Opinion

Letter to the Editor

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NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letter to the editor. Send letters to editor@newcanaanite.com to have them published here. ***

My good friend Keith, whom we sadly lost recently, loved to walk his dogs on the trails at Land Trust properties, almost every day. And he loved to talk about these walks in beautiful surroundings. In his official obituary his family suggested friends could donate to the Land Trust in place of sending flowers. 

We have received a number of donations marked in memory of Keith, for which we are very grateful.

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Letters to the Editor

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NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letters to the editor. Please send letters to editor@newcanaanite.com for publication here. ***

Dear Editor,

I would like to express agreement with the bipartisan group that has contacted Gov. Ned Lamont and asked him to veto the perhaps well intended but grossly ill-conceived HB 5002: An Act Concerning Housing and the Needs of Homeless Persons. I have many decades of public service in New Canaan and spent many years as its Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission. Based upon my experience, I believe that towns can on their own build affordable housing while maintaining community character and cohesion.

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New Canaan EMS 50th Anniversary Spotlight: Dr. Sheldon Stevenson

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[Editor’s Note: New Canaan EMS celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. To mark the milestone, the New Canaanite is publishing profiles of members each month in 2025. This is a new installment in the series, written by Wendy Fog, herself a longtime EMT with the organization.]

Dr. Sheldon Stevenson is medical director of emergency medicine at Mid Coast Hospital Bluewater Health. He is also president of the Maine Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. 

But to us, Dr. Stevenson is “the 17-year-old kid” who wanted to take CPR, become an EMT and join New Canaan EMS. 

Sheldon did it—he passed every test with flying colors. Even while away at boarding school during the week, he rode almost every weekend with NCEMS, pulling 24-hour shifts without hesitation.

Opinion

Letter to the Editor

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NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letter to the editor. Send letters to editor@newcanaanite.com to have them published here. ***

To the Editor:

On behalf of The Summer Theatre of New Canaan, I wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to the New Canaan Community Foundation (NCCF) for their generous and long-standing support of our work. For 22 years, the Foundation has helped us grow—not only as a professional theatre company presenting Broadway-caliber productions—but also as a vital community and educational resource. Their support has enabled us to launch and sustain programs like the Albert L. Perry III College Internship Program, our Junior Company for middle school students, the inclusive DramaRamas program for children with special needs, and the Frank Bennack – Mary Lake Polan Elementary School Touring Program, which brings affordable live theatre directly to Connecticut schools.

Letter to the Editor

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NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letter to the editor. Send letters to editor@newcanaanite.com to have them published here. ***

Last Sunday, the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society hosted its Ice Cream Social for the 36th year.  Despite the chill in the air, it was wonderful to have such a large segment of the community come out to enjoy ice cream, cake, the Town Band, vintage cars, and games while exploring the campus and the historic house museums.  

You can’t have an Ice Cream Social without ice cream.  Huge thanks to Phil Luongo, owner of Gofer Ice Cream, for donating not only ice cream but all the delicious toppings, too.  This year the big hit was salted caramel!  But my heart belongs to mint chocolate chip.  

I am grateful for the many volunteers who make this day possible: the members of the Exchange Club who scooped the ice cream; the National Charity League – Canaan Parish and New Canaan Chapters, especially the Dunlap family, who baked cakes, helped with set-up and clean-up, and ran the games; the Service League of Boys, who lugged everything heavy; the Town Band for its fabulous music; Karen Ferguson, Janice Luddy, Mark Markiewicz, Patricia Oxman, and Monica Trevino, who educated visitors to the Rock School, the Hanford-Silliman House, and the Jim Bach Special Collections Museum, the car owners for letting us admire their vintage cars; Scott Ready for his amazing classic fire truck; and Board Governors Andrew Ault, Doug Dooley, Frances Wilson for the gift of their time and energy. A big thank you to Whitney Williams, who runs the Museum’s Special Events, and Kristin Healy, the Museum’s Communications.  It was the busiest weekend of the year on this campus, and I am very grateful for their energy, commitment, and good humor.  

I also want to thank the generous businesses that supported the People’s Choice awards: Walter Stewart’s Market and Stewart’s Spirits, Club Sandwich, Fjord Fish Market, She La La, Spice and Tea Exchange, Consider the Cook, Francos Wine Merchant, Gates, and Gelatissimo.  

The People’s Choice winning cars were the 1952 Minerva Land Rover owned by Maarten ten Holder of Waccabuc, New York, and the 1929 Packard 640 Sport Phaeton owned by Lorraine Hathaway of North Salem, New York.  

New Canaan is a warm, welcoming, and wonderful community.  And the Ice Cream Social is my favorite event to showcase the good cheer and fabulous spirit of 06840.  

Mark your calendars for June 7, 2026! Best,

Nancy Geary

Executive Director, New Canaan Museum & Historical Society