New Canaan residents share their thoughts and raise issues of importance to our community, on matters touching local residents—property and business owners, taxpayers, students, nonprofit leaders and caregivers. This is a space for New Canaanites to recognize good works that may otherwise go unnoticed or to raise questions and concerns for public vetting. To submit a letter to the editor, email editor@newcanaanite.com.
I suffer from a little known, debilitating condition—‘PPA,’ parallel parking anxiety. Randy, my instructor from New Canaan’s Lewis School of Driving, diagnosed the affliction in 1990. To this day, should a spot open up on Elm Street that requires parallel parking, I white-knuckle the steering wheel and give myself a pep talk. I will never effortlessly glide into a parallel spot—especially when judgemental outdoor diners have front-row seats to my humiliation. If only I had a hologram-like Obi-Wan Kenobi version of Randy to calm me, I’d probably get past my parking issues.
The Waveny Park Conservancy would like to express our appreciation to all those who helped make our 3rd Annual Tailgate Party another huge success. We would particularly like to thank the following:
Becky Walsh, Nancy Bemis, BJ Flagg and nurenu Brand Marketing, Louise Havens, Scott Gress, Catherine Bagg and Elm Street Books, elm restaurant, Cava Wine Bar, New Canaan Wine Merchants, New Canaan Chamber of Commerce, New Canaan Advertiser, The New Canaan Historical Society, New Canaan Land Trust, New Canaan High School Class of 1993 and New Canaanite.
Special thanks are extended to Steve Benko of the Recreation Department, John Howe of the Parks Department and Mose Saccary and the great team from the Highway Department who all worked to ensure that the event was properly planned and executed.
After a week of heavy rain, we had a beautiful night and guests enjoyed great music by instructors from New Canaan Music and the Short Bus band. Our stage was donated in the last minute thanks to the efforts of Peter Lanni.
In partnership with the Town of New Canaan, The Garden Club of New Canaan and our donors, The Conservancy has recently undertaken efforts to restore the Trails, the Cornfields, the Parterre Garden and the upcoming Pond Restoration. We thank all those who turned out at the Tailgate Party as the support we receive will assist the Conservancy’s efforts to continue to restore and enhance the 130 acres of open space surrounding Waveny.
I have lived on Laurel Road for 45 years. Two observations:
Laurel Road drains traffic from the northeast corner of town. The traffic circle facilitates movement of this traffic rather than backing it up intolerably. That has proven to be very workable for all of us. Moving the traffic circle back into Laurel Road will turn Canoe Hill road into a speedway. Not wise at all.
My wife Joan and I have lived in this extraordinary town of New Canaan for 50 years. I am, like my father before me, a dedicated birder. I guess you could say I was born a birder, since my very earliest memory was my dad entering the bedroom I shared with my older brother, whispering in my ear at 5:15 a.m. on a lovely spring morning saying, “Come on Philly, wake up, the day’s a wasting, and you and I are going birding.” Off we would go, me perched high up on his shoulders, into the woods that surrounded our neighborhood.
The instructions were always the same and quite simple—no whining, we are going to have fun today, no noise, just look and listen as I point out all the magnificent birds of the forest. All the songbirds and yes, their predators too, the hawks and owls and other birds of prey. He would suddenly stop—pull on my right leg and and whisper, “Listen up: that’s a Rose Breasted Grosbeak and over there is a Veery.” Then a pull on the left leg as he excitedly exclaimed, “Oh, there’s a Wood Thrush and look at that Pileated Woodpecker!”
From these earliest experiences you can see that I became hooked on birding.
The Rotary Club wishes to thank all those who participated in this year’s Lobsterfest, especially the New Canaan Historical Society for allowing us to hold it on their grounds, and all our many sponsors and ticket holders who came to help make it a lively, colorful and successful event. In addition to supporting many very worthy local organizations with our proceeds, we wish you to know that your continual support of us has reached deserving people well beyond our immediate area. In 1987, when there were 350,000 known cases of polio, Rotary International set out on a mission to help eradicate polio worldwide. Since then Rotarians, through their clubs across the globe, have all been contributing to this effort, so that four years ago there were only 359 recorded new cases anywhere, and last year only 21. This year, we understand that there have been no new recorded cases.
