Recreation

Displays Showing Real-Time Dangers of Sun Exposure Installed at Town Beaches

At Waveny Pool, Just North of Darien, New Canaan Welcomes Out-of-Towners

You Can Still Register for Summer 2018 Programs and Summer Camps from Darien Parks & Rec

Cycle with JoyRide Westport at Noon on Friday to Help Rebuild a School in Africa

Parks & Rec Commission Holding Off on Votes About Parks Master Plan, Ox Ridge Celebration

Coming to a Park Near You? What Consultants Propose for Darien Parks

Changes for Both Darien Beaches Proposed by Consultants in Draft Parks Master Plan

Town Pool, Walking Trails Among Consultants’ Ideas in Draft Master Plan for Parks

Darien Road Race Registration Now Open, Event Takes Place Sept 17

Kayaks and Paddleboards Available to Rent at Weed Beach This Summer

Tree Conservancy of Darien Sponsors Two-Hour ‘Forest Bathing’ Walk on Saturday

Your Ideas Wanted in Online Survey About Darien’s Needs for Parks & Recreation

Have Some Family Fun at the STAR Walk, 5K Run & Roll in Westport on Sunday

Darien Road Race on Sunday to Temporarily Clog These Roads

UPDATE: NOW CANCELLED: Darien Groups Organize Boat/Camp Day

Events Calendar

Healthy Living

By David Gurliacci | July 4, 2018

Outdoors

By EVA PACE | June 14, 2018

Parents & Kids

By David Gurliacci | May 31, 2018

Community Organizations

By David Gurliacci | April 19, 2018

Government & Politics

By David Gurliacci | October 18, 2017

Government & Politics

By David Gurliacci | September 25, 2017

Government & Politics

By David Gurliacci | September 24, 2017

Government & Politics

By David Gurliacci | September 22, 2017

Around Town

By David Gurliacci | July 25, 2017

Recreation

By David Gurliacci | May 18, 2017

Community Organizations

By David Gurliacci | May 15, 2017

Government & Politics

By David Gurliacci | May 7, 2017

Community Organizations

By David Gurliacci | May 2, 2017

Community Organizations

By David Gurliacci | September 9, 2016

Outdoors

By David Gurliacci | July 27, 2016

Sun Exposure Display Weed Beach Pear Tree Point Beach

A display to inform beachgoers about the dangers of sun exposure and UV levels in real time has been set up at both Weed Beach and Pear Tree Point Beach.

The “modular sun safety education system,” also shows information on recommendations to protect yourself from dangerous levels of sun exposure, according to an announcement from the Darien Parks & Recreation Department and the company that created and donated the display. Darien is the first town to receive the innovative products as part of the SOLaware Technologies’ summer pilot program in Connecticut. Darien Health Director David Knauf worked to get Darien as a participant in the pilot program, resulting in the town becoming the earliest partner to get the displays, according to the announcement. “Sun safety is one of my priority educational areas as health director, and the SOLaware solution is a great way to raise awareness within our community,” Knauf said.

Lifeguard by Eva Pace Waveny Pool NewCanaanite.com

In recent summers, more out-of-town families have been using New Canaan’s Waveny Pool, just north of the Darien border in Waveny Park, and the town is welcoming them. In preparation for this year’s season, which once again saw an uptick in interest among new users, Waveny Pool concentrated on maintenance of the facility, according to New Canaan Recreation Director Steve Benko. (An employee at the New Canaan Recreation Department said registrations for the pool are part of a lottery, which is now over, and only 100 registrations for nonresidents go out.)

— This article previously was published by NewCanaanite.com. Both pool heaters are active and working, Benko said, the locker rooms have been entirely re-painted and wood re-stained. The town-owned and -operated facility’s strongest client base tends to be families, but they generally don’t think about buying passes until summer weather comes along, according to Benko.

Darien Parks and Recreation Department Summer Camp soccer 2018

The Darien Parks and Recreation Department offers a variety of programs for the residents of Darien. Registration for programs takes place online, at the Parks and Recreation office located in Town Hall, or through the mail. For more information please call the office at 203-656-7325. FAMILY PROGRAMS
Safe Boating Classes: Boat Safe Connecticut, LLC comes to Darien to offer this eight hour course that will meet the requirements to obtain a Connecticut Certificate of Personal Watercraft Operation with Waterski endorsement from the CT DEEP. Our first class will meet on Saturday, June 16th from 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM at Weed Bach while the second class will be held on Tuesday, July 10th and Thursday, July 12th from 6 – 10 PM at the Darien Town Hall.

