Did You Hear … ?

For the first time ever, May Fair will open its rides to visitors on the Friday night of the weekend that the hugely popular event runs.

“Friday Night Lights” will run from 5 to 9 p.m. on May 8—featuring just the rides, a performance stage and select food vendors Baskin-Robbins, Joe’s Pizza and Chicken Joe’s—and the full, cherished annual fair running about 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. the following day, said Richard DePatie, parish administrator at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. “We’ve been talking about it, off and on, for a number of years, and weather is a factor,” DePatie told NewCanaanite.com. He explained that in recent years, foul weather has caused organizers to hit pause on May Fair for periods of time on the selected Saturday, and that affects how much money can be raised (the fair benefits charities through the St. Mark’s outreach program). Safety will be made a priority for the Friday night, with CERT, volunteer firemen and off-duty police offering to help.

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Congratulations to New Canaan High School senior Zachary Seger on winning a Silver Medal with Distinction for his Art Portfolio at the 2015 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Zach—who won an Art Merit Scholarship to study at Bucknell—in winning the award joins past winners that include Andy Warhol, Sylvia Path, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Robert Redford, John Currin, Ken Burns and Lena Dunham. He studies AP Art at NCHS in Jeanne McDonagh’s class, and earned his award with an art portfolio of surrealistic art that will be on exhibit in the upcoming 28th Annual Senior Art Show, Level Up, April 23-June 8 at the high school.

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Following a peer review required by the Planning & Zoning Commission that raised questions about a planned 15,000-square-foot manmade pond planned for a large Weed Street parcel, the architects of a comprehensive landscaping plan removed the pond from their project. Peter Romano of Westport-based engineering firm Landtech announced the change of plans at a P&Z meeting last week.

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It took about seven months for mobile app StreetChat to shutter the New Canaan High School feed. As of Tuesday, the app’s NCHS destination—a place where users post their own photos overlaid with text, as well as memes and calls to message each other privately—had been closed down by the company’s administrators. A recent post on StreetChat had singled out a freshman, with lewd comments posted below it—it isn’t clear whether that prompted the company to pull down the NCHS feed.

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The Gridiron Club next week will honor New Canaan’s Bill Walbert, a Philadelphia Phillies fan and chairman of the Town Council, at the 56^th Annual Gridiron Show and Fall Guy celebration. The Ladies’ Show will be held Wednesday, April 15, and men’s show Friday, April 17 at Country Club of New Canaan. The show and local tradition features an original musical that celebrates the life of the “Fall Guy,” who designates a charity that benefits from the event. For more information, contact Tucker or John Murphy at tuckerbmurphy@gmail.com or johnrmurphy@optonline.net.

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New Canaan’s Lorenzo Colella, a 1995 NCHS graduate, joined two fellow Rams alumni for the Yankees’ Opening Day on Monday.

The Yanks fan and owner of Joe’s Pizza, together with fellow NCHS alumni BJ Jones and Mike DeMasi, enjoyed the day despite the good guys’ loss, and headed afterwards to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx for some food.

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The town issued three building permits recently, for new homes in New Canaan:

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  This 4,292-square-foot, 10-room home is planned for a .6-acre lot on White Oak Shade Road. Specs by Botsford-based Fine Home Design LLC

  March 18: a 4,292-square-foot, 5-bedroom, 5-full bathroom home at 386 White Oak Shade Road that will cost an estimated $664,260 to build.

• March 24: a 3,363-square-foot, 5-bedroom, 4-bathroom home at 48 Green Meadow Lane that will cost an estimated $1 million to build.
• April 1: A 7,120-square-foot, 6-bedroom, 5-bathroom home at 50 Chichester Road that will cost an estimated $1.2 million to build.

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“Celebrity Bartender” Sperry DeCew will serve thirsty customers at Barolo Restaurant on Main Street from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday evening, in a special guest appearance benefitting the New Canaan Historical Society. DeCew is a historical society board member who also is a member of the Kiwanis Club and Police Commission, and who is a founder of Getabout in town, among other local civic activities. Historical Society Board President R. Bailey Stewart of Walter Stewart’s thanked Barolo for showcasing the Society, observing that its wide-ranging community programs, varied exhibitions and extensive resources benefit not only New Canaan, but the surrounding area as well.

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Following a successful trial run last summer, South End restaurant on Pine Street received approval from planning officials to have seasonal outdoor seating. The Planning & Zoning Commission at its most recent meeting voted unanimously in favor of café area seating at South End, with Vice Chair Dick Ward saying: “I think it adds a little character to that part of town over by Walgreens, which I think is a plus.”

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The Committee planning the second annual fundraiser for Thorpe Family Residence, serving homeless families in the Bronx, met at Waveny House to finalize plans for the April 24 event. Here’s a short video about Thorpe Family Residence: