Around Town

Playhouse Movie Theater To Reopen to the Public Friday; Special Premiere Thursday [PHOTOS]

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New Canaan’s iconic 101-year-old movie theater, The Playhouse on Elm Street, is set to reopen to the public on Friday following a four-year closure. The completely renovated, twin-screen theater—brought back to life following an agreement with New Jersey-based CinemaLab to operate the town-owned building—is set for a special invite-only premiere Thursday night and then will open to the general public with Ryan Reynolds’s movie “If.”

The town Police Commission last week approved the theater’s operational plan to make a big splash of Thursday’s premiere. Represented by town resident Jayne Benton, the cupola-topped theater will see the Playhouse Lot out back closed in the early afternoon for guests of the premiere to gather for a red carpet entrance down the LPQ alley and into the building. 

“All of our guests are going to enter down the alleyway down a red carpet, turn the corner and go in the front door,” Benton told members of the appointed body at their June 20 meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “But we don’t need to block off the whole sidewalk. We have some stanchions that are going to go along there, as well, because we’d like to be able to have people walking in front of the Playhouse and kind of being a part of the whole thing.”

The whole thing has been a long time coming and eagerly anticipated by New Canaanites. 

Closed at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 and available to a new tenant since later that year, when Bow Tie Cinemas terminated its lease, the Playhouse originally was scheduled to reopen for its centennial (2023) but that date has been pushed back amid construction delays.

Around Town

‘A Significant Partnership’: Caffeine & Carburetors Raises $16,000 for NCCF

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What New Canaanites know today as “Caffeine & Carburetors” had a short test run in 1995, outside of Doug Zumbach’s eponymous coffee shop on Grove and Pine Streets. It was a small gathering of just 30 cars and, though it was fun, the event was halted for several years—until about 15 years ago, when Zumbach resurrected the gathering of auto enthusiasts in what has become what he calls “the modern day Caffeine & Carburetors.”

This year, the town approved two of the hugely popular shows—one held downtown on June 16, and another planned for Oct. 20 at Waveny. For the first time in C&C history, that first show raised significant funds for a respected New Canaan nonprofit organization—a longtime goal of Zumbach’s. The Zumbach’s/C&C director of business development, Claire Drexler, said, “We’re so excited that the event has grown to this size where we’re able to leverage it in a way that gives back to the community, and we are really excited to continue to do so in the future.”

Last week, Drexler and Zumbach presented the New Canaan Community Foundation with a $16,000 check.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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New Canaan Police received a report at 8:47 p.m. Sunday of an unlocked vehicle (keys inside) stolen from the Country Club of New Canaan. There are no suspects yet in the active investigation. ***

Congratulations to Bob and Sarah Seelert, who on June 20 will mark their 60th wedding anniversary. ***

It’s almost here: The 2024 New Canaan Old Timers Golf Outing will be held next Tuesday, June 25 at Fairchild Wheeler Golf Course in Fairfield (background here). The ​New Canaan Old Timers Association’s outing benefits the Vin Iovino Scholarship and New Canaan High School athletic scholarships.

Around Town

‘You Can’t Miss It’: Summer Concerts at Waveny Kick Off Wednesday Night

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The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. One of New Canaan’s highly anticipated summer traditions is kicking off this week. The annual Summer Concert Series in Waveny starts at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. 

“It’s a summer must here in New Canaan,” said Steve Karl of Karl Chevrolet, a longtime sponsor of the series. “We have always supported the New Canaan Rec Department’s efforts to bring New Canaan residents together.”

Held each Wednesday evening on the lawn behind Waveny House, the concert series draws hundreds of New Canaan families who come prepared with picnic blankets, foldout chairs, food and beverages. Featuring a multitude of musical genres, from country and ‘50s doo wop to today’s hits, the concert series is sponsored by local businesses and organizations that include Kaster Moving Co.

Around Town

Meet New Canaanite Summer Intern Tahlia Scherer

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Tahlia Scherer, a rising senior at New Canaan High School, starts this week as a reporter working for NewCanaanite.com in its Summer Internship Program. Here’s a Q&A with Scherer on her first day. This year’s Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. New Canaanite: Tell our readers a little bit about yourself and your interest in journalism generally. 

Tahlia Scherer: I’m a rising senior at New Canaan High School. I started taking journalism beginning my junior year of high school, and I got into it because I’ve always loved reading.