Business

‘Taste of the Town Stroll’ Benefitting Food Pantry, Lions Club Set for Thursday Evening

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The weather forecast calls for clear, sunny skies on Thursday for New Canaan’s annual Taste of the Town Stroll. A “food-raiser” for the New Canaan Food Pantry that this year will double as a benefit for the Lions Club (see below), the Taste of the Town Stroll is to be held 6 to 9 p.m. on Aug. 24. Sponsored exclusively by Berkshire Hathaway New England Properties and organized by the Chamber of Commerce, this year’s event downtown will feature 24 participating shops and restaurants “that are going to provide food or a taste of some sort,” Chamber Executive Director Tucker Murphy said. “A new feature this year is that we partnered with the Lions Club so not only can people bring a food donation but you can bring gently used eyeglasses or hearing aids that will be refurbished and donated to people that need them,” she said.

Business

Sidewalk Sale: Return of Caffeine & Carburetors Announced as Throngs of Bargain-Hunters Hit Downtown New Canaan [PHOTOS]

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Scores of bargain-hunters descended on downtown New Canaan on a tolerably warm Saturday for the 52nd annual Village Fair and Sidewalk Sale. Merchant booths on Main, Elm and Forest Streets sold out well ahead of the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce’s deadline, and shoppers moved through areas cordoned off for pedestrians to peruse racks of clothes and tables of goods, visiting the Pop Up Park for live music and food and riding on “zippy pets” where Karl Chevrolet and the New Canaan YMCA set up at Main and Elm. “The weather is going to be great—it’s not 99 degrees,” Chamber Executive Director Tucker Murphy said. “This is all good.”

Doug Zumbach, owner of Zumbach’s Gourmet Coffee on Pine Street, in the afternoon announced that Caffeine & Carburetors—originally ruled out for 2017—would make a special return to downtown New Canaan on Sunday, Sept. 17.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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New Canaan Fire Department officials at about 11:15 a.m. on Monday responded to a request from Officer Allyson Halm—head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section—to assist in corralling a baby deer that had become trapped in a backyard on Millport Avenue. Halm said the firefighters were highly responsive and helpful, and the animal was freed. ***

The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday approved a contract between the Parks Department and Karl Chevrolet for two trucks: a new low-boy that will cost a net of $50,644 and a new pickup truck that will cost $41,670. Those costs reflect what officials called generous trade-in price discounts from the local dealership. “I think the Karls are being very nice to us,” First Selectman Rob Mallozzi said.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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A mother turkey hopped out into Valley Road around 12:30 p.m. on June 7 to keep at bay a town woman walking her dog up near the Grupes Reservoir. The mama turkey apparently was guarding her three baby chicks nearby—unfortunately, a passing motorist struck the big bird and killed her. The pedestrian phoned the Animal Control section of the New Canaan Police Department, and Officer Allyson Halm spotted the baby turkeys but lost them on retrieving a carrier from the van. ***

Congratulations to New Canaan resident Pasquale Poccia, who became a U.S. citizen this week after taking the Oath of Allegiance on Wednesday during the 6th annual Flag Day Naturalization Ceremony at Mystic Seaport. Poccia is owner of Pasquale’s Osteria, an Italian and International/Continental cuisine restaurant on Main Street in Norwalk.

Around Town

New Canaan Promotes ‘Tech-Free Family Time’ through ’30 Days of Family’

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Town and local nonprofit officials are urging New Canaan families this month to unplug their mobile devices and spend more time communicating directly with each other. The Department of Human Services-led “30 Days of Family” initiative this year has taken up “tech-free family time” as its motto. Unplugging forces family members to talk to each other “with their voices and spend quality time making eye contact and practicing listening skills,” according to Jacqueline D’Louhy, the department’s coordinator of youth and family services. “Think about how much teens ‘talk’ to each other electronically,” D’Louhy said. “Sometimes they’ll be sitting in the same room but never utter a word to one another.