Around Town

New Canaan Filmmaker Launches ‘Try Anyway’ Summer Creative Workshops for Young Writers

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Local filmmaker, writer and educator Claire Ayoub is helping young storytellers discover their voices through her new Try Anyway Creative Workshops, a summer program that blends creative writing, screenwriting and directing into an encouraging, hands-on experience for students in grades 4 through 7. Unlike traditional writing classes, Ayoub’s workshops focus less on grades and perfection and more on creativity, confidence and collaboration, she said. “I love creating a space for kids to just show up and not have to worry about grades or doing things right,” Ayoub said. “It’s about exploring themselves creatively.” The workshops grew out of creative writing classes Ayoub began teaching in New Canaan this spring.

Around Town

Chichester Road Historic District Becomes New Canaan’s First National Register Historic District

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The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by the New Canaan Racquet Club. Six Midcentury Modern homes on Chichester Road have become New Canaan’s first historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places, marking a milestone in the preservation of the town’s internationally recognized architectural heritage, advocates say. Officially listed on March 2, the “Chichester Road Historic District” recognizes both the distinctive architecture and the natural landscape that helped make New Canaan a center of Midcentury Modern design. The new designation follows a nearly two-year effort led by the New Canaan Preservation Alliance, a nonprofit organization. “The goals were to inform the public of the importance of preservation; to recognize the significance of the terrain and architecture on Chichester Road that has been well preserved; to honor the original architects who designed houses in the district between 1956 and 1964; and to enable the owners of these houses to receive tax credits for restoration of their properties,” Susan Pollish, secretary of the New Canaan Preservation Alliance, told NewCanaanite.com.

News

Town Opens Cooling Centers, Urges Precautions During Extreme Heat Wave

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The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by the New Canaan Racquet Club. New Canaan officials are urging residents to take precautions as dangerously high temperatures are expected to continue through Independence Day weekend. The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Heat Watch for New Canaan from Wednesday at noon through Saturday evening, prompting the town to activate cooling centers and implement additional safety measures. 

Russ Kimes III, the town’s director of emergency management, said the town’s primary concern is ensuring residents understand the dangers of prolonged heat exposure. “Of course our greatest concern is ensuring that people take extreme heat seriously,” Kimes said. “People should stay well hydrated, stay out of the sun and adjust working hours if possible, be observant of the signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses, and never ever leave a child or pet in a car unattended—even for a moment.”

News

Warrant: Man at Nearly Three Times Legal Limit in Drunk-Driving Crash

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The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by the New Canaan Racquet Club. New Canaan Police on June 18 arrested a Stamford man, 34, in connection with a 2018 single-vehicle crash that officials say occurred while he was driving with a blood-alcohol concentration nearly three times the legal limit. According to an arrest warrant affidavit filed by NCPD Officer William Sheehan signed by a state Superior Court judge and obtained by NewCanaanite.com, the man crashed Jan. 7, 2018 near the entrance to Mead Park. Sheehan said in an affidavit that officers were dispatched to the scene at approximately 11:45 p.m. on a report of a one-car crash.

Around Town

Steve Benko Pool Rebounds After Unusual Start To Summer Season

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The Summer Internship Program is sponsored by the New Canaan Racquet Club. After a slow start brought on by colder weather, the Steve Benko Pool in Waveny is settling into a busy summer season, officials say. Aquatics Manager Steve Dayton said attendance has fluctuated so far, with colder days keeping some swimmers away before a recent stretch of heat brought crowds back. “The summer has been OK,” Dayton said. “We’ve had some cold weather, which kept people away, but then we had some really hot weather.