Enjoy a moment of peace and tranquility this holiday season with improvisational arrangements of seasonal music performed by local musicians. These calming selections, along with expansive winter views of our 80-acre preserve, will create an environment for reflection and contemplation. Schedule of Musicians:
December 19: Lisa Lynne Kirkpatrick
December 20: Karen Nisenson
December 21: Joyce DiCamillo
December 22: Tod Hedrick
December 26: Tod Hedrick
December 27: Doug Hartline
December 28: Doug Hartline
Grace Farms must obtain formal permission before pursuing further activities on its Lukes Wood Road campus that could affect wetlands that are under federal jurisdiction, officials said in a new report. Following a months-long investigation into unauthorized activity, the Army Corps of Engineers determined that a “contractor plan-revision error,” though unintentional, “resulted in minor encroachment into a wetland area,” according to a Dec. 6 memo from the federal agency. Specifically, rocks or “riprap,” which typically are used as part of an erosion control system, encroached into a wetland that forms “an unnamed headwater tributary of the Fivemile River,” according to the agency’s findings.
Because the Army Corps didn’t learn of the activity there until after construction at Grace Farms, the federal agency warned that “any future regulated work that is undertaken without the required authorization or self-certification is considered a repeat or flagrant violation of the Clean Water Act.”
Such violation “may be subject to legal action by this office,” according to an accompanying Dec. 6 letter to Grace Farms Foundation Chair and President Sharon Prince from Kevin Kotelly, chief of the Permits & Enforcement Branch of the Army Corps’ Regulatory Division.
Enjoy a fun-filled, charitable evening assembling packages of blankets, toiletries, and other essential items for local families and children in need. Listen to live music from Big Yachty, wrap gifts, and create cards to bring cheer during the holiday season. This year, we are collaborating with the Walter E. Luckett, Jr. Foundation to distribute these boxes to local families during the holiday season.
Enjoy a special meal with friends and neighbors, featuring local performing artists. This affordable dining experience promises expansive views and excellent company. The evening will take place in the River building’s Commons—a 6,900 square foot glass room appointed with social community tables built from trees harvested on the grounds, comfortable sofas, and a coffee bar serving our very own Heavenly Roast. Join us after the December Community Dinner for Gifting for Good, a fun-filled, charitable evening assembling packages of blankets, toiletries, and other essential items for local families and children in need. Click here to donate in support of our Gifting for Good program.
Watch the vibrant Geminid Meteor Shower over the expansive skies of Grace Farms. Join Nature Initiative Director, Mark Fowler, and Tim Haag, Director of the New Canaan High School Planetarium, to learn about the history of the Geminids and enjoy the peak of the famous and bright meteor shower. Telescopes will be available, but visibility is dependent on the weather. The event is open to all ages.
