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This summer, the Waveny Park Conservancy will be hosting a gala to commemorate its 10th anniversary. The gala serves as a unique fundraising event to celebrate and support the beloved park—and the organization is seeking the public’s help.
Since its creation, the nonprofit has been responsible for 13 major projects—with an investment totaling more than $3 million —to maintain and restore landscaping and hardscaping, and, more recently, art installations.
For the Sept. 6 gala, New Canaan video producer Christian Murphy is creating a video themed “Four Seasons”—a nod to the park’s year-round splendor and enjoyment by residents—and is in need of additional photos and videos in Waveny, especially from the fall and winter.
Murphy and his team have been on site to capture people enjoying the park in their own unique ways.
“We were there very early in the morning and there was one chap who was training his dog to retrieve ducks,” Murphy said. “It was the most amazing thing – he would throw them into the deep grass and his dog would grab it and bring it back.”
Park-goers also have been spotted painting the landscape, walking dogs, enjoying the ponds and walking trails, and participating in the July 4th celebration. The production team asked individuals to share videos and photos of their personal experiences in the park.
“You really get to see how the community enjoys the park and what a central part of the town it is.”
The goal is to edit the accumulated content together and create a “day-in-the-life from sunrise to sunset of the park through four seasons,” he said.
The video will show residents sledding in the winter and watching fireworks in the summer. The short feature film will be displayed inside a tent during the gala before the paddle raise.
As of right now, the video is in the editing phase. It has not yet been decided whether the video will be released before the gala.
“I’ve experienced and enjoyed the park for all of the time that I have lived here,” Murphy said. “I have many family memories from the park, and I think, for me personally, it was important to find a way to express that, to reflect on that, and to show how central it is to the New Canaan community – it is a huge part of our town’s identity. No other towns have something like we have.”
Those with photos and videos of Waveny, especially in the fall and winter, can contact Christian Murphy at christianmurph@aol.com.