JoyRide Cycling + Fitness Studio, a boutique studio for indoor cycling and cross-training classes, will host a fundraising ride at 12 noon on Friday, April 20 at the Westport studio to help fund rebuilding a school in Africa. Rev. Gary Morello of First Congregational Church of Darien, who is also a former JoyRide instructor and Darien resident, will lead a team of 75 people, including JoyRide co-owner and lead instructor Rhodie Lorenz and her family, Westport residents, this June. The goal of the mission is to rebuild a school that burned down before Christmas last year, providing a safe place to learn for more than 300 children in the Kibera Slum of Nairobi. “All children across the globe should have equal opportunities to succeed but unfortunately this doesn’t currently exist,” said Morello, who who has participated in five missions to Kibera with the American organization Crossing Thresholds. “This is the conviction behind our purpose to build schools.

Word cloud parks and recreation survey 09-19-17

The Darien Parks and Recreation Commission is postponing decisions related to the parks master plan, originally scheduled for its meeting Wednesday night, and instead will just hold another public hearing at Town Hall. Also being postponed is the opening celebration for the Ox Ridge fields. Instead, the celebration will be held next spring, Parks and Recreation Director Pamela Gery announced. Here’s the entire announcement:

The Parks & Recreation Commission and Department have received a groundswell of response to the concepts being considered as part of our Master Park Plan. This groundswell has resulted in considerable emotion and misinformation related to a number of the amenities being proposed.

Stony Brook Park view 09-24-17 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DarienCTStonyBrookParkLookingWest11172007.JPG

Consultants hired by the town have made these recommendations for each of Darien’s public parks for a “master parks plan” meant to guide the town in making any improvements or changes to them. Town officials are asking the public for opinions about the recommendations. In this third article in a series, here’s what the consultants said about each park. Proposals for some other parks were covered in previous articles. All quotes are from Daniel Biggs, team leader for Weston & Sampson, who presented the recommendations at a public hearing on Sept.

An amphitheater or an outdoor pool (or both) at Weed Beach, a fishing pier at Pear Tree Point Beach (either pointed south or west) and an expanded concession/comfort station there are among the ideas consultants have for improving the town’s two public beaches. The ideas came at a public hearing Wednesday by consultants working on a draft master parks plan for the Darien Parks and Recreation Commission. Not even the draft is finalized yet, but when the process is done, town officials hope to have guidelines for how to improve parks across Darien in years to come. The consultants — Daniel Biggs, team leader for Weston & Sampson, and Art Thatcher, principal-in-charge for GreenPlay LLC — said they were looking for feedback from the public in this and an upcoming public hearing, and they could change the proposals based on that and on ideas from the commission. Editor’s note: This article summarizes part of the presentation (concentrating on only some of the many proposals) and some of the reactions to it at the public hearing.

An outdoor pool at Cherry Lawn Park? Replacing two ball fields in front of Town Hall with an indoor pool and plenty of parking? Paddleboard courts at the Edgerton property? Those were some of the dozens of ideas consultants briefly outlined in a draft Darien parks master plan proposing big or small changes for each of the town’s parks and some other properties, including the town’s Edgerton and Ox Ridge tracts. The individual ideas for draft (not yet written) were described for about a half hour on Wednesday night, just before the first of two public hearings before the Parks and Recreation Commission.

The 38th annual Darien Road Race is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 17 at Pear Tree Point Beach and includes a 10K and 1.5 mile Loop. Registration for the race is now open, and the first 500 registered runners will receive an official 2017 Darien Road Race performance t-shirt on race day. This year’s race will begin at 3:30 p.m. for the 1.5 mile Fun Run and 4:00 pm for the 10K. The race will feature “The Finish Line” tent with music, games, food trucks, sponsor booths, silent auction and an awards ceremony.

Residents of Darien residents can now can rent kayaks and paddleboarding at Weed Beach, starting Memorial Day weekend and continuing through the summer. The partnership between the Darien Parks & Recreation Department and Downunder LLC, will begin on Memorial Day Weekend. Colorful kayaks and paddle boards will be lined up on the beachfront from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for weekends until June 18 (two days after the last day of Darien schools and a day after Weed Beach Fest) and then daily through Labor Day. “This is an idea that has been kicked around for quite a few years and we are proud to have made it a reality this year,” said Pamela Gery, Darien Parks and Recreation Director. In addition to rentals, Downunder will also have paddleboard yoga classes.

