Community Buzz: Drought, food pantry and more - Newcanaannewsonline

Community Buzz: Drought, food pantry and more - Newcanaannewsonline

Published 9:15 am, Friday, October 7, 2016

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Photo: Matthew Brown / Hearst Connecticut Media

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From left, Francois Sicard of Ridgefield, Lawrence Anriana of Greenwich and Roger Colson of New Canaan are photographed with a Ferrari 512M at Stepping Stones Museum for Children on Sept. 28 in Norwalk. The car owned by Auriana ran at Bonneville flats in 1974 driven by Paul Newman, Graham Hill and Luigi Chinetti Jr., establishing numerous speed records. Both Sicard and Colson are credited as being a part of the original mechanics for the car. less

From left, Francois Sicard of Ridgefield, Lawrence Anriana of Greenwich and Roger Colson of New Canaan are photographed with a Ferrari 512M at Stepping Stones Museum for Children on Sept. 28 in Norwalk. The car ... more

Photo: Matthew Brown / Hearst Connecticut Media

Community Buzz: Drought, food pantry and more

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New Canaan is under a drought emergency, as notified by state and Aquarion officials. New Canaan has an ordinance for enforcement of violations of the emergency.

Here are some of the steps town officials have taken as a result of the emergency:

The Fire Department has canceled scheduled and important live-burn fire training;

The town has eliminated irrigation of fields, parks and other town-owned properties;

And First Selectman Robert E. Mallozzi III remains in constant contact with the three other impacted towns (Greenwich, Stamford and Darien) and Aquarion in a coordinated effort to proactively manage the situation.

Here are some of the actions you can take to help conserve water:

Limit shower and bathing water use;

Only ask for water at restaurants if you must;

And check back with NewCanaan.Info for drought emergency updates as they are posted.

A freshly stocked food pantry

The tallies are in and the New Canaan Food Pantry is freshly stocked. According to sponsors, a retail equivalent of $5,000 worth of groceries was raised at the recent Taste of the Town event. Togs, Vineyard Vines and Sara Campbell donated a portion of sales from special promotions that evening. The combined efforts of the Chamber of Commerce, Walter Stewart’s shoppers and event strollers provided 155 bags of food items, which were delivered recently.

Food Pantry coordinator Carol Harvey said she was thrilled by the arrival of the much-needed food. Shelves are always being replenished, she said, and notes the following items would be especially welcome: juice boxes, canned soups, taco seasoning kits and boxed mashed potatoes. Food must be nonperishable and checked for expiration dates.

The Food Pantry is at St. Mark’s Church, 111 Oenoke Ridge, and is open daily. Walter Stewart’s Market accepts donations at the Food Pantry stand near the checkout area. Financial contributions may be sent to New Canaan Food Pantry, 77 Main St.

At the library

Stoddard art lecture: Elisabeth Sussman, a curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art, will be a guest lecturer for the library’s sixth annual Stoddard Art Lecture on Oct. 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the Lamb Room, preceded by a light reception at 6. Register for the lecture at newcanaanlibrary.org.

Sussman will discuss the Whitney’s dramatic new building and its inaugural exhibition. Designed by architect Renzo Piano and situated between the High Line and the Hudson River, the Whitney’s building in the Meatpacking District vastly increases the museum’s exhibition and programming space, offering the most expansive display ever of its unsurpassed collection of modern and contemporary American art.

The Stoddard Art Lecture series was established in fall 2011 to enrich and broaden the community’s understanding and enjoyment of the visual arts in all its forms. The Stoddard Lecture is unique in that it is endowed; once the fund reaches a certain point from contributions the series will operate in perpetuity. It is a lasting gift, honoring lifelong learners, benefiting others and improving the library.

John Singer Sargent: The New Canaan Library has joined with the Stamford Museum & Nature Center and the Loft Artists Association to present a unique and exceptional exhibition exploring and highlighting the legacy of the American master painter John Singer Sargent. The exhibition’s opening reception on Oct. 15 from 4-6 p.m. offers the rare opportunity to view Portrait of J.P. Wolff, an original Sargent generously on loan for the evening from the Stamford Museum permanent collection.

The reception will be held in New Canaan Library’s H. Pelham Curtis Gallery. Adding an additional note of beauty to the reception will be a musical performance by classical guitarist Francesco Barone. The exhibition runs from Oct. 13 through Oct. 30.

The New Canaan Library is at 151 Main St.

At Waveny

A variety of events will be offered at Waveny House, Lapham Community Center and Waveny LifeCare Network.

Health care fraud prevention: Marie-Laurette Desrosiers, a member of the senior Medicare patrol, will speak at 1 p.m. on Oct. 12 at Lapham Center. Desrosiers will discuss the consequences and cost of fraud and what seniors can do to protect themselves and others.

Alternative medicine: Robin Boccuzzi, a community nurse with the town’s Health and Human Services Department, is offering a workshop on integrative and alternative medicine. She will discuss meditation, yoga, tai chi and qi gong on Oct. 12 at 10 a.m. at Lapham Center. She will show a video lecture from the Mayo Clinic and follow it with a discussion and question and answer session. No reservations necessary.

Plans for the park: Keith Simpson, a member of the Waveny Park Conservancy, will speak before the New Canaan branch of the American Association of University Women about the Waveny Park Conservancy’s mission, structure, founding philosophies and challenges on Oct. 13 at Waveny House at 9:45 a.m. Simpson is the president of Keith Simpson Associates, a New Canaan firm which handles landscape architecture, land planning, residential design and environmental planning, in addition to other projects. He is also a member of the Merritt Parkway Conservancy and has worked closely on several projects with the town of New Canaan. The Waveny Park Conservancy, inspired by the Central Park Conservancy, was established in June 2015 with the intention of helping Waveny “thrive in perpetuity.” This public-private partnership recommends, funds and oversees improvements to portions of the grounds at Waveny.

Skims, scams & flim-flams: Learn how to protect yourself against new and common financial scams. Greenwich detective Mark Solomon, who is on the Connecticut financial crimes task force; Kristina Lopez, the branch manager at Wells Fargo in New Canaan; and Cindy Mixus, the vice president and program manager of Wells at Work, will speak on the subject at 6 p.m. on Oct. 13 at Waveny LifeCare Network at 3 Farm Road. Refreshments will be served beforehand at 5:30 p.m. To register, contact Mary Ntiri at 203-594-5310 or mntiri@waveny.org.