The return of spring marks the revival of "New Haven First" tours at the Yale Visitor Information Center.
The free walking tours, led by local "celebrities," celebrate the many "firsts" that have occurred during the course of New Haven's 350-year history. These include the nation's first manufacturing assembly line, the first American football game, the first university art gallery in the United States, the premieres of more than 200 Broadway shows, the first lollipop and the first frisbee.
The tours also trace the Elm City's evolution as a maritime commercial city, the birthplace of manufacturing technology and a rapidly growing industrial and cultural center.
The one-hour excursions are offered at noon every Thursday through October. Among the local "celebrities" who have volunteered to lead the tours are Frances (Bitsie) Clark, executive director of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven; Matthew Nemerson, president of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce; Charles Terrell, president of New Haven Savings Bank; Harry Berkowitz, president of the Yale Co-op; and Michael Morand, assistant secretary for education and human development in Yale's Office of New Haven Affairs.
"New Haven First" is a collaborative effort of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, the Greater New Haven Convention and Visitors Bureau, the International Festival of Arts and Ideas, the New Haven Colony Historical Society, the New Haven Preservation Trust, Town Green Special Services District and Yale.
For further information, call the Yale Visitor Information Center at 432-2300.
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