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A Fall Festival All-Star

Since she moved here 35 years ago, Liz Esposito has been in the middle of everything in East Haven. Now, she’s taking on a bigger role in the annual Fall Festival coming to the green from Friday, Sept. 7 to Sunday, Sept. 9.

She has worked for 23 years at Patient Care in New Haven, a company that provides home care to patients in need. Liz worked in the office on payroll and scheduling. In her free time, she volunteers for various organizations around East Haven.

Liz has been volunteering at the Fall Festival’s information booth for several years. When Stacy Gravino stepped down from coordinating the craft and community tables last year, Liz was asked to take on the responsibility.

“It sound[ed] like a good idea, you know, meet a lot of people,” Liz says.

This year, the Fall Festival will begin on Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. Events will take place over the course of the weekend—with Tony Orlando reprising his headlining role on Saturday, Sept. 8—through the festival’s close at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 9.

For Liz, the Fall Festival is about more than just food, fun, and great music.

“Sometimes I see a lot of people I haven’t seen in a year because they don’t live around here, but they come to the festival,” Liz says.

Originally from Branford, Liz moved to East Haven with her husband, Joe, a retiree from the Public Works Department and lifelong resident. They’ve lived in their historic home on the green ever since.

For a while, she says, the portion of the green in front of her home was known to her family as “Espo field.” Her youngest son and his friends would play baseball on it. They played so much that the diamond was worn into the green.

It doesn’t look like that anymore, though. Liz says East Haven and the Town Green have changed a lot over the years, even as simply as the growth of trees.

“I’ve seen a lot,” she says, “Activities here with the Fall Festival, they have concerts on the green, people coming around.”

People, Liz says, are the key. It’s getting to know people in the community that has led her to become more involved in East Haven.

In addition to her new responsibilities planning for the Fall Fest, Liz volunteers with the Democratic Town Committee, the Rotary Club, and last year became involved with the Vietnam Veterans Association, Chapter 484.

“I know a lot of people in town, a lot of different organizations. It’s just good to give back to the town that we’ve been in,” she says.

Liz works with the Rotary Club on student of the month awards for East Haven High Schools and Clothes for Kids drives, providing money to children with which they can purchase clothes.

“Somebody asked if I’d be interested [in the Rotary Club]…and I said, ‘It sounds like a good opportunity just to help other people,’” Liz says.

For Liz, invitations often turn into involvement in this way.

“My [four] kids have grown, I have grandkids…You need something to keep busy, to keep yourself active,” she says.

Keeping active led her headlong into volunteering for the Fall Festival. So far, planning for the community and craft booths has been something of a challenge.

“The vendors were here…since they started the craft fair many years ago,” she says. “We try to give them the same spots.”

She also tries to keep a balanced variety of vendors at the festival by preventing duplicates. This way, no one booth can detract from the other and fairgoers can experience a more diverse collection of vendors.

At press time, 25 vendors had signed up to attend the Fall Festival, close to the number that was there last year. Liz expects to have a final lineup in the days before the festival beginning on Sept. 7.

“Call it a challenge,” she says, “and then ask me next year!”

This year’s festival will retain many of last year’s popular attractions. The East Haven Community Classic Road Race will return for its second year, taking place at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 8.

Tony Orlando, returning after his first appearance in 2015, will take the stage at 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 8. The annual classic car show will begin at 9 a.m. on Sept. 9 and go until 3 p.m.

For the craft fair, Liz says attendees can expect everything from Native American jewelry to candles and the East Haven Yellowjackets’ dunk tank.

“People are the key—to meet people, that’s it,” she says. “There’s a lot of great people in this town. A lot of people work really hard together to get to the same place.”