Around Town

‘A Saturday Morning Tradition’: New Canaan Farmers Market To Open April 11

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Municipal officials on Tuesday approved the 2026 season for what has rapidly grown into a downtown tradition in New Canaan. The New Canaan Farmers Market will run 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays in the Lumberyard Lot next to the train station from April 11 to Dec. 19, following a unanimous vote by the Board of Selectmen. “The Farmers Market has been a nice addition,” Selectman Steve Karl said during the elected body’s regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. 

He continued: “It’s become a Saturday morning tradition in town and it attracts a lot of folks over there. Traffic has been flowing in and out of  there fine.

Government

Take Two: ‘Scene One New Canaan LLC’ To Operate Playhouse Movie Theater

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Town officials this week approved a lease with a Delaware-based limited liability company to operate The Playhouse. The Town Council and Board of Selectmen both voted unanimously in favor of a five-year lease with Scene One New Canaan LLC. Joseph Masher, representing the company, told the selectmen during their regular meeting Tuesday that he is sole owner of Scene One Entertainment, formerly Bow Tie Management. “For 20 years I was the chief operating officer of Bow Tie Cinemas,” Masher said during the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “So I have extensive experience with the old Playhouse and I’m very excited to be back, and what you’ve done with the Playhouse—making it into its current iteration—it’s amazing and my goal is to make sure that it is a centerpiece, is the centerpiece of town and the beacon of Elm Street.”

According to the Scene One website, the Schenectady, N.Y.-based company currently operates six movie theaters in four states, including New York.

Government

Town Enters $20,000 Service Contract for ‘RRFB’ Maintenance and Repair

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Town officials on Tuesday approved a three-year annual maintenance and repair contract with the company that makes New Canaan’s push button-activated pedestrian crossing signals. The $20,000 annual contract with Brown Deer, Wisc.-based TAPCO is “severable at one year” and covers all 16 locations of rapid rectangular flashing beacons or “RRFBs” throughout town, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. “Because they are a specialized piece of equipment, you either have to hire a signal technician or have someone in your staff to be able to take care of it,” Mann told members of the Board of Selectmen at their regular meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. He continued: “And then with this, for every unit that they maintain, they will extend the warranty. So if there are parts that fall under the warranty, the year that they’re still servicing it, they’ll extend the warranty even if the warranty is expired.

Government

Wet Weather Delays Work on Alley Between Playhouse and LPQ

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Town officials say they’re trying to wrap up work on the alley between The Playhouse and Le Pain Quotidien so that it’s open to shoppers during the holiday season. Closed for the past month, the alley—or ‘allée,’ as it’s called by the Department of Public Works—is getting a new ramp and staircase connecting the Playhouse Lot to Elm Street. In addition to making the alley traversable to those with mobility challenges, the ramp is expected to help move delivery trucks off of Elm Street itself—part of a multi-phased plan to help traffic flow in the heart of downtown New Canaan. Yet the project is still “at least two pours away,” Public Works Director Tiger Mann said, referring to concrete. “They’re getting close to the secondary pour for the staircase itself,” Mann told members of the Board of Selectmen during their regular meeting, held Tuesday at Town Hall and via videoconference.

Government

Town Adds ‘Veterans’ Category to Discounts at Popular Facilities

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Municipal officials are adding a new category to those who get discounted fees for using popular town facilities such as the Steve Benko Pool at Waveny and pickleball courts at Mead Park. Following a unanimous vote by the Board of Selectmen at its most recent meeting, veterans will now enjoy the same discounts as seniors, including free access to Kiwanis Park and $80 season passes to the pool, Mead Park pickleball and tennis courts and Waveny paddle tennis courts. Parks & Recreation Director John Howe, in proposing an updated slate of fees to the selectmen at the Nov. 18 meeting, called it “the biggest change” to the rates. “We added a ‘veterans pass’ where we’ll give veterans a discount to the regular individual rates,” Howe told the selectmen at the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference.