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12/09/2022 12:27 PMEmotions were high at the annual Christmas Tree Lighting on the Town Green on Dec. 4, as members and friends of the North Haven community gathered in large numbers to ring in the holiday season.
First Selectman Michael Freda led the event from the gazebo on the far end of the Green, standing before a packed crowd for what Freda characterized as a “poignant” evening. Joining him on the gazebo were two families, “who have gone through so much pain and sorrow these past few months, and two families whom we will continue to show our community support for,” Freda said on social media.
Before the dedication of the tree lighting, members of the North Haven High School Concert Choir sang holiday carols as attending families and communities settled and conversed on the Green, while food and drink such as hot apple cider, hot chocolate, and cookies were offered by the local Knights of Columbus Council 3733, VOX Church, and the Corinthian Masonic Lodge. The pre-lighting food and musical offerings were capped off with the arrival of Santa Claus onboard a North Haven Fire Department truck.
Andrew DelVecchio, assistant director of recreation, estimated that around 3,000 people were present at the event.
Freda introduced the crowd to Kostyantyn and Olga Yermakov and their son Daniil, who have found a new home in North Haven after fleeing the violence in their hometown of Kyiv, Ukraine.
“A few months ago, we were made aware of a family in Ukraine whose lives were devastated with the loss of their home to the ravages of war,” Freda said. “Kostyantyn and Olga Yermakov, husband and wife, were displaced from their son, Daniil, for several months. They thought they had a sponsor family in Pennsylvania; that commitment did not materialize.”
Accompanying the Yermakovs was their sponsor family Jeanne Cavadini and Michael Frisicia, who helped bring the beleaguered family to the United States and establish a home for them with the support of their friends.
“They quickly adopted this family to become assimilated into North Haven," Freda said. "Jeanne called me, I met with the family, and North Haven has really tried to help this family who’s in great need.”
Kostyantyn spoke before the crowd following Freda’s opening statements.
“Thank you, people of North Haven. It’s a great honor for us to participate tonight in your activity. Back home, of course, we celebrate Christmas, but we don’t have it that way like you are here. It is really awesome,” he said. “After all these months of going back and forward, and running away from evil power, it’s such a relief to along with you.”
Daniil spoke after his father’s statements, expressing gratitude to Freda for organizing the event and the support surrounding his family and the benevolence he has received from his friends at school and the town.
The attending community also rallied around the family of the late Lt. Dustin DeMonte, who was shot and killed in an ambush on Oct 12, passing at the age of 35. The slain officer served the Bristol Police Department for 10 years and is survived by his expectant wife and their daughter.
“Back in October, we were devastated to learn that North Haven resident and Bristol Police officer, Lt. Dustin DeMonte, gave his life in protecting his Bristol community. It was just two years that Officer DeMonte was here with his children and family,” Freda said.
DeMonte’s widow, Laura DeMonte, spoke to the crowd.
“North Haven has always been very good to me, and I am proud to raise a family here. I know Dustin was too. I was born and raised in North Haven, and family and community have always been the most significant part of my life. I think these things pull us through the hardest of times, and now I know that to be true,” DeMonte said. “After losing my husband, I am left broken-hearted, devastated, and confused. However, during this catastrophic storm in life, family and community have carried us and will pull us through. I want you to know that you have been my kids and my lifeboat in our very worst storm. You are the reason we get by, day to day, and will be OK. And I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for that. Thank you for life’s greatest gifts: family, community, support, generosity, and kindness.”
Also standing in memory and support of DeMonte and his family were Jeff Caggiano, Mayor of Bristol; Kevin Glenn; Brian Gould, Chief of Bristol Police; and Larry Lazaroff, Chairman of the North Board of Police Commissioners. Chief of North Haven Police Kevin Glenn, Selectwoman Sally Buemi, District 87 State Representative David Yaccarino, and District 34 State Senator Paul Cicarella were also in attendance.
Jim and Ann Marie Piscitelli, the parents of Laura DeMonte, stood in memory of their son-in-law and said the tree lighting was a meaningful event for their family and the tragedy they suffered.
The touching words of the Yermakov family and DeMonte were echoed by Freda
“North Haven will continue to rally around the Yermakovs and the DeMonte family. I’m very grateful to our community for the support they have shown,” he said.
The event concluded with the lighting of the town tree, which was lit by command of a “special tree lighting device” pulled by DeMonte, her mother, and her two daughters, igniting the lights for the holiday season.