Around Town

Waveny Summer Concerts a Success Despite ‘Weather Roulette’; Wednesday’s Show Postponed to Thursday

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Despite unpredictable weather—including a poor forecast that postponed Wednesday’s installment to Thursday—the town’s annual Waveny Summer Concert Series has once again been a great success this year, according to Recreation Director Steve Benko. Held on the lawn out back of Waveny House, the event is “a fun family night out,” Benko said. 

“A lot of people will get together with friends…they have a conversation, listen to the music, and have a nice time under the stars,” he added. The series has been running in some form for nearly 40 years, Benko said. It started out as a collaboration with Manhattan-based Music Performance Trust Fund, and has since evolved into a 12-concert summer series featuring a variety of local and area musicians. Sponsors this year include Rand Insurance Co., Hobbs Inc., Kaster Moving Company, the New Canaan Board of Realtors and Karl Chevrolet.

Around Town

This Summer’s Final Outdoor Concert at Waveny To Be Held Thursday Night

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With rain showers likely for Wednesday night, officials are postponing the final installment of the Summer Concert Series at Waveny until Thursday. Recreation Director Steve Benko said showers are expected to hit New Canaan around 7 p.m. Wednesday so he’s erring on the side of caution and implementing the rain date. Thursday night’s concert—featuring the Fairfield Counts Band—will start at 7:30 p.m. Many of the attendees to the popular, free series generally arrive about one hour earlier and picnic on the lawn out back of the balcony at Waveny House. Asked to assess this summer’s series, Benko said “it went well.”

“We had nice crowds, I would say we had 800-plus people every night for most of the summer,” he said. “Last week was probably the smallest crowd at about 650 people, but other than that we had 800 to 1,200 people.”

The Fairfield Counts Band is an 18-piece ensemble that plays ‘50s and ‘60s music, “a lot of Sinatra and that stuff,” Benko said.

Around Town

‘Just a Fun, Family, Social Activity’: Wednesday Night Concerts at Waveny in Full Swing

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Since 1980, scores of New Canaanites each summer have descended on the grounds behind Waveny House for free, weekly concerts that are sponsored by local businesses. Featuring a wide array of music genres—from jazz and country to classic rock and oldies—the series is organized through the New Canaan Recreation Department and has emerged over the years as a staple of family-friendly summertime activity in town. Though the kickoff concert this year was held on the same evening as New Canaan High School graduation and the even of the last day of school for the district, some 400 or 500 people still turned out for the show, according to Recreation Director Steve Benko. Since then, the weekly crowds have climbed upwards of 800 attendees, he said. “It’s just a nice night out with the family,” Benko said.

Around Town

‘The Best Way To Spend The Summer’: Wednesday Summer Concerts At Waveny

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Whether you’re a fan of folk, country, rhythm and blues, or just fancy a night out under the stars, New Canaan’s Waveny Summer Concert Series is a great local summertime option. A free, weekly event open to the public on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. on the lawn behind the Waveny House, the series opened June 27 and will continue weekly through Aug. 26. The July 29 installment, featuring ’50s and ’60s group T&T Dreamin’, is sponsored by NewCanaanite.com. “We try to come out every week that we can,” New Canaan resident Bill Lawler said on the sun-splotched lawn out back of Waveny House as the July 22 concert got underway.

Around Town

Waveny Summer Concert Series To Start Wednesday

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The summer season of music has begun, with the Waveny Summer Concert Series kicking off Wednesday. Hosted by the New Canaan Recreation Department, the series will run every Wednesday throughout the summer from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on the lawn behind the Waveny house. The Recreation Department encourages New Canaan families to bring a chair or blanket, a picnic supper, and enjoy the music at all of the free concerts throughout the summer. The summer lineup features Kenn Morr, Cool Shoes, Gunsmoke, Airborne, The Bookends, Doug Allen, T&T Dreamin’, Billy and the Showmen, Otis and the Hurricanes, Jon Saxon, and Fairfield Counts Band. “Some of the groups we’ve had we’ve had for several years,” Recreation Director Steve Benko told New Canaanite.