Around Town

‘I Just Think It’s Unique’: Waveny Summer Concert Series Continues Wednesday

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For Steve Halleck, a New Canaan resident who moved to town three years ago, the music of the 1960’s holds a certain nostalgia, and it keeps him going out to see that cherished music live. So on a recent early evening, Halleck made his way to Waveny for the first midweek installment of the hugely popular Summer Concert Series that resumes on Wednesday with country western group Gunsmoke (a concert sponsored by the New Canaan Community Foundation). “I’m here for the music,” Halleck said as foldout chair- and cooler-toting locals found their own spot of bright green lawn out back of Waveny House on June 21. “I’m here for the memories, to hear the music I grew up with,” he said. The night marked Halleck’s first time at the concert series, and as an avid fan of ‘60s R&B, he couldn’t miss it.

Business

‘Give It Everything’: Locals Gather at New Canaan Music for Session with ‘Steely Dan’ Touring Members

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New Canaan’s Will Cuoco, back home between his junior and senior years at the University of Vermont, dropped by his old workplace on Friday night to attend a night of music with two professionals currently touring with one of his favorite acts. Steely Dan, an innovative jazz rock outfit that attained global fame in the 1970’s and ‘80s, has been “very influential for me,” Cuoco, a 2014 NCHS graduate, said as he and others gathered at New Canaan Music downtown to see and play with a pair of the band’s touring members, keyboardist Jim Beard and guitarist Jon Herington. “They strike that perfect balance of complexity and accessibility,” Cuoco said. “I’m so curious as to Beard and Herington’s own process, I’ve heard them talk about having every note fit together, making everything choreographed and pre-planned. I’m personally wondering how to avoid a song becoming too structured.”

Seats at the event cost $100, and by 7:45 p.m. 16 musicians and fans sat down across from Herington and Beard as they answered questions about their careers, improvisation techniques, musical philosophies and songwriting tips.

News

‘A Part of His Life Now’: New Canaan Firefighters Honor NCHS Student Jack Major

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Though many residents may only associate firefighters with sirens and smoke during major crises, the work that takes place behind the scenes—such as cleaning, maintenance and housekeeping—is absolutely essential, officials say. For the past year, New Canaan High School junior Jack Major has contributed to this vital aspect of the New Canaan Fire Department’s operation. “He helps us clean up, takes care of weeds, wipes down the trucks,” Fire Capt. Mike Socci said of the teen. Socci and more than one dozen fire and school officials joined family and friends at the firehouse on Main Street on Wednesday for a celebratory lunch in honor ofMajor’s contributions. Socci and Fire Chief Jack Hennessey presented Major with a monogrammed plaque recognizing his enthusiasm and dedication to the job.

Animal 411

‘She’s Eating Better Than My Husband’: Orphaned Beagle Finds Loving Home in New Canaan

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Ladybug, a twice-orphaned senior dog with a heart-wrenching history, appears finally to have found a loving home. According to New Canaan resident Cathy Kangas, it’s been a smooth adjustment for the sweet-tempered beagle, from whatever her living situation had been (nobody is really sure), to New York City streets and then a series of Animal Control centers—to her new home here in town. “She’s been getting nice and settled at home,” Kangas told NewCanaanite.com on Thursday afternoon from the Elm Street offices of her company, PRAI Beauty. “She’s being—knock on wood—the most amazing, easy little dog.”

The little dog, estimated to be about nine years old, came to the New Canaan Animal Control shelter about two weeks ago, transferred from a shelter in New York City after being picked up on a Manhattan street. Officials in the city determined that Ladybug (also called ‘Hannah’ and ‘Stacey’ at various points in the past, according to her paper work) originally had been found as a stray on the Stamford-New Canaan border in March 2011.

Government

‘Incredibly Responsive To Our Needs’: Town Spends $10,000 for Emergency Fix at Waveny Pool

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New Canaan this week entered into a $9,704 contract with a Danbury-based company for emergency repairs to the Waveny Pool sewage ejection system. Though the approval was just moved through the Board of Selectmen at a meeting on Tuesday, First Selectman Rob Mallozzi already had approved the project in order to get the system running in time for the popular pool’s opening on Memorial Day Weekend. Mallozzi said he oversaw parts of the last-minute job himself. “I spent two days out there last week to get a look at what they were doing,” he said at the meeting, held in Town Hall. “[Foley’s Pump Service],our billing department and our health department all worked together to have a very successful pool opening”.