Blue Devil Dinner Downtown Causes A Buzz
September 25, 2019
New Bees were buzzing and Central students dined in Central Park which is located downtown.
On the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 18, the “Cele-BEE-tion” and Blue Devil Dinner Downtown occurred from 4 to 7 p.m. It was precisely 3:45 p.m. when the shuttle buses took off from Central and brought students downtown to watch the unveiling of six new bee statues. All of the students that participated were given two Blue Devil Dollars — each representing five dollars — as well as the opportunity to taste food from all different cultures of New Britain.
The unveiling ceremony began with Mayor Erin E. Stewart talking eagerly about the new six-foot tall statues that were displayed behind her and gave credit to those that created them. Stewart also mentioned that the Beehive Bridge dedication ceremony would be held in downtown on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. Central’s President Zulma R. Toro also spoke about her experience as president and mentioned that the “Cele-BEE-tion” was coincidentally planned on the same day as Blue Devil Dinner Downtown. After several speeches, the statues were all revealed one by one.
The first statue to be unveiled was the “Borinquen Baker Bee” by local elementary school art teacher, David Segarra. This bee statue is dedicated to Borinquen Bakery which is on 610 Arch St. and is located near the downtown area. The statue represents Puerto-Rican residents and was decorated to look like the flag of Puerto Rico.
Joanna Cistulli’s “Polish Bee” was the next statue to be revealed. She gave it the look of a traditional Polish grandmother to represent Polish citizens.
The third statue to be unveiled was the “ASL Bee.” This statue is dedicated to the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford. The statue was designed by Candace Macy. It holds a sign that is written in sign language.
The fourth bee statue to be revealed was none other than Kizer the “Blue Devil Bee.” This statue, made by Pedro Valentin, holds a pitchfork in his left hand, a book in his right and has been given wings. Even though Kizer has been made into a bee, he still has his devilish features, such as his horns and long tail. The statue is currently on display in Central’s Student Center next to the information desk.
The fifth statue to be unveiled was the “BEEhavorial Health Bee.” This statue was created by Jennifer Oliveira-Florio and was dedicated to the Community Mental Health Affiliates.
The sixth and final statue to be revealed was “Marty Bee.” It is inspired by Martin Rosol, who founded Martin Rosol’s Inc. in 1928 where meat products are sold. The bee is dressed in an apron with the company’s logo and hat. The statue also holds a hot dog.
After the unveiling ceremony, Central students walked down the sidewalks of downtown to eat at various restaurants. The eateries that participated in Blue Devil Dinner Downtown were Sweet Dreams Deli & Bakery, Peppino’s Pizza, Mae Kong Thai Restaurant, C Town Supermarket, Riley’s Hot Dog & Burger Gourmet, Dunkin’ Donuts, Cheng’s Kitchen, Mofongo, Kencarlou’s Jamaican Restaurant, Sweetwater Juice Bar & Deli, Subway, Negritas Restaurant and My Wife Didn’t Cook.
All in all, the “Cele-BEE-tion” and Blue Devil Dinner Downtown brought New Britain together to celebrate its diversity and culture.
