New Canaan Police at 9:23 p.m. Nov. 4 received a noise complaint from a Locust Avenue resident regarding a juvenile party. Authorities discovered that no alcohol was involved and no police action was taken.
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“Oh, fudge!” The Town Players of New Canaan is putting on “A Christmas Story” Dec. 1 to 17 at the Powerhouse Theatre in Waveny. Tickets here. (These shows will sell out.)
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New Canaan Public Schools is hiring tutors for homebound students K-12, details here.
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This year’s “Holiday House Tour,” presented by the Newcomers Club of New Canaan, will feature a “Deck Your Halls” kickoff party from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 30 at Carriage Barn Arts Center, and the hugely popular tour itself, set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1 and Saturday, Dec. 2. Proceeds from the Tour benefit local charities. More details and tickets here.
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Please note our correction to Tuesday night’s Election Day coverage story, where we had initially miscalculated the percentage difference between votes earned by the two first selectman candidates.
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The Holiday Lights on Main Street in New Canaan.
Click here for information on donating to the 2023 New Canaan Holiday Lights Campaign. Organizers must raise $26,000 to keep the lights shining. The New Canaan Chamber of Commerce does not receive financial support from the town, relying solely on the generosity of residents and merchants to fund the effort.
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Waveny LifeCare Network invites you to “Age is Just a Number! Turning Back the Hands of Time: Chronological vs. Biological Aging in the New Era of Medicine” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15 at the organization’s 3 Farm Road campus. Speaker Dr. David Dayya will discuss how people can feel younger at any age through nutritional, fitness and other lifestyle choices. Free and open to the public, RSVP by Nov. 14 to events@waveny.org.
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Colonel (retired) Gregory Conti
The annual Veterans Day ceremony organized by the Howard M. Bossa and Peter C. Langenus Post 653 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, will be held at 11 a.m. (get there a bit early) Saturday at God’s Acre. The keynote speaker will be U.S. Army Col. Gregory Conti (retired), a 27-year veteran from the Hudson Valley in New York. Here’s some background from the VFW: “During his career in the Army, he served in a variety of Military Intelligence and Cyberspace Operations assignments, including combat duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Persian Gulf War. COL Conti deployed to Iraq as Officer-in-Charge of U.S. Cyber Command’s Expeditionary Cyber Support Team and served as a Senior Advisor in the U.S. Cyber Command Commander’s Action Group where he co-developed the Joint Advanced Cyber Warfare Course. He served on the West Point faculty for more than a decade, including as Director of the Army Cyber Institute and Director of the Cyber Research Center. COL Conti is the co-author of the recently published book, ‘On Cyber: Towards an Operational Art for Cyber Operations.’ He is a West Point graduate and holds graduate degrees from Johns Hopkins and Georgia Tech. Currently, he is principal at Kopidion, a cybersecurity training and professional services firm based in New York.”
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Registration for the New Canaan YMCA’s winter session opens Nov. 13—details on new programs for kids, teens and adults here.
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The Board of Selectmen on Wednesday voted 3-0 to remove Matt Fusaro from new-hire probationary status as a worker in the Parks Department. Human Resources Director Cheryl Pickering-Jones said Fusaro started in April and has been a “great asset,” “hard worker” and “team player” with the municipal agency. Parks & Rec Director John Howe added that Fusaro gets along with co-workers, does everything he’s asked, picks up new things and is “a great addition” to the team.
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This weekend: Silvermine Galleries will host its Artisans Market-Fine Art and Craft Fair (15 artisans bringing ceramics, clothing, fiber, jewelry, sculptures and art ) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 11 and 12. More info here.
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Police at 12:04 p.m. on Nov. 1 received a report from a Dunning Road resident regarding attempted fraud. The investigation is open.
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The free “Through Your Looking Glass” art workshop will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Carriage Barn Arts Center. Details and registration info here. Open to the public, the workshop will connect attendees with “professional local artists working to effect change through their art,” organizers say.
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It’s here: Fifth- and sixth-graders at Saxe Middle School are putting on “Finding Nemo Jr.” with three shows, at 7 p.m. on Nov. 10 and at 1 and 4 p.m. on Nov. 11. Tickets here.
