Government

‘They Have a Purpose’: Owner Likely Has Plans for Contiguous Properties Downtown, Officials Say

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Officials said Tuesday that they’re expecting the owner of a .2-acre parcel downtown that the town uses as a permitted parking lot to combine that property with two others for some type of project, possibly very soon. The town has sold 28 annual permits at $436 apiece for what long has been known as the “Telephone Lot” on Cherry Street. Last April, a limited liability company whose principal is a New Canaan man purchased the property for $625,000. 

Robert Cuda and his family also own numbers 21 and 25 Burtis Ave. under different companies, according to local tax and state business records. Located in the Business A zone, those two properties total .3 acres combined, meaning the Telephone Lot makes a half-acre total.

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‘Thank You’ from Family Fourth Committee Chairman

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Editor:

On behalf of the Family Fourth Committee, I would like to thank all who supported the 39th Annual New Canaan Family Fourth Celebration at Waveny Park by purchasing an entrance pass and attending this Independence Day celebration. Your financial support makes this great New Canaan tradition possible; whether you drove in or walked in, thank you for buying an entrance pass and supporting the event.  

The fireworks show was spectacular.  It was another memorable 4th of July celebration….an outstanding evening of family fun, wonderful music, great food and a fantastic fireworks display.  

We offer a big thank you to the New Canaan Family Fourth volunteer Committee—Robin Bates-Mason, Steve Benko, Scott Cluett, Chris Cody, Wendy Dixon Fog, Win Goodrich, Sue Holland, Suzanne Jonker, Steve Parrett, Doug Richardson, Andrew Walsh, Maria Weingarten and Pat Wood—as well as all of the following. The show could not have gone on without their endless energy, hard work and commitment:

Fire Department and Fire Marshal
Police Department and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
New Canaan EMS
Master of Ceremonies Dan Taylor
Town Band and Mind the Gap Band
Kidz on the Go soft-play activity centers 
The gourmet food trucks and vendors
The Exchange Club of New Canaan
Our special benefactors
Town Parking, Parks, Public Works, Recreation and Information Technology Departments
All of the volunteers who worked from early morning, to very late at night, to set up and take down the necessary infrastructure and equipment.

Around Town

Family Fourth Committee: Purchase Passes So That Waveny Fireworks Can Continue

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The volunteer committee that organizes one of New Canaan’s favorite annual events is urging those planning to attend to purchase passes beforehand. Though passes to the annual Family Fourth gathering will be available Thursday at Waveny Pool, they may be purchased now online (on the newly relaunched municipal website) or at several physical locations throughout town, according to Tom Stadler, chairman of the committee that oversees the event. At a cost of $35 per family for residents and $65 for nonresidents, the passes generate the only revenue that supports the Family Fourth, whose highlights include the celebrated fireworks show as well as a bouncy castle for kids and other amenities for attendees. “The fireworks show is put on by selling entrance passes and by some very generous people that give us donations every year,” Stadler told NewCanaanite.com. “Ninety-five percent of it comes from passes.

Government

Officials Approve $30,000 Contract for Fireworks at Waveny

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Town officials on Tuesday approved a $30,000 contract with a Douglassville, Pa.-based pyrotechnic company to put on the fireworks show at the Waveny July 4th event this summer. The Board of Selectmen voted 3-0 in favor of the contract with International Fireworks Mfg. Co., which has supplied fireworks for the massively popular Family Fourth event for four decades, Recreation Director and Family Fourth Committee member Steve Benko said during the Board’s regular meeting. Selectman Nick Williams asked whether the town would ever consider “doing music with the fireworks.”

Tom Stadler, chairman of the Family Fourth, said the question has come up over the years. 

“It’s been suggested, just like Macys and some of the others that while the fireworks are exploding in the air, boom boom boom, we have choreographed music,” Stadler said at the meeting, held in Town Hall. “We brought that to the committee and the committee has not been receptive to that.

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Letter: ‘Thank You’ from God’s Acre Christmas Caroling Committee

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While the carols and the Christmas Eve gathering remained the same, this year marked a changing of the guard in terms of leadership for the annual God’s Acre Christmas Caroling. 

A century ago, when John E. Hersam, then publisher of the New Canaan Advertiser, along with other members of the Town Band, invited friends and neighbors to God’s Acre for Christmas Eve Caroling, he likely had no idea he was helping to launch one of the quintessential New Canaan traditions. Thus, at the start of this year’s Carol Singing, it was fitting that V. Donald Hersam, and the entire Hersam family, was publicly thanked for their 100 year stewardship of this wonderful community event. 

With the sale of the Advertiser to Hearst last fall, the Hersams have transitioned stewardship of this annual event to a new God’s Acre Christmas Caroling Committee. We are each honored to help carry on this amazing tradition. 

Even though this is a free event open to all, there are annual costs associated with hosting it. This year we want to thank Tim Brown, from Brown Thayer Shedd Insurance, for stepping forward to underwrite construction of the bandstand and Rand Insurance for underwriting the cost of the song sheets provided that evening. We thank each individual and local family who sent in donations to help defray the costs.