Pops in the Park returns to New Canaan and other news

Jan 05, 2024

The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra will be the feature of the second annual Pops in the Park set for 6 to 8 p.m. June 11 in Waveny Park.

The New Canaan Men's Club will host Thomas Lopez, director of the state's Public Utility Regulatory Authority, at its June 9 meeting at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 111 Oenoke Ridge.

Lopez will discuss the role of PURA, its mission and what the state is doing to promote energy conservation — including its residential rate program that enables residential solar customers to sell energy and renewable energy certificates for a 20-year term.The Men's Club meeting begins at 10 a.m., followed by Lopez's discussion. Aside from the electric utilities, PURA also regulates gas utilities, water companies, wired phone service companies and cable television.

Formerly known as the Public Utilities Commission, rapidly rising electric rates made the agency the focus of the gubernatorial campaign in 1974 when Ella Grasso was elected. She proposed a series of legislative reforms, renaming the agency as the Public Utilities Control Authority and called for a new slate of commissioners with backgrounds in law, economics and other disciplines. It also led to the appointment of a consumer representative to be appointed for utility matters.

The club has openings for new members, men 55 years and older. For information, email [email protected].

Gillian Sorensen, former United Nations assistant secretary-general for external relations, will discuss "The United States and the United Nations: What's at Stake and Why it Matters," for the 12th annual Anita Houston Memorial Lecture set for 7 to 8 p.m. June 8 in the Jim & Dede Bartlett Auditorium of the New Canaan Library, 151 Main St.

Sorensen's visit is in partnership with the UN Committee of New Canaan. The discussion will focus on what is at stake and why the relationship matters in today's world.

Sorensen currently works with groups and organizations committed to peace, justice, development, refugees and human rights, according to information provided by the library. She also serves as a member of the board of the International Rescue Committee and as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

For more than 50 years, until her death in March 2007, Anita Houston was a prominent advocate for the United Nations and international cooperation among nations. She was designated by official Town Proclamation on her 90th birthday as "New Canaan's Ambassador for World Affairs." In tribute to her for her long service as chairperson and member of the UN Committee of New Canaan and head of her UN Study Group, friends and family started a fund for an annual lecture series on topics related to international affairs and the United Nations.

Registration required.

The New Canaan Community YMCA, 564 South Ave., is holding its summer food drive through June 30 to benefit the New Canaan Food Pantry.

Since summer can be a difficult time for families that rely on school meal programs, the YMCA is collecting a list of items that can be put in a collection box in the front desk lobby area.

Suggested donations include individually-wrapped kids snacks, canned spaghetti and meatballs, cheese ravioli, chicken, tuna and fruit, tortilla chips and salsa, brownie mix, one-pound bag of rice, cereal and oatmeal.

The Glass House is holding its summer party from noon to 4 p.m. June 10 on its campus at 199 Elm St.

The Glass House, or Johnson house, is a historic house museum on Ponus Ridge Road completed in 1949. It was designed by architect Philip Johnson as his own residence.

This year's event is presented by Max Mara and is designed to allow residents to share what the Glass House campus has to offer. Guests are invited to explore the grounds, enjoy a seasonally inspired picnic lunch by Elm, view special performances by Company SBB/Stefanie Batten Bland, enjoy cocktails on the lawn by Hennessy Paradis and listen to DJ sets by Alexandra Richards. Guests can also view the curated auction of art, design, luxury experiences and more.

The Summer Party is the site's biggest fundraiser of the year. Funds raised are used to continue to operate as a museum and provide programming, exhibitions, and to preserve the campus including landscape, buildings and collection. Tickets begin at $500 per person and are available at https://theglasshouse.org/whats-on/the-summer-party-2023/.

The second annual Pops in the Park is set for 6 to 8 p.m. June 11 in Waveny Park featuring the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra.

The concert's theme will be "A Night in Hollywood," with an emphasis on music featured in movies and television. Residents can bring picnic baskets and lawn chairs and blankets for a summer evening of lively classical music.

The concert is free, although concertgoers are required to register for free tickets at https://connectnewcanaan.com/new-canaan-pops-in-the-park/ because space may be limited.

The Carriage Barn Arts Center and Waveny Park Conservancy are offering Fantastical Footpaths with SOVA Dance and Puppet Theater at 2 p.m. June 11.

Participants are invited to come early and enjoy a picnic on the hill, take part in a family craft and then head off into a woodland stroll through the "enchanted forest" with "Firefly" the fairy and friends of Sova Dance & Puppet Theater. On their adventure through the paths of Waveny Park, they may encounter real spring denizens like bugs and toads and, with the help of the guides, "discover characters like hobgoblins and dragons waking from their winter slumber," according to information provided by the Arts Center.

Tickets are limited and $20 each or $75 for a family of four or more. Registration is required.