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New Canaan Human Services Director Bethany Zaro said during the Nov. 2 Health & Human Services Commission meeting that since the Urgent Assessment Program launched in July 2022 it has seen 148 cases. The highly successful program, in which Weston also now participates, was developed by the town and Silver Hill Hospital with support from the New Canaan Community Foundation (currently in its annual appeal—details here).
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Christopher and Tim Russo. Credit: Jeanne Russo
2017 NCHS grad Tim Russo made his debut as an assistant basketball coach for the Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks Monday night at UConn’s home opener at Gampel Pavilion. Huskies Coach Dan Hurley presented Tim — a graduate assistant with the Huskies last season — with his National Championship ring at center court during the NCAA Championship Awards ceremony. Making the night even more memorable was having Rams basketball Head Coach Danny Melzer and Assistant Coach Mike Tiscia in attendance along with the Russo family.
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The selectmen on Wednesday approved a $65,128 contract with Karl Chevrolet for the purchase of two 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV electric vehicles. (The new Board with incoming Selectman Steve Karl is expected to start operating publicly at the elected body’s Nov. 21 meeting.)
Kelley Franco Throop and Ron Darling at the South Norwalk Library on Nov. 5, 2023.
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Dozens of baseball fans and supporters of the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum attended a panel discussion titled ‘Baseball: Stories & History of America’s Favorite Pastime,” held Saturday at the South Norwalk Library. Moderated by New Canaan attorney Kelley Franco Throop, a baseball historian, lecturer and podcaster (here on Twitter), the panel featured Ron Darling, former New York Mets starting pitcher and current broadcaster.
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Gingerbread houses, all decorated by local kids, adorned the storefront windows during the 2016 Holiday Stroll. Credit: Michael Dinan
One of New Canaan’s favorite holiday traditions is having local families with children under 12 decorate Gingerbread Houses which are placed in store windows and other public buildings around town. The sign-up link here to claim a 2023 Gingerbread House will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 14 starting at 10 a.m. Kits will be distributed to the 150 families who signed up at event sponsor Brown Harris Stevens’s 183 Elm Street office on Friday, Nov. 17. All the Gingerbread Houses will be up in store windows by Nov. 30 as part of the annual Holiday Stroll festivities.
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The selectmen on Wednesday approved an after-the-fact $15,153.98 payment to a company called Elm Street Events for the Recreation Department’s “Fall Family Festival.” Officials said the funds had not yet been allocated due to a misunderstanding. (There’s no company with that name in the Connecticut Secretary of the State’s online database of businesses.)
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A reminder that in honor of Teddy Balkind‘s 18th birthday this week—and in celebration of his love of dogs—his friends are collecting pet supplies for Pet Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) of Norwalk. The PAWS wishlist may be found here. Donations may be dropped off at New Canaan Bicycles, 96 Park St., until Friday, Nov. 17. Their current hours are Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm. Donations also may be sent directly to PAWS through their online Chewy and Amazon wish lists. Please contact Watson Meyer at alicia.meyer@gmail.com with any questions.
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Will Langford and Ruth Kelley
Staying Put in New Canaan members were delighted to have The Service League of Boys (SLOBs) help bring in patio furniture last weekend. This has become a yearly tradition and members say they look forward to seeing the SLOBs this Spring bring out their patio furniture for the season.
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Sign up here for a special wine event with Ray Isle, executive editor at Food & Wine, to be held 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15 at Carriage Barn Arts Center.
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Finally, here are more events worth checking out (add your event to the Community Calendar here and we’ll share it with fellow residents):
- David Monteith Speaks to Men’s Club About Fitness While Aging (November 10 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am)
- How to Taste: A Guide to Discovering Flavor and Savoring Life (November 12 @ 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm)
- Introduction To Copperplate Calligraphy At The Carriage Barn (November 13 @ 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm)
- Fall Drop in Sketch at the Carriage Barn (November 14 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm)
- New Canaan Artisans Holiday Boutique Preview Sale (November 17 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm)
- Nutrition Labels 101: Understanding the Labels on Your Food (November 17 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm)
- Last Saturday on the Trail: Hike Through History (November 18 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am)