Winooski Committee plans 100-year celebration
Written by Rachel Weed
Winooski Centennial Celebration logo.
A social worker, a retired UVM faculty, and multiple artists — these are the people representing Winooski for its Centennial Celebration.
Winooski’s nine-person Centennial Celebration Committee was put together by Paul Sarne, the City’s Communications Coordinator, with the goal of capturing the city’s character and giving subcommunities of Winooski a voice.
Over the next year, this committee will be planning a series of week-long events that are set to kick off March 7, 2022. The events will celebrate Winooski’s people, places and traditions.
All of the events are still in the early stages of planning, but the committee members are enthusiastic about bringing some light and love to commemorate the progress of the city.
The nine members of the committee are:
Amy Lafayette, former Winooski City Councilor, current Liaison for the Winooski’s Safe, Healthy, Connected People Commission
Meredith Bay-Tyack, Executive Director of Downtown Winooski
Miriam Block, Director of the Heritage Mill Museum
Stephanie Hackett, Community Based Learning Coordinator
Dan Higgins, Winooski Photographer and retired UVM faculty
Craig Mitchell, Events Promoter, Musician and founding member of Winooski Strong
Joe Perron, President of the Winooski Historical Society
Paul Sarne, Communications Coordinator and Staff Liaison of Winooski
Irene Kerubo Webster, Caseworker at Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV) and Performing Artist/Musician.
Though Winooski will be celebrating its 100 year anniversary of officially becoming a city, breaking off from Colchester, March 7, 1922, its history traces back to the late 1700s.
Headshot of Miriam Block, provided by Miriam Block.
Committee member Miriam Block said she was eager to join the team in hopes of educating Winooski residents about the city’s rich history of textile mills. She approached the committee to organize an outdoor photography exhibit, inspired by the Inside Out project by French artist JR.
The basis of an Inside Out project is to display black and white murals of untold stories about people and events.
“I really love the idea of creating art that's accessible so you don't have to necessarily go into interior space, into a museum that might only be open during specific hours and so anybody can see it at any time,” said Block.
Member Joe Perron’s family history is rooted in the city and stems back to when his family members immigrated from Canada. He explained they immediately felt at home and found a community that shared their language culture.
From spending his entire life in the city, Joe brings a unique perspective about the evolution and intersection of city culture.
“Now, interesting is that a lot of like the African new Americans like are from French speaking African countries, so now that's kind of been brought back in a way, so it's, in some ways we've gone full circle,” said Perron. “My mom actually will speak French with some of these women and it's sort of neat that they can carry on together.”
Headshot of Irene Kerubo Webster, provided by Irene Kerubo Webster
Committee member Irene Kerubo Webster, an Afro-American singer and social worker, moved to Winooski about 10 years ago, and it is now the place she calls home.
“There was actually a day when I had my window open, and I had heard people that were walking by and they were speaking a language that I understood, which was Swahili, and I thought what, how could that be?” said Webster. “So, I found people who were from my country right here in Winooski and so, that was another grounding factor.”
To strengthen the existing African community she found in Winooski, she started a refugee worship group who, prior to COVID, met at the Methodist church across from the police station.
Irene plans to perform at the centennial celebration next year. During her performances, she not only sings but speaks about accepting and loving one's own culture and identity.
Over the years, Winooski has gone through an evolution that committee member Dan Higgins was able to capture and publish locally. In 1976, during Winooski’s urban renewal period, he started a photography collection called The Onion River Portraits.
These portraits were accessible in a local coffee shop and sparked conversation because he made sure to reach every corner of the city, and many of the people, places, and traditions photographed are not widely recognized when picturing Winooski.
Upon revisiting The Onion River Portraits, Higgins reached out to committee member Perron to help him pose for a photograph bringing awareness to the need for the preservation of historical buildings in the city. The revisited portraits are now displayed in the O’Brien Community Center in Winooski.
“Dan is a really, I would say a sensitive observer of kind of the evolution of the city, and has paid really close attention over the years over life the changing demographics, and a lot of times like what I would consider to be marginalized populations he's sort of made a point of bringing awareness about their presence,” said Joe.
Committee meetings will continue monthly up until the events take place. On the agenda for the next meeting, which will be held at 6 p.m. on August 18, 2021, each committee member will be assigned to take on and plan a prospective event.
The meeting will be open or public comment, and this link can be used to sign up for news updates on the upcoming meetings.
