Around Town

Dantown: The ‘Atlantis of New Canaan’

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Drive slowly along the upper reaches of Ponus Ridge and you can glimpse the last vestiges of a once-thriving New Canaan community, most of which now exists deep beneath the Laurel Reservoir. Beyond the chain link fence surrounding the lake, myriad stone walls crisscross through the trees, some of which suddenly disappear into the water. This is all that remains of Dantown. For Bob Tilden of Montour Falls, N.Y., the search for Dantown began as a search for his ancestors. One of these ancestors, Francis Dan, arrived in what was then Stamford in the late 17th Century, eventually settling a community by the Rippowam River near the New York state border.

Around Town

Broadway Bound: ‘Flags’ Opens Thursday at the Powerhouse Theatre [Q&A]

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The Broadway Bound Theater Festival (background here) is running through Sept. 1 at the Powerhouse Theatre in Waveny, presented by the Town Players of New Canaan. We put some questions to Tom Mullen, a contributing playwright whose work, “Flags,” opens at 7 p.m. Thursday and runs through Sunday (tickets here). Here’s our exchange. ***

New Canaanite: Give our readers some of your own background.

Around Town

Did You Hear …

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New Canaan Police are investigating a vehicle reported stolen from a Louise’s Lane driveway at 6:13 p.m. Sunday—it had been left running while the victim was taking items into the house. ***

Congratulations to the 12U New Canaan softball team, which won the Fastpitch Nation Mid-Summer Storm II 12U Tournament in Greenfield, Mass. on the last weekend of July. The team went 5-1, only allowing 13 runs in the entire tournament, and winning 8-0 in the final. It’s the team’s second FPN tournament win of the year and third finals appearance.

Around Town

Theater Festival Opens Thursday at Powerhouse with ‘What’s Done Is Done’ [Q&A]

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This week, the Broadway Bound Theater Festival (background here) launches at the Powerhouse Theatre in Waveny, presented by the Town Players of New Canaan. We put some questions to Alan Richards, a contributing playwright whose work, “What’s Done Is Done,” opens the festival at 7 p.m. Thursday (tickets here). Here’s our exchange. ***

New Canaanite: Give our readers some of your own background. When did you start playwriting?

Around Town

A Brushy Ridge Mystery: The Rockery

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If you’ve ever taken a ride up Brushy Ridge Road, you might have noticed an ancient stone arch on the side of the street framing a rusted wrought-iron gate. It is seemingly a gateway to nowhere, as looking beyond it one can’t see a house, cemetery, steps or anything of apparent significance. Adding to the mystery is another arch at the top of Brushy Ridge that looks like something out of Stonehenge. Rewind about [150] years. Local history says that William H. Thomson was a doctor in New York City in the mid-late 19th century.