Around Town

Pastor Pushes Attendees to Realize Martin Luther King’s Dream in Powerful Remembrance Service

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“What would [Martin Luther King, Jr.] say about what’s going on in the world today?” asked Dr. Lindsay E. Curtis, a pastor at Norwalk’s Grace Baptist Church, as he addressed a crowd gathered in New Canaan on Monday morning to remember the late Reverend and civil rights leader. One of two first-hand witnesses of King’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech at the 1963 March on Washington to speak at the community’s annual service, held at the United Methodist Church, Curtis passionately reminded attendees that King’s presence in history is inherently political, and that, should the divide ever-present in today’s landscape ever be bridged, his legacy must be celebrated and upheld not only on his birthday, but year-round. At the center of Curtis’s speech, delivered during a remembrance service sponsored by the Interfaith Council of New Canaan, was a passage from King’s 1963 open letter, written from Birmingham Jail after his arrest. The quote reads as follows; “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere … He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.

Around Town

‘We Are Supporting Each Other’: New Canaan Merchants Keep Business in Town

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When walking down Elm Street on a sunny Saturday afternoon, it is more than likely that one will hear a couple visitors from New York City or beyond lament that New Canaan seems to be ripped from an episode of “Gilmore Girls.” Indeed, this town offers many of the same surface qualities as the fictional Star’s Hollow, with a beautiful downtown and quirky residents and business owners. The similarities go deeper, however; on the show, it is not uncommon to see Luke, the owner of the local diner, cross the street to buy supplies from Doosey’s Market. It’s a perfect illustration of local charm; these two small businesses support each other while also contributing to the integrity of the town. If it seems too good to be happening in real life, it’s not, and businesses right here in New Canaan are using the same model.

Around Town

‘It’s Really Beautiful’: Praise for New Footpath at Waveny

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Recently completed by the town, a new path in Waveny, running from the western side of Waveny House to the Lapham Road entrance, is earning high praise from park users. The eight-foot wide path closes a long-planned loop in the park, officials say, allowing visitors to enjoy approximately 1.7 miles of uninterrupted pathway and offering an even more attractive solution to pedestrians who insist on walking in the road. “It used to be like a cow path,” Recreation Director Steve Benko told NewCanaanite.com. “Everybody had to walk up the same hill, and they’d trip over rocks and roots. Now, you can conceivably do a loop of the whole park without leaving the path.”

Additional drainage is expected to take place soon, and the path is currently up and running under a design from the Waveny Park Conservancy.

New Canine-ites

Louie the Bernese Mountain Dog: A Puppy at Heart

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In this installment of “New Canine-ites,” featuring profiles of local dogs, we speak to town resident Bella Doré about Louie, an instantly lovable Bernese Mountain Dog. Passing him mid-walk playing in his yard, it was impossible not to fall in love with Louie, who is essentially an enormous puppy. “Louie is definitely very loving,” Doré said. “He will do anything and everything he can to be as humanly close to you as possible. If you’re sitting down he will jump up and give you a hug—literally.”

Around Town

Popular ‘New CanaanOpoly’ Board Game To Return, Thanks to Local Resident

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Around Christmas last year, town resident Ryan Davis recalled, locals began contacting his mother about the availability of an out-of-stock and hugely popular Monopoly-based board game that had been customized to New Canaan. Barbara Davis had created ‘New CanaanOpoly’ 10 years ago as a fundraiser for a local nonprofit organization. For Ryan Davis, the interest represented a chance to breathe new life into the old board game in order to benefit one of the most widely anticipated fundraising efforts in town. “We decided this could be a great idea and thought it would be a great way to help out the New Canaan Library,” he told NewCanaanite.com. Soon, New Canaan High School alumni Thomas and Spencer Williams joined the effort, and a newly updated version of New CanaanOpoly is in production and will be available for purchase in the fall, Ryan Davis said.