIELD, NJ As part of its planning process for Westfield’s upcoming 300th anniversary in 2020, the Westfield 300 Steering Committee was formed by Mayor Shelley Brindle to produce an overall strategy and initial plans for the Town’s year-long commemoration.

In addition to Brindle, the Steering Committee is comprised of the following Westfield residents:

• Barbara Burton (Co-Chair), Member, Westfield Historical Society and Daughters of the American Revolution; Board member, The Westfield Adult School
• Robert Wendel (Co-Chair), Town Historian; Member, Westfield Historical Society and Historic Preservation Commission; Board member, Miller-Cory House Museum
• Sal Caruana (Chair, Finance and Fundraising), Former Town Councilman
• Lisa Alonge, Resident volunteer
• Stuart Arnold, Former Chair, Imagine
• Donnell Carr, Former Town Councilman; Member, MLK Association and Westfield Community Center
• Kim Forde, Public Information Officer, Town of Westfield
• Jim Gildea, Administrator, Town of Westfield
• Robert Gorelick, Board Chairman, Westfield Foundation
• Frank Isoldi, Established realtor; Board member, Westfield Foundation
• Dawn Mackey, Fourth Ward Councilwoman and Council Liaison to the DWC
• Ginny Malley, Board member, Westfield United Fund
• Peggy Oster, President, Board of Education
• Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded, Union County Freeholder
• Darielle Walsh, President, Greater Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce; Past President, Westfield Optimist Club & Westfield Area Y Board
• Alex Williams, Former Mayor of Westfield
• Reverend William Williams, Pastor, First United Methodist Church

“The establishment of the Westfield 300 Steering Committee brings together a widely diverse set of perspectives and expertise as we plan for a very exciting celebration over the course of 2020,” said Mayor Brindle. “As always, I’m grateful for the volunteerism and enthusiasm of our residents to step up for such an important community-wide initiative.”

The initial work of the Steering Committee has focused on the selection of the Westfield 300 logo, with the winning entry by Jennifer Wilner publicly unveiled at the Oct. 15 Town Council meeting. In addition, the Committee has identified key anchor events for the year – including the recognition of the first 2020 Westfield baby in January, a Town-wide outdoor celebration in June and an enhanced year-end holiday event next December to cap the anniversary year. In between, ongoing Westfield 300 programming is expected to include historical lectures/re-enactments, musical festivals, architectural tours, a commemorative book, and additional opportunities to be finalized in the coming weeks and months among business owners, residents, and community organizations. The Committee’s hope and expectation is that local organizations will identify their own ways of incorporating Westfield 300 into their 2020 plans.

The Steering Committee also expects to form its working subcommittees in the near future in core areas such as fundraising, marketing/merchandising, community outreach, and event planning. At that time, there will be a call for additional volunteers to support these efforts and lend their talents as Westfield 300 approaches.

For ongoing information about the Westfield 300 initiative, visit www.westfieldnj.gov/300.

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading, or by visiting the Google Play store.