Did You Hear … ?

New Canaan Police are investigating a larceny after a check was reported stolen (and altered) from a Weed Street mailbox at 11:14 a.m. on Feb. 8.

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The New Canaan Fire Department responded to three calls for fires in January, Chief Albe Bassett reported during Tuesday night’s regular meeting of the Fire Commission, held at the firehouse. They included a dryer fire on Burtis Avenue as well as a “small furnace fire that extended into the floor joists of a Hillside Avenue address,” Bassett said. “Unfortunately the damage and what the fire marshal found, no one can live in the house as of right now. So, unfortunately, the occupant had to move out, who was a renter.”

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The final walkthrough of St. Aloysius School took place Feb. 4 and 5, as preparations are now underway for demolition “and a new chapter for the school and church,” according to organizers of the walkthroughs. “Many generations of alumni, families and friends walked the halls for the last time in the 1956 school building, reliving their fondest memories. It was a weekend full of special memories, laughter, joy and gratitude for all the teachers, principals and pastors who made a profound difference in our lives.”

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New Canaan Police last month applied for a warrant to arrest First Selectman Kevin Moynihan on a charge of second-degree breach of peace, following a weeks-long investigation that stemmed from a Nov. 11 incident at Town Hall. (The state’s attorney has declined to sign off on the application.) NewCanaanite.com last week obtained all 20 pages of NCPD’s investigative case reports through a Freedom of Information Act request. Here they are. For context, these two items appeared in the “Did You Hear…?” news summary on the morning of Nov. 11:

Centerline—the company that First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said he would ask to update its report on coverage in New Canaan as part of an effort to erect a cell tower behind West School—shut down more than three years ago after filing for bankruptcy.

Speaking of the election, Moynihan appears to be heeding the advisory opinion that the town’s Ethics Board issued in May following a months-long investigation that stemmed from the 2021 municipal election. The appointed body found that ‘an appearance of impropriety’ had been caused when Moynihan used his elected title and official-looking letterhead in an endorsement letter that the volunteer Republican Town Committee then sent to new voters in the days prior to the municipal election last year. In its May 12 Report and Determination, the Ethics Board found that in the future, such a communication ‘will presumptively be considered a use of a Town asset and/or a Town position,’ rising to the level of a Code of Ethics violation. Moynihan and the RTC sent no such letter in the run-up to this year’s midterm election.

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Staying Put in New Canaan in the days before Valentine’s Day mailed hundreds of heartfelt valentines to members, thanks to a friend of the organization who graciously donated envelopes and postage. The valentines were created by New Canaan children in Girl Scout Troop 50175 and 50292, East Elementary School, West Elementary School, and First Presbyterian Nursery School.

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The Police Commission during its regular meeting Wednesday approved three road closure requests from Laura Budd of the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce. Elm Street and the “Pop Up Park” area at Elm and South Avenue will be closed for the following annual Chamber events:

• Sidewalk Sale (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 22)
• Halloween Block Party (10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 29)
• Holiday Stroll (3 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1)

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Below is a photo gallery from “Night to Shine 2023,” hosted Feb. 10 at Grace Community Church and sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. Launched in 2015, it’s “an unforgettable prom night experience, centered on God’s love, celebrating people with special needs,” organizers say. This year’s event drew 160 guests, 250 parents, 155 buddies and more than 300 volunteers. “Every guest of Night to Shine entered this complimentary event on a red carpet complete with a warm welcome from a friendly crowd and paparazzi,” organizers said. “Each guest received the royal treatment, including hair and makeup stations, shoe shining areas, limousine rides, corsages and boutonnieres, a catered dinner, karaoke, prom favors, and a dance floor… all leading up to the moment when each guest is crowned king or queen of the prom.”

Night to Shine 2023

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Car crashes in New Canaan declined by more than half in January (19) compared to the year-ago month (43), Police Chief John DiFederico reported at Wednesday’s Police Commission meeting.

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Congratulations to New Canaan’s Bill Mensching on earning the “Backstage Legends and Masters Award” from Purchase College, State University of New York’s Broadway Technical Theatre History Project. He’s a “fourth generation of his family to work on Broadway and he has spent much of his life involved in technical theater,” according to a press release from the college. “As President of ShowMotion, Inc.—one of the foremost commercial scene shops in the industry for over the past 35 years— he has been responsible for a host of productions for Broadway, Las Vegas, tours, industrials/corporate events, and architectural theming for stadiums, hotels, casinos, and high end restaurants.  His very impressive portfolio of work includes the groundbreaking 1987 production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe’s Star Light Express with scenic design by John Napier which helped change the rules for theatrical scenery on Broadway and ushered in a new era in computer controlled automation and large scale, three dimensional scenery.”

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New Canaan Police are accepting applications for the 2023 Civilian Police Academy. A total of 11 sessions will be held at police headquarters from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays from March 28 to June 6. Applications can be found here and should be submitted via email to brian.mitchell@newcanaanct.gov. 

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Put it on your calendar: The NCHS Scholarship Foundation will hold its third NC Color Drop at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 25.  All proceeds go to the Scholarship Foundation for need-based scholarships given to NCHS graduates. “Last year, when we opened the event to spectators, the excitement and anticipation was almost palpable,” NCHS Principal Bill Egan said in a press release. “We are looking for the same amount of enthusiasm this year. Seeing a rainbow of golf balls raining down on the field was a thrill and knowing that each bit of color represented a donation that would help a student makes the NC Color Drop a special way to celebrate NCSF.”

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New Canaan Chamber Music is holding a concert 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 2 in the Jim & Dede Bartlett Auditorium at the new New Canaan Library. Tickets here.

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Here are more local events worth checking out:

• Men’s Club To Hear About U.S.-China Relations (February 17 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am)
• Extra-Ordinary People Dinner & Show (February 25 @ 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm)
• New Canaan Beautification League March Zoom Event (March 1 @ 9:30 am – 11:00 pm)
• SoulFete: From Africa to America, A Culinary Tasting Immersion (March 2 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm)

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NewCanaanite.com on Thursday approved its 13,000th comment and published its 4,000th event (submit your event here to the Community Calendar).

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Finally, on Feb. 9, the McLaughlin Meeting Room at the new New Canaan Library was christened into service by a meeting of the New Canaan Exchange Club directors and officers. Marty McLaughlin, past-president and longtime member of the service organization, named the room in memory of his wife Evelyn and his mother, also Evelyn. This first meeting in the McLaughlin Room was celebrated with a champagne toast with McLaughlin, Library Executive Director Lisa Oldham, NC Exchange President Jim Bakal and others.