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New Canaan Family Fourth 2016
Uploaded by Michael Dinan on 2016-07-05. Thousands of residents set up picnics, tossed frisbees, enjoyed live music from the venerable New Canaan Town Band and meandered about the town’s cherished Waveny Park on Monday for the 36th Annual Family Fourth. We tried to capture the popular annual event’s spirit in the video above—enjoy.
With warm weather and family events, the Fourth of July can be a fun time with great memories. But before your family celebrates this year, the New Canaan Fire Marshal’s Office wishes to make sure everyone knows about fireworks safety:
Only sparklers and “shower” type fireworks are legal to sell and use in Connecticut. No aerial or exploding type fireworks are permitted to be sold or used in the state. (Go to the Family Fourth – you will see a tremendous professional show.)
Only persons 16 years and older may use the above fireworks. Always keep at least 30’ away from spectators and structures and strictly follow manufacturer’s instructions.
The Family Fourth of July celebration at Waveny, one of New Canaan’s most cherished annual traditions, needs the assistance of the community in order to continue to be great each year, according to the volunteers who oversee it. Contrary to popular belief, the picnic and fireworks show is “funded entirely by the donations for passes,” according to Steve Benko, who sits on the Family Fourth Committee. “Whether you drive your car to the park or you walk in, we encourage everybody to buy a pass because it supports the fireworks,” Benko said. The fireworks themselves, as well as entertainment and logistical teams, are paid for out of a standalone fund, and the event is run by a volunteer committee. This year, food trucks also will sell food at the Family Fourth.
The volunteer committee that organizes the annual Waveny fireworks is pursuing a plan that will bring diverse new food options to New Canaan and area families attending the popular picnic and nighttime show. Though details have yet to be worked out, members of the New Canaan Family Fourth Committee said seven food trucks, including one with desserts, will serve attendees at the Monday, July 4 event. Joining mainstays Exchange Club and Garelick & Herbs, which will continue to provide beverages and some foods, the trucks will offer pizza, grass-fed burgers, lobster rolls, gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, Philly cheesesteaks, tacos and ice cream, according to committee member Suzanne Jonker, who developed the idea. “It’s convenient. It’s fun,” Jonker told NewCanaanite.com.
Final figures from the New Canaan Family Fourth show a year-over-year increase of $20,000 in revenue—a figure that covers losses from the prior year and puts the volunteer-run event on solid footing, officials say. Anchored by the Waveny fireworks, the popular gathering garnered around $75,000, according to Tom Stadler, who serves as chairman of the Family Fourth Committee. A combination of rising costs the prior year—due mainly to police seeking straight pay instead of a comp day in 2014 (an $18,000 cost)—and a drop in family passes, had put the Family Fourth fund in a precarious state, prompting Stadler and the committee to push for greater community support. This year, Stadler said, all but three police opted to “bank” the day, which helped control costs, and greater numbers of residents seem to have purchased passes at $35—up from $30, Stadler said. “Right now I feel very good about [the health of the fund],” Stadler said.