The Little Things

High Praise for New Wildflower Field at 123 and Parade Hill

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An avid tennis player at the New Canaan Field Club, town resident Suzanne Jonker drives up Route 123 all the time. Prior to this summer, nothing much caught Jonker’s eye as she passed the (harrowing) intersection at Parade Hill Road. That’s all changed, with the creation this year of a bright wildflower meadow that’s drawing high praise from locals. Here are a few photos that Terry took on Thursday, article continues below:

“It used to be all weeds, so it definitely caught my eye and I thought, ‘Wow, that is so nice,’ ” Jonker told NewCanaanite.com. “Really good work.

The Little Things

The Little Things: New Canaan Baseball/Softball and Karl Chevrolet

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This is our third installment of “The Little Things,” where we spotlight quiet, often unnoticed yet important acts of consideration, kindness and community in New Canaan that may otherwise be taken for granted. These are things that make a major difference in our lives and today we’re recognizing two longstanding organizations that each year come together to benefit the community through a cherished youth program: New Canaan Baseball/Softball Inc. and Elm Street mainstay Karl Chevrolet. “New Canaan baseball has been in our world now for a long, long time,” Steve Karl—formerly of the Bantam league Hurons—said on a recent afternoon from his office at the dealership. “I played in the league myself, my brother played in the league. I’ve had four boys who have all played in New Canaan Baseball.”

Karl Chevrolet—through Chevrolet, “the big company,” as Karl puts it—runs a national program that distributes funds to specific youth baseball and softball leagues through local Chevy dealers.

Around Town

New Canaan Library’s Teen Area Is Getting a Fresh New Look

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The teen services area at New Canaan Library is getting a fresh new look and feel thanks to an upgrade led by the venerable facility’s first-ever teen services librarian. Cheryl Capitani, who has been in the role since joining the library staff in December, said she’s making it a priority to create a more welcoming, teen-friendly space. “We were very fortunate to get a targeted donation from a generous donor for some new furniture for the teen area here,” Capitani told NewCanaanite.com Tuesday morning as she cleared shelves in the area, located in the southeast corner of the facility (where if you’re sitting there, you’re looking out at the bench and parking lots that come off of Maple Street). Capitani with the help of a Teen Advisory Board is selecting colors and furniture for the space now. “It’s a really fun project we are working on together,” she said and added, pointing to the wall shown at right: “Hopefully this week, that wall is going to be painted.”

Within a month or so, the furniture should be ordered and on its way.

The Little Things

The Little Things: 5,000 Daffodils from the New Canaan Garden Club

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[Editor’s Note: In this feature, “The Little Things,” we record acts of consideration and kindness that make New Canaan special. It is meant to complement “REALLY?”—a feature where we record the opposite.]

Motorists traveling along Weed Street will have an entirely new and spectacular view come spring, thanks to some planning and work from the New Canaan Garden Club. The club saw to it that 5,000 daffodil bulbs were planted at the crest of a hill in front of the main house at Irwin Park, said Katie Stewart, a member of the group. The plantings include four different varieties of daffodils, she said. “It’s going to be a dramatic,” Stewart told NewCanaanite.com.