Around Town

‘We Would All Do Right by Remaining Committed to Our Veterans’: Town Holds Annual Ceremony on God’s Acre

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For Tyler Nash, a former U.S. Army infantry officer who served for nearly seven years, primarily with the 75th Ranger Regiment and 10th Mountain Division, the two things that make the contributions of veterans so special are conviction and love. Citing a 1906 quote from President Teddy Roosevelt, that “a just war is in the long run far better for a man’s soul than the most prosperous peace,” Nash on Wednesday morning told a crowd of more than 100 people gathered at God’s Acre for the town’s annual Veterans Day ceremony, “This isn’t a quote that advocates for violence or war.”

Roosevelt followed by saying, “We should as a nation do everything in our power for the cause of honorable peace,” Nash said, addressing residents, town officials, police, firefighters and EMTs wearing masks and spaced apart before the Wayside Cross (itself a WWI memorial) on a warm, overcast day. “But it is a a quote about conviction,” Nash said. “The United States is the land of the free and the home of the brave. We were created as a nation to face and overcome obstacles head-on as a unified people, and whether known or not, we represent the hopes and dreams of people all over the world.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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Disputes where police are called are up “substantially” in 2019, Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said Wednesday night during a regular meeting of the Police Commission, from 13 at this time last year to 20 so far in 2019. 

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An attorney representing Hamptonite women’s clothing shop on Elm Street filed a motion to dismiss an eviction suit brought on behalf building’s owners. According to the motion, a marshal serving eviction papers “failed to leave the notice at the premises or with an authorized person.”

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Congratulations to Saxe Middle School sixth-grader Timothy Orelup, a trumpeter whose original musical composition, “Prisoners of Davy Jones,” will be played during the school band’s Spring Concert at 7 p.m. Wednesday. One quote from Saxe music teacher Janet Rosen on the young prodigy: “In all my 30-plus years of teaching, I have never had a student who could compose at his level.”

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Swirl frozen yogurt shop on Cherry Street and Gelatissimo gelato on Forest Street both aced recent health inspections by the town, scoring 97 and 96 out of 100, respectively, during unannounced visits from a municipal sanitarian. ***

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi said the district saw “strong participation” in its survey related to school start times. More than 300 parents had responded through May 2.

Around Town

‘It Is Not a Forgotten War’: New Canaan Remembers WWI During Veterans Day Observance

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The Town Band led two parades in New Canaan on Nov. 11, 1918, the day the Allies of World War I signed an armistice with Germany to cease hostilities on the Western Front. Church bells had started ringing out at 3 a.m. that Monday in New Canaan, historians say, bonfires were lit and the townspeople burned Kaiser Wilhelm II in effigy. The war was over, signaling both the return of New Canaanites serving overseas and the end of deliberate austerity to support the Allies’ efforts. Food shortages had led to the launch of a Canning Club out of Center School’s kitchen.

Now & Then

PHOTOS: New Canaanites Who Died While Serving in World War II

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Since helping restore a memorial walk dedicated to New Canaanites who perished during World War II in 2003 in Mead Park, town resident Jim Bach, a Korean War veteran, has spearheaded efforts to improve the visibility and appearance of this town landmark. Those efforts have included re-planting of trees along the “Gold Star Walk,” creating a second footbridge to extend it and installing a new walkway and map—and a venerable nonprofit organization now is offering to help Bach preserve the memorial, which features a plaque listing names of the 38 men who died during the war (see gallery above for information on the servicemen). The memorial dates back to 1948, and Bach—a 1947 New Canaan High School graduate who served as a U.S. Army sergeant from 1952 to 1954—said he wants to add some finishing touches, to ensure its longevity. “I want to see it done, it was part of my life a long time ago and it kept me out of trouble at one time,” Bach said. “The final thing that I wanted to get done with the memorial is to put in a bridge across the main stream that enters the park, on the west side of the garage.