Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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The weekend before last was so windy that, despite the vents in them, the windscreens on the new tennis courts at New Canaan High School actually bent the fence, parks officials say. (The company that installed the windscreens was scheduled to come back early this week to fix the fence at no cost to the town.)

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This week’s warmer daytime temps will have New Canaanites thinking about spending summer in the sun. One of the best deals—and best-kept secrets—in town will be had at Kiwanis Park, where daily passes for adults are just $2, and $1 for kids. ***

There’s no truth to the rumor that New Canaan’s iconic Gates Restaurant is going to be sold, the Forest Street fixture’s owner tells us. ***

The former New Canaan Public Schools lunch lady who has brought a lawsuit saying that her ex-boss created a hostile work environment is upping the number of witness depositions in the case from nine to 15, according to a filing Friday.

Faces of New Canaan

Faces of New Canaan: Ronnie Roganti

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We’ve wanted to track down Ronnie Roganti for a while for an installment of “Faces of New Canaan.” A high school senior, Ronnie has been a fixture on the sidelines at every football game for the last two years—home and away, postseason included. He’s a gifted photographer with a knack for getting to the right spot for the big play (see photo at right, for example). What we didn’t know until we sat down to talk to Ronnie (interview transcribed in full below) was how big a part New Canaan Rams varsity football coach Lou Marinelli played in Ronnie’s foray into sports photography. We’ll let Ronnie tell that story in his own words, and just mention one more way that the New Canaan football program—and Ronnie is not a player—has helped shape his experience here in town. A native of Westchester whose family moved here when he was in the fourth grade, which he spent at West, Ronnie also volunteers with special needs kids through a program an assistant coach on the football team at the time put him onto.

Sports

New Canaan Football Defeats Wethersfield, Will Face Darien in Class L Final

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For a few minutes it looked like déjà vu all over again for the New Canaan Rams.

After seeing an early 21-0 lead over Wethersfield dissipate to 21-14 in the 3rd quarter, the shadow of Thanksgiving’s heartbreaking loss to Darien in the FCIAC Championship seemed to creep across a rain-soaked Dunning Field. Backed up to their own 5-yard line with momentum slipping away, the Rams needed someone to rewrite the script from the Darien game, in which the Rams blew a 21-0 lead en route to a 28-21 loss. Enter Alex LaPolice. Aided by huge blocks from fellow senior co-captains Jim Keneally and Frank Cognetta, LaPolice busted into the secondary where he broke free for an electrifying 95-yard touchdown run–his second TD of the game–lifting the Rams to a 27-14 win over a tough and resilient Wethersfield team in Saturday’s Class L Large semifinal. “They gave us all we could handle.

News

New Canaan Football Makes Statement With Big Win Over St. Joe’s

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All season long, the New Canaan Rams have been fighting for respect. After an opening day win over Hand, naysayers said the Tigers were down. After a homecoming win over Greenwich, detractors said the Cardinals were banged up. After last week’s demolition of Staples, we heard how the Wreckers were overrated. After the way they played on Saturday against St.