The Bridgeport Bluefish will host “Connecticut Manufacturing Day at Harbor Yard” on Sunday with a manufacturing ceremony beginning at 12:30 p.m.
The event will benefit the Housatonic Community College Foundation’s new American Manufacturing Hall of Fame, a national site to be based in Bridgeport.
The day will celebrate the past success of manufacturing in Connecticut and look to the future growth of manufacturing in the region.
The Manufacturing Hall of Fame’s mission “is to raise awareness of the positive aspects and solid economic sense advanced manufacturing brings to U.S. communities and to raise funding for manufacturing students and programs to create American jobs.”
In 2014, the inaugural year of the hall of fame, proceeds will go to HCC’s advanced manufacturing program and to its students.
The hall will be a part of the HCC Foundation, HCC’s fundraising arm. It will focus on the greater Bridgeport-New Haven area in its first years of existence, then include all of Connecticut, New England and eventually the entire U.S. A museum is planned for a later date.
“What is significant is that a national organization aimed at promoting manufacturing is emerging from a small community college foundation in Connecticut,” said Denise Bukovan, dean of outreach at HCC. “This doesn’t happen every day – or every decade for that matter.”
The ceremony Sunday will includ brief comments from representatives of the hall, a flag ceremony with U.S. service veterans who are retired manufacturers, the singing of the national anthem by the Greater New Haven Community Chorus, the presentation of up to 10 full scholarships to pre-chosen advanced manufacturing program students at HCC and the ceremonial first pitch by a prominent Connecticut manufacturer.
The event kicks off at noon, when all players on the roster will be on the field signing autographs. Game time is 1 p.m. against the Camden Riversharks.
“We wanted to do something with the manufacturing community that had a big impact on manufacturing students and was also about families,” said Bluefish Assistant General Manager Jamie Toole.
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