Around Town

New Canaan Week in Review: Old Barns, New Shops

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A somber note leads this Week in Review, as dozens of town residents and officials joined the late Briggs Geddis’ family Thursday for a celebration of the longtime New Canaan environmental health director’s life. Held in Waveny House’s Great Hall, where a standing-room-only crowd heard tributes to Geddis from his widow and children, the gathering included a slideshow of photos from throughout the lift of the deceased. Geddis, a Ridgefield resident who died July 16 at age 76 from cancer, about one year after the discovery of a brain tumor, was remembered as a resourceful, playful and thoughtful man of eclectic interests who was absolutely devoted to his family, and who found his calling here in New Canaan. Town Talker

An effort to preserve a ca. 1835 barn as a guesthouse took a step forward this week, as the Zoning Board of Appeals granted a homeowner relief from a rule that would have prevented the historic structure’s re-designation.

Around Town

New Canaan Week in Review: Eyes on Plans for Field Club, Huguette Clark Estate

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New Canaanites on Wednesday turned out in large numbers for the funeral of longtime DPW worker Ben Olmstead, an emotional service and fitting tribute to a man remembered by his family and pastor as one who gave generously of his spirit and good will while asking little in return. Our thoughts are with Olmstead’s survivors, friends and many coworkers in New Canaan, including the emergency responders who came to his aid and did what they could on the scene of a terrible accident. As the calendar turned from July to August, our summer intern Alex Hutchins caught up with residents involved in longstanding summer programs here in town—Fresh Air Fund and Town Players of New Canaan. Here’s the Week in Review. Town Talker

With so much development in New Canaan—much of it rather conspicuous and rarely embraced by neighbors concerned about aesthetics, property values, traffic, runoff and other important matters—anticipation was understandably high this week when an application came before P&Z to dissolve what had been a 10-lot subdivision up on Dan’s Highway.

Around Town

New Canaan Week in Review: Service for Ben Olmstead To Be Held Wednesday in Norwalk

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A typically quiet midsummer week in New Canaan turned tragic Wednesday when a motor vehicle on Route 123 struck a municipal highway department employee as he worked in the roadway. Benjamin Olmstead, 71, of Norwalk, would succumb to his injuries the next day. Town officials call Olmstead extremely well-liked by his colleagues and the community. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 20 at St. Jerome Roman Catholic Church in Norwalk, according to a brief obituary that appeared on Legacy.com (a longer obit is to be published Monday).

Around Town

New Canaan Week in Review: Taking Shape

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We’re nearly halfway into July and for New Canaanites that means a few specific things—such as summer camp, including this gem, and of course Village Fair & Sidewalk Sale is near, running 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. NewCanaanite.com is partnering with Salon Kiklo and with Swirl froyo on two separate giveaways:

Enter your name and email here for a chance to win a free shampoo and blow-dry at the salon, and be sure to stop by the NewCanaanite.com tent during the sale (we’re just down from the Playhouse) for a fun, interactive Facebook contest and your chance to win one of three gift cards to Swirl. We’ve got a box of fun glasses, wigs, scarves and other items for contestants to wear and pull a funny face for a share-able Facebook photo—get the most likes and win. The Sidewalk Sale website here includes a full list of vendors. Speaking of shopping or getting new things, the theme of this Week in Review is “Taking Shape.”

Town Talker

We had a couple of comments come into our Facebook page on this one.

Around Town

New Canaan Week in Review: Renovating, Firing Up, Exploding

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An oppressively hot and humid week in New Canaan finally turned bearable following thunderstorms on Thursday-Friday, setting up a great night for the annual fireworks gathering at Waveny. In the first full week of the new fiscal year, heading into this holiday weekend, New Canaan held almost no public meetings (the manmade 1957 pond at Philip Johnson Glass House was up before Inland Wetlands for its first-ever dredge), though we did see the fire department’s newest member start, and plenty of activity downtown. Here’s the Week in Review. Town Talker

New Canaan’s major real estate story of 2014 was the sale of the Huguette Clark estate up on Dan’s Highway back in February, and speculation went on for several weeks about who the buyer was (it’s a former design head of Coach). The next question in many people’s minds was: What’s going to happen to the estate itself?