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VIDEO: Irish Singing, Dancing at Kiwanis Club of New Canaan’s Annual St. Patrick’s Day Dinner

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Kiwanis Club St Patricks Dinner and Social 2015
More than 100 residents enjoyed traditional Irish fare, dancing and music at a celebrated New Canaan tradition Sunday evening. The Kiwanis Club of New Canaan’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Dinner and Social featured dinner plates of corned beef and cabbage, potatoes and carrots, kids meals for the children, ice cream and a special sweet green concoction to mark the holiday at St. Aloysuis School. “The best part about it is the dancers,” said club President B.J. Flagg, who described her working role as “front of kitchen.”

Dancers (and a terrific singer) from Anam Kara Irish Dance School and Pender Keady Academy of Irish Dance entertained the crowd, which ranged from very small children to grandmas and grandpas.

Around Town

Geoff McCann at Kiwanis: New Canaan Nature Center Offers Year-Round Programs

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By Susan Serven

Geoff McCann, Education Program Director of the New Canaan Nature Center, recently spoke to New Canaan’s Kiwanis Club about the Nature Center’s year-round programs.

“We offer programs throughout the year for both children, teens and adults, including our February and March Maple Syrup ‘boil-downs’ which are terrific family-friendly ways to learn how maple syrup is made,” Mr. McCann said. “And, in addition to our programs, our 40-acre site features two miles of trails, unusual habitat diversity, including wet and dry meadows, two ponds, wet and dry woodlands, dense thickets, an old orchard, and a cattail marsh,” he said. Mr. McCann presented information on the Nature Center’s 20-year involvement with LINKS, the state-wide inter-district educational program designed to bring urban and suburban students together to share learning opportunities. He also discussed the Nature’s Center interest in continuing the Haley Project which gives Norwalk 5th graders an intensive look and study of our local Five Mile River watershed, as well as the continuation of the Nature Center’s Summer Youth Corps for local high school students to get engaged in environmental stewardship projects. For more information on the New Canaan Nature Center please visit the organization’s website.

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Kiwanis Club of New Canaan Now Receiving Applications for Funding

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The Kiwanis Club of New Canaan announced Wednesday that it’s accepting requests for funding from nonprofit organizations. The club supports many local services, especially those that involve children, last year distributing more than $15,000 to groups such as the ABC House, Future Five, Inspirica and the Merrie Bee Cabin. Kiwanis raises funds through community-building activities such as the St. Patrick’s Day Dinner, coming up on March 15, and the Zerbini Family Circus, coming again in June. Maximum per-applicant allocations are set at $2,000.  Those interested should submit a letter with the agency name, contact information, mission statement, detailed description of program, proposed use for funds and amount requested.

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New Canaan’s Kiwanis Celebrates 75 Years

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[Editor’s Note: The following news was shared by the Kiwanis Club of New Canaan.]

The Kiwanis Club of New Canaan celebrated its 75th anniversary on Sunday with food, friends and a performance by comedian Lewis Black. Black hosted a regular segment on Comedy Central and has made regular appearances on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. “It was so much fun to share our anniversary with so many Kiwanis members,”club president BJ Flagg said. “We had more than 50 Kiwanians and their guests at the event and, after hearing Lewis Black perform, I think we were all pretty revved to continue working together on this year’s wonderful Kiwanis events.”

Ridgefield Playhouse hosted the gathering, which was partially sponsored by Kiwanis. Refreshments were provided by Nature’s Temptations of Ridgefield.

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Kiwanis Club of New Canaan Awards $16,000 to 25 Local Organizations

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Six years ago, the Kiwanis Club of New Canaan—a nonprofit organization whose mission is “serving the children of the world”—doled out $1,800 to seven local recipient groups in line with its cause, with monies coming from established, though limited, events such as the St. Patrick’s Day Dinner. On Friday—thanks mostly to the more recent, very popular Zerbini Family Circus, which Kiwanis presents in conjunction with the New Canaan YMCA—Kiwanis was able to give nearly $16,000 to 25 organizations. According to 6-year Kiwanian David Hoyle, an attorney in town who helped host a gathering at the Y to mark the handing out of those funds, the circus “has really changed what we’re able to do.”

“We work really well with them and they do stuff that we can’t do and vice versa,” Hoyle said. “[YMCA Marketing Director] Kristina Barrett and [Kiwanian] Kathy Holland just do yeoman’s work.”
Local organizations receiving allocations include ABC House, CERT, Future 5, New Canaan Historical Society, Pesticide-Free New Canaan and Summer Theatre of New Canaan.