Government

Residents Seek Permission To Build Bocce Courts at Lapham

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Parks officials are weighing a request brought forward by two New Canaan residents who are seeking permission to create bocce courts behind the Lapham Community Center at Waveny. Edged by planks of wood, an approximately 10-by-60-foot “stone dust bocce court” would be paid for, built and installed entirely by John Buzzeo, who brought the proposal forward with fellow New Canaanite and Dunkin Donuts morning crew regular Len Paglialunga, according to Recreation Director Steve Benko. “He would build it at no cost to the town,” Benko told the Park & Recreation Commission at its regular monthly meeting, held in the Douglass Room at Lapham Community Center. Buzzeo, a career builder, originally had thought about the area by Gamble Field at Mead Park where the horseshoe pits used to be, but found it likely would be too soggy to use, Benko said. An area between the gazebo behind the community center and the main building itself could be a good location, Benko said.

Sports

New Canaan Old Timers to Honor Eight Sports Stars of the Past

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New Canaan will turn back the clock next month, celebrating its sports past when the New Canaan Old Timers Association hosts its annual picnic on Sunday, September 20th at Waveny Castle. This year’s honorees are Joe DiPanni, Bea James, Robert Jones, Brian, Chris and Scott Overbeck, Mary Beth Pickering and Monroe Trout. “This is a big reunion for the old timers,” NCOT President and former sports star Len Paglialunga told NewCanaanite.com. “We gather, we get to talk about old times and get to meet fellow old timers. Our batting averages go up, our points-per-game go up and our ERA’s go down.

Business

PHOTOS: 2015 New Canaan Sidewalk Sale

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The 2015 Village Fair & Sidewalk Sale from the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce overcame a bit of rain Saturday morning to draw thousands for deals, family fun, live music and food. Anchored at either end of Elm Street by New Canaan mainstays Walter Stewart’s and Karl Chevrolet, and running for segments of Main and Forest Streets, the 50-year-old New Canaan tradition saw scores of local and nonlocal businesses and organizations alike set up tents in all-pedestrian zones in the heart of the village. NewCanaanite.com launched a Facebook contest, asking locals to don wigs, sunglasses and boas and pull a goofy face. Our three winners are:

Gavin Tong—Gavin and his family win a gift card to Connecticut Sandwich Co. on Pine Street.

Sports

New Canaan Old Timers Association: Keeping the Past Alive

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Len Paglialunga is one of the greatest football players to ever wear a New Canaan Rams uniform. A star running back in the late-1960s, Paglialunga rewrote the Rams’ record book, etching his—and New Canaan’s—legacy forever. His performance in the classic 1967 matchup against Darien helped lift the Rams to their first win over their hated rival since 1945. Games such as that one still reverberate decades later, partially because of what Paglialunga currently does off the playing field. As president of the New Canaan Old Timers Association, Paglialunga is one of the “keepers of the flame” for New Canaan’s glorious athletic history.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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One of New Canaan’s most prominent homes—the stately ca. 1910 Colonial at 275 Main St. (on the left as you climb toward the crest of the final hill toward town)—is hitting the market Tuesday at $2,695,000. From a website featuring the property, owned by Denise Gannalo: “The house on Main Street that you have been waiting for. This turn of the century timeless classic has been lovingly restored, renovated and updated with up to the minute elegance and detailed character.