Around Town

Quiet Heroes of New Canaan: Mose Saccary

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About 15 years ago, Public Works Director Tiger Mann recalls, the annual Fishing Derby in New Canaan had to be halted because Mill Pond desperately needed to be dredged. 

Once that was done, it was Mose Saccary, the town’s highway superintendent, who called on municipal workers to resurrect the beloved family-friendly event. “This thing wouldn’t happen without him,” Mann said of the Fishing Derby, to be held Saturday at Mill Pond. Anglers can register online or starting at 8 a.m. on April 20 at the pond, the derby starts at 8:30 a.m. (Emails used to register will not be used to sign people up for town email blasts or other unwanted subscriptions, officials confirmed). A Center School alumnus and 1978 New Canaan High School graduate, Saccary “has been working here his entire life in various capacities for the Highway Department,” Mann said. “And I don’t think anybody cares more to be quite honest,” he continued, by way of nominating Saccary for the “Quiet Heroes” series.

Around Town

Wildflower Meadow Returns to 123 and Parade Hill Road

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The NewCanaanite.com Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Carriage Barn Arts Center. After facing a few difficult years, the wildflower meadow over on Route 123 has graced the town with one of its most spectacular blooms in years. Mose Saccary, highway superintendent in the Department of Public Works, and his team are the green-thumbed masterminds behind the gorgeous display at the Parade Hill Road intersection, going out and planting new annuals each year to bring a little bit more color to New Canaanites’ morning commutes. 

Saccary described his original thought process for planting the meadow, saying “it was an area that was looking unsightly, and maintenance, you know, it had to be mowed and stuff, and the way it’s set up, it just looked like a good place to put a wildflower field in.”

While the DPW effort has been going on since 2014, it hasn’t always fetched the desired result. In 2016, Saccary and his team were puzzled as to the lack of flowers blooming despite their work. 

It’s not just luck that this year’s bloom is notably more impressive than past years. Saccary attributes part of its success to the suggestion of one of his employees, Jeff Mannella, to double the amount of seed in the field. 

“It came back very nice,” Saccary said. 

Although it may have been his idea, maintaining the meadow is far from a one-man job. 

“It’s a group effort,” Saccary said. “We actually do everything together here.”

Those with a keen eye will have noticed that the flowers present in the meadow are different every year.

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PHOTOS: 300-Plus Anglers Participate in Annual Fishing Derby at Mill Pond on Saturday

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Though she grew up in New Canaan, Kate Hovey Hornsby had never been to the annual George Cogswell Memorial Fishing Derby before Saturday. “This is my first time,” the 1996 New Canaan High School graduate said from the bank of Mill Pond as her dad, Peter Hovey, and kids Axel and Walker cast their lines into the water nearby. “I think it’s really fun.”

The family joined more than 300 anglers who lined both banks of the pond on a comfortable, overcast morning for one of New Canaan’s best-loved community events. Named for a former New Canaan Police officer, the fishing derby is a collaboration of several town departments and nonprofit agencies that sees Mill Pond stocked with 200 brook trout, 200 rainbow trout and a handful of 22-inch trout. Mose Saccary, superintendent of the town’s Highway Department, called the turnout “perfect.”

“We couldn’t handle a whole lot more but everybody seems comfortable,” he said. 

The fishing derby is “a complete group effort,” he added.

Around Town

Town Braces for Expected Foot-Plus of Snow Wednesday into Thursday 

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New Canaan is bracing for a winter storm that’s expected to arrive Wednesday evening and dump more than one foot of snow overnight. According to a Winter Storm Watch from the National Weather Service, total accumulation will range from 12 to 17 inches. “Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” according to the Weather Service. “The hazardous conditions could impact the [Thursday] morning or evening commute.”

The Winter Storm Warning goes into effect at 2 p.m. Wednesday and snowfall is expected to begin mainly after 7 p.m., according to the Weather Service. In New Canaan, the Department of Public Works has transitioned away from its leaf equipment and is now mounting plows and sanders on its vehicles and checking to make sure chains, pumps and flashlights are working, according to DPW Highway Superintendent Mose Saccary.

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Annual Fishing Derby Set Postponed to April 27 at Mill Pond [UPDATED]

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Update Thursday April 18

Due to expected poor weather, the Fishing Derby has been postponed to Saturday, April 27 at Mill Pond. Original Article

One of New Canaan’s most unique and beloved community events is set for Saturday morning. 

Registration for the New Canaan Annual Fishing Derby will start at 8 a.m. at Mill Pond, with the derby running 8:30 to 11 a.m., organizers say. Held in memory of George Cogswell, a former New Canaan Police officer, the free Fishing Derby has been held each year—primarily at Mill Pond—since the 1980s. “It’s been going on for so many years, people just know about it and it’s something kids do with their dad,” said Jenny Esposito, president of the Kiwanis Club of New Canaan, an event sponsor. “It brings the townies together and it’s just really sweet, with the police, the firemen, the town, the Chamber.”

The pond will be stocked with 370 pounds of rainbow trout and prizes are awarded for participants 15 and younger in categories such as first boy and first girl to catch a fish, largest fish caught and smallest fish caught.