Around Town

‘You Could Always Count on Him’: New Canaan Letter Carrier John Beckett Retires After 40 Years

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On Thursday, U.S.P.S. letter carrier John Beckett made his final set of deliveries to South Avenue, marking the end of a 40-year career. Starting with the Stamford Post Office in 1985, Beckett began delivering to New Canaan after the two towns’ post offices merged in 1999. He’s been serving the South Avenue route for the past 13 years. “I was going to do this until something better came along, and it turned out to be a great job,” Beckett told New Canaanite. “They put a roof over my head, food on the table, I’ve raised the family, and I’ve met people that I never would have met if I hadn’t done this job.”
In a show of appreciation for the time and effort Beckett has spent dutifully serving his route, many residents left thank you notes and balloons on their mailboxes, with some even waiting outside to thank him in person on his final day.

Government

Waveny Disc Golf Course Undergoing Major Renovations

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One of New Canaan’s hidden gems, Waveny’s disc golf course, is in the midst of a major overhaul thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers. When it first opened for play in 2007, the course had just 12 holes, and would remain that way for more than a decade. It wasn’t until 2020 that an additional six holes were added, bringing it up to a full 18-hole course. While more minor improvements have been implemented over the years, such as drainage ditches and additional tee areas, 2025 may mark some of the biggest improvements to the course yet. Six of the holes have been “entirely or significantly redesigned, to the extent that we actually changed the layout of the course,” according to avid disc golfer and volunteer course groundskeeper Mickey Stayman.

Government

‘Coppo Field’ Turf Baseball Stadium at Waveny To Open Next Month

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The creation of a widely anticipated new baseball stadium at Waveny is on budget and nearing completion, according to the head of the nonprofit organization driving the project. The Coppo Field project, an approximately $5 million job—$2 million of which is coming from the town, while the nonprofit New Canaan Athletic Foundation is paying the roughly $3 million balance—is expected to significantly increase both the turf footprint and seating surrounding the field in an effort to create more space for the town’s youth athletics programs, NCAF Chairman Mike Benevento told members of the Parks and Recreation Commission last week. “Our biggest bottleneck from youth all the way through varsity sports is getting access to turf fields,” Benevento told Parks & Rec during its regular meeting, held March 5 in Lapham Center and via videoconference. “Especially in the busy spring. We had a wonderful fall last year but the fall prior to that was a total washout.

Around Town

Parks & Rec Approves Oct. 19 Caffeine & Carburetors at Waveny

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The Parks and Recreation Commission last week voted unanimously in favor of an Oct. 19 date for the Caffeine & Carburetors 2025 Waveny Park car show. While the popular car show will function similarly to past years, the 2025 show will take additional steps to alleviate congestion by expanding visitor parking to the downtown commuter lot and Talmadge Hill, in addition to requiring visitors to register for parking in advance, according to Claire Drexler, director of business development at C&C and Zumbach’s Gourmet Coffee on Pine Street, where the event was born. 

Buses will be provided for visitors parking outside of Waveny, she told Parks & Rec during its regular meeting, held March 12 at Lapham Center and via videoconference. “You must register to come to this event,” Drexler said during her presentation. “It’s grown to the size where we need people to know where they’re going in advance.”

To help manage traffic flow, unregistered vehicles arriving at Waveny on Oct.

Around Town

Meet Julien Meunier, New Canaan’s 13-Year Old Professional Magician

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While most middle schoolers spend their weekends doing homework, playing video games or hanging out with friends, one New Canaan youth has dedicated that time to honing a skill few adults have mastered; the art of magic. Julien Meunier’s journey began on his sixth birthday, after being gifted a magic set from FAO Schwarz in New York City, he said. “Straightaway I was captivated by everything you can do,” Meunier told the New Canaanite. “Once I learned and showed my parents, they were amazed.”
Several years later, Meunier would perform his first live magic trick during a fourth grade talent show at Greens Farms Academy, which unbeknownst to him, would be the first of many. Realizing her son’s talent, Cecile Meunier began reaching out to her connections around town, kicking off Julien’s professional magic career.