Around Town

New Canaan Old Timers Association’s Golf Outing Set for June 25 [Q&A]

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A local nonprofit organization that’s dedicated to honoring New Canaan athletes and sports figures from the past is holding its major annual fundraiser this month. The New Canaan Old Timers Association’s golf outing will be held Tuesday, June 25 at Fairchild Wheeler in Fairfield (tickets here). We put some questions to the organization’s vice president and historian, Terry Dinan. Here’s our exchange. ***
New Canaanite: For those who are unfamiliar with the organization, tell us about the New Canaan Old Timers Association’s origins.

New Canaan Old Timers Association

New Canaan Old Timers 2021 Honoree Ceremony

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After missing a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the spotlight will once again shine on local sports figures from the past as the New Canaan Old Timers Association hosts its annual honoree ceremony on Sunday, September 19th at Waveny. 2021 inductees will be Bobby Festo, Paul Gallo, Tom McInerney, Lew Socci and Katey Twombly. Also being recognized at this years’ affair as the Loren J. Keyes Memorial Honoree is all-time New Canaan basketball great, the late Wilky Gilmore. The Waveny celebration will be emceed by Terry Dinan and runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and includes a continental breakfast, beverages and lunch. The cost is $50 for adults, $20 for students.

News

New Canaan Old Timers Association To Induct Six Athletes, Honor Wilky Gilmore

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After missing a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the spotlight will once again shine on local sports figures from the past as the New Canaan Old Timers Association hosts its annual honoree ceremony on Sunday, September 19th at Waveny. 2021 inductees will be Bobby Festo, Paul Gallo, Tom McInerney, Lew Socci and Katey Twombly. Also being recognized at this year’s affair as the Loren J. Keyes Memorial Honoree is all-time New Canaan basketball great, the late Wilky Gilmore. 

Bobby Festo is listed in the Who’s Who of American High School Athletes as an All-American in track and field, an honorable mention on the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletics Conference county soccer team as a goalkeeper his senior year in New Canaan. He holds many track and field records as a sprinter for New Canaan, and won many medals at state and invitational track and field competitions as a sprinter in both individual events and as a member of a relay team. He went to college at Southern Connecticut State College where he joined the men’s track team for a year and a half while also participating on the men’s soccer team.

Sports

New Canaan Old Timers Association Spotlight: Mario Lopez

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One of the most intense competitors in the history of New Canaan High School athletics, Mario Lopez was a two-sport star for the Rams. The 1984 grad was a captain in both baseball and football in his senior year. Lopez was an inside linebacker for the Rams in head coach Lou Marinelli’s earliest seasons. Mentored by assistant coaches Joe Ditolla and Bo Hickey, Lopez earned three Varsity letters from 1981 to 1983, emerging as New Canaan’s top tackler and earning a reputation as one of the FCIAC’s hardest hitters. “Mario really set the tone for our team,” Marinelli told New Canaanite.com. “He was so emotional and so intense, one of the most intense players I’ve ever had.

Sports

New Canaan Old Timers Association Spotlight: Jeff Mellick

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The son of 2005 New Canaan Old Timers honoree Ed Mellick, Jeff Mellick grew up in New Canaan playing every sport the town had to offer. Basketball was an early passion for Mellick, as he started playing at the age of nine in the Saturday morning league, eventually moving onto travel basketball in elementary and middle school. The 1993 New Canaan High School grad earned four varsity letters playing for legendary Rams coach Don Usher and was a captain in his senior year. While attending Center School, Mellick played hockey at the Winter Club and also participated in Pop Warner football—a sport he continued to play at New Canaan Country School. Mellick was ultimately named captain of the freshman football team at New Canaan High School.