Around Town

‘Woof Woof the Shadow Pup’ Free Family Program Coming Feb. 9 [Q&A]

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Three beloved local organizations—Carriage Barn Arts Center, New Canaan CARES and the New Canaan YMCA—have teamed up to bring the community a free family program next month. “Woof Woof the Shadow Pup” will be held at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9 at the Carriage Barn (register here, space is limited). 

The program includes a shadow dance with professional dancers from the children’s theater production of “Woof Woof” that’s designed to help children express their thoughts and feelings more easily to an imaginary character. “Children will experience projection art and an interactive story time, participate in immersive shadow dance, and dig into hands-on prop-making,” promotional materials say. We put questions to the heads of the three organizations presenting the program.

Around Town

South Avenue Landmark: Brooks Sanatorium, Reincarnated

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South Avenue has undergone a conspicuous transformation these last many years. Once lined with mid-20th century Capes and Colonials, it’s now dominated by modern, custom-built homes. (Nothing wrong with that. It’s just … different.)

One holdover from the “old” South Avenue is a gorgeous three-story home at the corner of Brooks Road, with the columned wraparound porch and dormer windows looking out over a perfectly manicured front lawn. The home is not only a throwback to an earlier time, but also has a significant history in the annals of New Canaan itself.

Around Town

New Canaan Man Files Legal Notice with Town After Tripping on Elm Street Sidewalk

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An 81-year-old New Canaan man who says he tripped on a brick protruding from an Elm Street sidewalk last fall last week filed a notice that the town is liable for damages. Harvey Melzer was walking up past Elm Restaurant at around 11:54 a.m. on Oct. 15 (a Tuesday) when he “tripped and fell on a protruding brick piece of the sidewalk and fell upon his left hip, knee and hand,” according to a notice letter filed on his behalf by attorney Jason Gladstone of New Canaan-based Lampert, Williams & Toohey, LLC. He “was caused to trip and fall on a defective piece of sidewalk, which was in disrepair, unsafely protruding from the sidewalk and caused a dangerous condition,” the notice letter said. He injured his left hand, knee and hip, as well as his neck, and suffered contusions and abrasions, it said. 

“Harvey Melzer intends to hold the Town of New Canaan responsible for any and all damages, as provided by law,” it said.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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New Canaan Police at 9:37 a.m. on Dec. 31 arrested a 43-year-old Bridgeport man and charged him with second-degree failure to appear. An officer using radar to conduct speed enforcement stopped him on Carter Street and found that a paperless re-arrest warrant that had been issued for the man. According to Connecticut Judicial Branch records, he had been arrested by Bridgeport Police in March 2009 on motor vehicle-related charges, including operating a motor vehicle while under suspension. ***

Silvermine Galleries presents its New Members 2025 exhibition, running Jan.

Around Town

New Canaanites’ Film ‘From Life To Life’ To Run Jan. 10 to 12 at Playhouse [Q&A]

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The film “From Life to Life,” written, directed and starring New Canaan resident Beka Sikharulidze, and produced by him and his wife, Maia Gusharashvili, will be screened at 6:30 p.m. this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at The Playhouse on Elm Street (tickets here). Natives of the nation of Georgia in eastern Europe, the couple moved to New Canaan three years ago with their two sons. The screenings will be followed by a Q&A with Sikharulidze himself. 

We sat down with Sikharulidze and Gusharashvili at Le Pain Quotidien on Monday afternoon to talk about their background in film, how they came to New Canaan and what it means to them to screen “From Life to Life” in their beloved new hometown of New Canaan. Here’s a transcription of our interview. 

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New Canaanite: Before we get into the film itself, give us some background about you. Give me your filmmaking background and tell us about how you ended up in New Canaan. 

Beka Sikharulidze: So for me, I was an actor.