20 Towns in 20 Days: Naugatuck

NAUGATUCK, CT (WFSB) – 20 Towns in 20 Days is in Naugatuck for a trip down memory lane.

If you want to know what Naugatuck was like in 90s, all you need to do is find Chris Herb.

He’s a 1991 graduate of Naugatuck High School.

“I was class president all four years, my mom was very proud of that,” said Chris.

Chris also played football in his senior year. He was a center.

It was an exciting time to be a teenager and there was a lot of school pride.

Chris still wears his Greyhound hat and shirt.

It brings him back to those days and the intense rivalry between Naugatuck and neighboring Ansonia.

Sports have been the backbone of this community.

Naugatuck has played Ansonia for a long time.

That rivalry is still strong. The games still draw huge crowds and it gets pretty rowdy.

“I went offsides because it was so loud I couldn’t hear the quarterback who kept making the calls. It was overwhelming you kept feeling like a rock star. And that’s what Naugatuck does, they take their young people seriously,” said Chris.

Naugatuck or “Naugy” as the natives like to say, is a small town with a lot of school pride.

“The high school became the center of life if you were a teenager. Everyone went to see their friends to do stuff,” Chris said.

Chris has lived in Naugatuck his whole life; he’s raised his family there.

He wanted his two boys to have the same experiences he had growing up.

“They did not play football, they were runners and swimmers so they don’t look anything like me,” said Chris.

Apparently Chris isn’t the only one who feels a strong connection to his roots.

When I go to Stop and Shop on the weekends it’s almost like a mini reunion it’s wonderful to see a lot of people that are still in town raising their children here. I think that common experience we had growing up is something we wanted to replicate for our children,” said Chris.

There are many things about this valley town that he truly appreciates.

“Other great traditions – we have one of the largest Memorial Day parades in the state of Connecticut, we have a Veterans Day parade which brings a lot of people wonderful fireworks this is a special place and I am glad my kids can call themselves fifth generation herbs to live in the town,” said Chris.

Jenn Hanley has been busy.

After high school she went into the Navy, got married and had kids.

She moved away for a short time but this is her home and she came back.

She brought her yearbook to show us what she looked like when she graduated from Naugatuck High School in 1992.

The 90s were known for big hair.

“High school was nothing like it is today although it was not full of the electronics we have today,” said Jenn.

If you wanted to see your friends, it was different than today.

“We walked if you wanted to talk to you friends you really needed to go out of your way,” Jenn said.

This year is her 30-year reunion.

“I was like every other teenager I wanted to hang out with my friends. I wanted to listen to music, I wanted to be rebellious and stay out late,” said Jenn.

She remembers hanging out and driving around.

“Maybe McDonald’s we would drive up and down Rubber Avenue in town, I didn’t have a car in high school so it was always with my girlfriends,” Jenn said.

The McDonald’s is still there and so is Mike’s Pizza Palace.

“One of my hobbies I love to do is ride a motorcycle- very much enjoy riding my Harley and I will ride anywhere,” said Jenn.

Jenn recently got together with a bunch of other women who ride to pose for a calendar.

They raised money to support veterans with PTSD.

Growing up in Naugatuck meant a lot to her, and it’s where she wants to stay.

“It’s a nice town, it’s a hometown, it’s my hometown, that’s why I came back to this town to raise my kids,” Jenn said.

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