Forest Bathing Tree Conservancy of Darien three 05-15-17

Tree Conservancy of Darien is hosting a Shinrin-Yoku walk, open to the community, with certified nature and forest therapy guide, Jeffrey Wyant. The Saturday, May 20 walk will benefit TCD, whose goals include educating the community about the value of trees and their care. The fee for participating in the walk is $20, and reservations are required at the Tree Conservancy website, since the walk is limited to 15 people. Shinrin-yoku, which developed in the 1980s in Japan, is translated into English as “forest bathing.” Scientific studies have shown that Shinrin-yoku walks can lower blood pressure, reduce stress levels, and increase a sense of well being among participants.

Online Parks and Recreation survey 05-07-17

What should Darien’s parks and recreation services look like in the future, and how should they change to better serve the town’s residents? Town officials want to know and have set up this online survey open to all residents to benefit from your ideas and judgment. The survey is part of a town-government commissioned “Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment” as part of an effort to update the existing parks and recreation master plan. The online survey for town residents was live online as of Friday, May 5, 2017. A survey is also being mailed to all 3,500 Darien households, so responses don’t have to be online.

Star Walk 5K Run & Roll image from Star Lighting the Way 05-02-17

The 12th Annual STAR Walk, 5K Run & Roll will be held at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport, CT on Sunday, May 7, 2017. The “Walk” includes a Family Fun Day celebration and fundraiser to benefit individuals who have intellectual disabilities and programs offered by STAR, Inc., Lighting the Way. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the Walk kick-off is 10 a.m., with a 1K walking route suitable for any ability (walkers, strollers, wheelchairs and baby joggers are welcome) and an officially-timed 5K Run along the site’s shoreline and pathways. Attendees can enjoy continental breakfast and grilled hot dogs for lunch as well as music, crafts, kids’ fun bus, face-painting, balloon sculpting, yard games, nature center exhibit, and children’s obstacle course. About 800 walkers and volunteers are expected to attend including a traditional array of local celebrities and political leaders.

Expect short-term delays and some detours Sunday, Sept. 11, along a short stretch of the Post Road and streets between it and Pear Tree Point Beach, as an expected 700 runners participate in the annual Darien Road Race. Here’s an announcement from Darien police about traffic delays and detours:
The annual Darien Road Race will be held on Sunday, September 11, 2016 at 1 p.m. The road race, hosting approximately 700 runners, will start at Pear Tree Point Beach and proceed to Long Neck Point Road, Rings End Road, Harbor Road, eastbound on Post Road, Old Kings Highway South, Andrews Drive, Red Coat Pass, Tory Hole Road, Sunswyck Road, Goodwives River Road, and back to Pear Tree Point Beach. Motorists and residents of the area are advised to expect short term delays and detours along the race route. Officers will be positioned along the route to facilitate the flow of traffic and the safety of the runners.

Update, 7:25 p.m., Thursday:

Boat/Camp for this year has been cancelled due to expected bad weather. Original article, Wednesday:

Boat/Camp/2016 will be sponsored by the Darien Sail & Power Squadron, with significant help from volunteers from the Darien Boat Club, Noroton Yacht Club, and Person-To-Person. This event introduces local under-privileged children to the beauty of Long Island Sound, utilizing the resources and good will of the Squadron and our boating friends. _________

— an announcement from the organizers of Boat/Camp/2016

_________

Now in its twentieth year, Boat/Camp/2016 will see over 100 campers and counselors involved, a fleet of more than 20 boats, and the participation of many, many volunteers from the boating community and the Squadron. Volunteers participate is any of several ways (and more are always needed!):

as boat “captains” – volunteers from the local boating community provide powerboats over 18 feet with at least a six-person capacity
as on-board boat “crew” – we staff at least one adult on board in addition to the captain
as on-shore logistical support — our volunteers distribute supplies, make the kids feel comfortable when “jacketing-up” on shore, and as “escorts” in the first adventure of the day — getting the Campers down to the docks and on-board the fleet of boats that are awaiting them.

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