Around Town

Glass House to Host Annual ‘Community Day’ on Aug. 21

By |

[The NewCanaanite.com Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates.]

Every year, The Glass House hosts “Community Day”—a one-day event where the nonprofit organization gives away free tour tickets to residents on a first-come, first-served basis. It’s a way to “give back to the community and hopefully draw in people who’ve never been to the Glass House or just never felt that it was easy to get in to,” said Kirsten Reoch, the executive director of The Glass House. Each year, residents use a specific code to redeem their free tickets. This year Community Day will be held Thursday, Aug. 21, and that code is NEWCANAAN2025. 

“It’s a special opportunity to get to know new people,” Reoch said. 

“Tours are available on our website and using the code, residents can get up to four tickets,” she added.

Around Town

‘Morning Movie Club’ Welcomes a Second Year of Blockbusters

By |

[The NewCanaanite.com Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates.]

Nine years ago, inspired by their own experiences and identifying a need for it in their own town, two Greenwich women created the Morning Movie Club – a group that meets once monthly to enjoy the latest blockbusters. 

 

Founded by Kerry Anderson and Michelle Howe, the group congregates one Tuesday per month from September to April. Members can enjoy a first-run movie at 10 a.m. sharp – without any previews. 

“We started the club to provide a service because movie theaters are empty on Tuesdays,” Howe said. “People get a choice of two first-run movies, no previews. You’re in and out of the theater to have lunch with your friends, go to a doctor’s appointment or pick up your kids at school.”

Back when the group was based in Greenwich, the club held partnerships with many local businesses such as Green & Tonic. However, these partnerships ended with the collapse of movie theaters following the COVID-19 pandemic.

News

Waveny Park Conservancy Calls for Images of Fall, Winter in Park

By |

[The NewCanaanite.com Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates.]

This summer, the Waveny Park Conservancy will be hosting a gala to commemorate its 10th anniversary. The gala serves as a unique fundraising event to celebrate and support the beloved park—and the organization is seeking the public’s help. Since its creation, the nonprofit has been responsible for 13 major projects—with an investment totaling more than $3 million —to maintain and restore landscaping and hardscaping, and, more recently, art installations. 

For the Sept. 6 gala, New Canaan video producer Christian Murphy is creating a video themed “Four Seasons”—a nod to the park’s year-round splendor and enjoyment by residents—and is in need of additional photos and videos in Waveny, especially from the fall and winter. Murphy and his team have been on site to capture people enjoying the park in their own unique ways. “We were there very early in the morning and there was one chap who was training his dog to retrieve ducks,” Murphy said.

Around Town

Steve Benko Pool in Full Swing Amid Soaring Temps

By |

One of the biggest beneficiaries of the recent heat has been a favorite cool-down amenity in Waveny Park. Visitor numbers have skyrocketed at the Steve Benko Pool, though “it was pretty cold at the beginning of the season, so we didn’t have as many people coming out,” Recreation Department Recreation Supervisor/Aquatic Manager Steven Dayton said on a recent 90-degree morning. 

“As it’s gotten hotter, many more people have started to come regularly,” he said. The pool has seen roughly 27,000 people so far this summer, on pace to match last year’s 40,000, according to Dayton. In all, 1,117 resident memberships have been purchased for the pool, similar to last year’s number, Dayton said. Non-resident memberships (at higher rates) continue to be limited at 125.

Footer Featured Widget

New Canaan Dance Academy Wins Super Nova Group Routine Award

By |

The New Canaan Dance Academy last month participated in the Heat Convention Dance Nationals in Orlando, and took home the most prestigious group dance award. The company director and choreographer of the award-winning group dance “The Artist,” Sheena DiMatteo, described a “dream-like” feeling watching her dancers perform on the biggest of stages. “I felt an immense amount of pride watching the girls dance,” DiMatteo said. “Especially for them to perform so well in Florida, where everything is so heightened, it was a magical feeling. Seeing all of the hard work unfold onstage was euphoric.”

The competition took place from July 6 to 11 and featured dance studios from across the country.