Around Town

‘A Second Family’: Horizons in New Canaan Launches Alumni Association for Program Graduates

By |

For 54 years, Horizons at New Canaan Country School has worked to provide better futures for K-12 students from low-income families by creating year-round academic, artistic and athletic opportunities through a variety of programs.

This year, Horizons has consolidated a major part of its support base by creating an Alumni Association. The program is something that the Board of Directors has been “working on for a long time, and tried many different approaches,” said New Canaan native and Board Chair Jennifer Barnard, who has been active with the organization for over 10 years. “The organization started 54 years ago, so there are hundreds and hundreds of people who have gone through the program, and it can be difficult to keep track of everyone involved,” Barnard said. “But with social media, everything has been made much easier.”

Brian McGregor, who works in IT Solutions at Bankwell in New Canaan who is from Stamford and attended Horizons through middle school, said he lost contact with fellow participants after they went off to different high schools. “After Horizons we would take SAT and ACT test prep, small programs to keep us together after graduation and help with the college process,” McGregor said.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

By |

First Selectman Kevin Moyinhan said during a media briefing Thursday that he’s asked one of New Canaan’s foremost nonprofit figures—Leo Karl III—to lead the New Canaan Athletic Foundation. Karl, known for his extensive volunteer work with organizations that include the New Canaan Community Foundation, where he had served as president, agreed to take on the role, according to Moynihan. Praised by Moynihan for its fundraising ability, the NCAF among other organizational priorities is seeking to establish its own nonprofit arm along the lines of what a similar  group has in Darien, the first selectman said. ***

A Darien homeowner is taking a New Canaan man and his company to small claims court for $4,660.32, saying he committed breach of contract by failing to complete painting work, sealing broken plumbing behind “impenetrable tile and drywall work” and incorrectly installing tile, according to a complaint filed in May. In an answer and counterclaim, the New Canaan man said he’s owed $2,089.63 and that the plaintiff is suing for work not included in the contract.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

By |

Town resident Mike Lupica, award-winning sportswriter, columnist, author and frequent commentator on ESPN’s “The Sports Reporters,” has sold his Bald Hill Road house for about $2.1 million, according to a property transfer recorded June 18 in the Town Clerk’s office. ***

New Canaan’s Melody Libonati is featured in a Connecticut Magazine story this month by Michael Catarevas that touches on her start in the theater and present-day Performing Arts Conservatory and Summer Theatre of New Canaan. ***

The owners of a Locust Avenue condominium have filed legal papers to evict a tenant that they say failed to pay $2,100 in monthly rent in April and May. In a formal Answer to the filing, the tenant conceded that rent was late and said, “This delay was due to unique circumstances.”

***

New Canaan Police Department Chief Leon Krolikowski reported reductions in several areas in tracking year-to-date statistics compared to the same time in 2017, such as DUIs (12 so far this year compared to 16 at the same time last year), employee injuries (5 versus 10), family disputes (19 versus 26) and larcenies from vehicles (7 versus 9). The data was shared at Wednesday’s Police Commission meeting.

Around Town

PHOTOS: Caffeine & Carburetors Sparkles at Waveny

By |

Hundreds of classic and specialty auto enthusiasts gathered Sunday morning at Waveny for the second installment of the Caffeine & Carburetors car show of the 2018 season and first at the beloved park. Visitors parked at New Canaan High School and made their way to Waveny under cloudless skies to photograph hundreds of unique cars that had registered ahead of time for the popular free event, mingle with fellow auto appreciators and get the “inside scoop” from New Canaan’s own Peter Bush, who emceed. 

Doug Zumbach, owner of the eponymous Pine Street coffee shop where Caffeine & Carburetors was born, roamed through the crowds as his own volunteers as well as those from the Community Emergency Response Team and New Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corps kept the show running safely and smoothly, as ever. Cars lined the forecourt at Waveny House and edges of its playing fields and walking paths, as well as the driveways and lots down toward the Powerhouse Theater and Carriage Barn Arts Center. Toure Surgeon of Bankwell, a major sponsor, said: “Bankwell is a community bank. We are here for the community.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

By |

The video above was produced by New Canaan High School seniors Sean Manzella and PJ Sensbach as part of their work in the Senior Internship Program. The pair have an internship with the program’s coordinator, Heather Bianco, and are spotlighting participants. More videos can be seen here. ***

NCHS has been ranked No. 7 in Fairfield County and No.