More than 10 motorists who received parking tickets came to Thursday’s Parking Commission meeting to fight them, and a strange thing happened: Two of those in attendance who by chance sat down next to each other also learned they have the same last name.
New Canaan Train Station. Credit: Terry Dinan
Michael Dooley on Feb. 11 received a ticket when his fiancée (Jessica, she was there too) punched in the wrong number on a space she in fact had paid for (the car is registered in his name) at Talmadge Hill Station lot. Edward Dooley one week later typed in the wrong space number on the Pay-by-phone app when he parked in the lot on the south side of the train station. Both Dooleys brought receipts to the hearing, and the commission voided their tickets.
Wisdom Lovastik of Old Norwalk Road celebrates his birthday each St. Patrick’s Day. He’s turning nine this week. Contributed
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St. Patrick’s Day is Old Norwalk Road resident Wisdom Lovastik’s 9th birthday. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever’s adopted mother, Betty, said the dog had been a birthday present for her son (also a March birthday). “As for our dog’s name, my son chose it with the following guidelines from my husband and me: The name had to be well thought out, not silly, and not a human name,” she told NewCanaanite.com.
Wisdom Lovastik’s AKC paperwork, proof that he was born on St. Patrick’s Day. Contributed
“During our drive to see the dog at four weeks of age, the radio played Let It Be sung by Paul McCartney,” Betty recalled. ” ‘Let it be, let it be…speaking words of wisdom, let it be.’ ‘That’s it—I’ll name my dog Wisdom,’ exclaimed my son Jordan. So, in essence, Paul’s song was instrumental in the naming of our dog. And his name suits his personality as well.”
Happy birthday, Wisdom.
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New Canaan High School junior and New Canaan YMCA Caimans swimmer Chase Kosinski, hearing that recreational swimmers and those seeking lessons at the Bridgeport Y often don’t have their own bathing suits, came up with an idea to help them. The competitive team’s first-ever “bathing suit” drive saw nearly 300 suits come in from boys and girls of all ages. Her mom, Janice, is co-chair of the Caimans’ community service coordination efforts together with Chris Girlamo. Janice noted rightly that competitive swimmers go through suits quickly and often toss aside suits that still are perfectly usable for those not heavily involved in the sport. The effort was dubbed “Seconds to Swim.” Chase helped drop off the suits up in Bridgeport. Here are a few photos from the initiative—“Did You Hear … ?” continues below:
Diane Wells, Regent of the Hannah Benedict Carter Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, presenting the award to St. Aloysius School fifth-grader Max Engel.
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St. Aloysius School proudly announced that fifth-grader Max Engel won First Place in the DAR American History Essay Contest. New Canaan’s Hannah Benedict Carter Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution sponsor an annual American History Essay Contest for grades 5,6,7 and 8. In commemoration of Ellis Island’s 125th anniversary as an immigration station, this years’ theme was “A Child’s Journey Through Ellis Island.” Participants were to imagine traveling through Ellis Island in 1892 as described in a fictional narrative to a cousin who had never heard of Ellis Island. Presenting the award is Diane Wells, Regent of the Hannah Benedict Carter Chapter. Congrats to you, Max!
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As promised, we have a special video that was shot at Karl Chevrolet when a group from New Canaan High School Theatre arrived for a photo shoot promoting “Grease,” the musical which opens Thursday night (buy tickets here). This song broke out rather spontaneously:
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Terry is giving his talk at New Canaan Library next week—“Our Town: New Canaan, 1927,” part of this year’s One Book New Canaan series—and in it he’ll talk a bit about New Canaan High School, which was founded that year. Recently, we heard from Susan Morrow, a graduate of NCHS—in fact, a 1972 grad, the first graduating class at the “new” building we know today.
Susan Morrow, a 1972 NCHS grad and owner of SwickPix on Elm Street (www.swickpix.com)
Morrow is owner of Elm Street’s SwickPix Storytellers of New Canaan, a provider of comprehensive photography services for families (photos, DSLR camera knowledge, iPhone apps). Morrow recalls moving into the new building her senior year, and because it was new, administrators “required that we have graduation in the auditorium. We wanted the traditional outdoor ceremony in what is now Saxe field. The compromise was that we could choose our processional song. I don’t recall which song it was, but it was definitely rock ‘n roll.”
Sung Pak, owner of Bodymechanics at a “VIP First Look” event at Halo Studios, held Feb. 12, 2015: “This is a suspension-based rehab exercise tool. We utilize gravity and body weight and that’s it. It is great for working with clients of all different ages, because when you are working out, if you want to make it easier, you step forward. If you want to make it harder, you step backwards. So I can have people of all ages and abilities in here doing the same exact move, but they adjust their own movement. And what you’ll see with the differential in this body system is that if you dominate with one side, it’s about triggering the brain to teach the brain to correct that. It’s not about teaching the muscle, it’s about teaching your brain to create this neural loop. This constant neural loop, so that you can straighten out. It’s great for athletes, repetitive injuries—tennis players, golfers—and also any elderly people who cannot do a plank, this is a plank. Because of the suspension bungee system, the bungee takes all of the impact, so you don’t have a joint impact like you would with a plank on the floor.” Credit: Michael Dinan
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Bodymechanics at Halo Studios is offering a “Luck of the Irish” special at 9:30 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. on Thursday—a $17 introductory BioCored class (RSVP here). Says owner Sung Pak: “Bodymechanics specializes in relieving pain, preventing repetitive injuries and helping athletes develop a competitive edge. From a demanding hour of BioCored to a calm series of stretches, every session utilizes balance, flexibility and strength to support progress. Wherever you fall on the journey from pain toward peak performance, I will customize a fun and engaging session to meet your specific needs.”
Sumner doing a front side indie grab in the Half Pipe at Okemo Mountain. Credit: Christopher Landon
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Sumner Orr, 8, an East School third-grader (and beekeeping enthusiast) will compete March 28 in the 2015 USA Snowboard and Free Ski Association Nationals. A skier for half his young life, Sumner has shown tremendous aptitude for the sport since switching to a snowboard last winter, mom Michelle Orr said. He’s been competing nearly every weekend since December against top snowboarders from around the nation. Best of luck to Sumner!
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Colin White of Darien and Rob Blosio, Jr. of New Canaan defeated New Canaan residents R.P. Beuerlein, Nick Bognon and Brian O’Hara for the title at Battle with a Paddle, a platform tennis tournament benefiting AmeriCares on March 7.
From left to right: Runners-up Brian O’Hara and R.P. Beuerlein with winners Rob Blosio, Jr. and Colin White at Battle with a Paddle, a fundraiser for AmeriCares on March 7. Photo courtesy of Photography by Lisa Garcia
Twenty-five teams competed in the event held at Country Club of New Canaan – the first of its kind to benefit the emergency response and global health organization. Players raised more than $7,000 for AmeriCares health programs worldwide. Eliza Kontulis and Robbie Bland of New York City took home the consolation prize.
“Our goal was to energize supporters in a community where AmeriCares has deep roots, and we exceeded our expectations,” said Holly Donaldson of AmeriCares. “We are thrilled with the success of the inaugural event and hope to make it an annual competition.”