Darien Obituaries 2021
Louis Sepe, 88, Loved Singing, Avid Reader, Longtime Usher at St John, in Same House for 60 Years
|
Louis Paul Sepe of Darien died suddenly on Dec. 17, 2020. He was 88.
If Wishes Were Horses … Maybe We’d Have Better Transportation
|
Simple problems require simple solutions. And when it comes to solving our transportation woes, we consumers always wonder whey “they” can’t fix things quickly by doing what seems obvious and simple.
Consider the following questions I’m often asked:
The MTA Rings the Alarm: It’s Running Toward a Fiscal Cliff
The MTA, parent of Metro-North, did something rare last week: They told us the unvarnished truth.
DHS Graduates Celebrate Culmination of High School and Commencement of the Rest of Life
Darien High School’s 2021 graduation ceremony combined congratulations on getting through high school during the COVID-19 pandemic with the regular high school graduation themes — life advice, thankful appreciation and assurance that the graduates have what it takes to succeed in the future.
Darien and Rowayton Real Estate Report: June 10 to 17
Here’s Realtor Deirdre McGovern’s report on Darien and Rowayton real estate from June 10 to 17, 2021:
More Headlines
Swap Shop Reopens Monday at the Dump: Here’s Why It’s Not Opening on Saturdays Just Yet
This Book Club Hits Close to Home: With New Canaan Author’s Novel on Parents,Teens, Drinking
Darien and Rowayton Real Estate Report: April 15 to 22
Community Organizations
YWCA Darien/Norwalk Launches ‘Stand Against Racism’ Essay, Poster, Poetry Contest for Grades 6 to 12
|
The YWCA Darien/Norwalk is launching an Essay + Poster Art + Poetry Youth Contest to provide Darien and Norwalk students in Grades 6 to 12 an outlet to explore racism in a safe, accessible manner.
Darien History
Darien Historian Ken Reiss Talks About Town’s History in Online Event, Thursday
|
Ken Reiss, a Museum of Darien historian, will discuss how Darien sought its independence, the forces blocking its path, and the hero who persisted to give the town its name in an online lecture Thursday evening.
Motor Vehicles entered 2021
Vehicle Entered Overnight — But Something a Little Different Happened This Time
|
Leaving your vehicle unlocked overnight for just anybody to go inside is not terribly unusual in town — it could almost be called a Darien tradition (except it’s being done in almost all other towns).
But something different happened just before 4 a.m., Saturday on Mansfield Place.
Healthy Living
AAA: Driving Can Be Risky; With Booze, Riskier; With Pot — Well, You’re Just a Magnet for Risk
|
People who use alcohol and marijuana — not necessarily while on the road — are significantly more likely to speed, text, and adopt other reckless behaviors when they do drive, says a AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study.
Art Exhibits
‘Abstraction’ Exhibit Opens Sunday With Reception at Rowayton Arts Center
|
A new show by exhibiting members at the Rowayton Arts Center, “Abstraction,” will be on view April 18 through May 15. The opening reception is free and open to the public from 4 to 6 p.m., Sunday, April 18.
Public Safety
Police: Man Already Accused of Strangulation Charged Again in Earlier Incident
|
Editor’s note, July 25, 2022: The charges related to allegations in this incident were dismissed in court and the man’s name has been removed from this article.
A man grabbed someone by the neck with both hands last November, resulting in his second arrest on a felony strangulation charge, Darien police said.
Running
‘Demystifying the World of Running’ — Webinar With Owner of Darien Running Shop
|
Over the past year, we have seen more people running than ever before. People of all skill levels took up running to stay active, get out of the house or replace their gym regimen.
This online webinar, “Demistifying the World of Running” takes place from 7 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, April 14.
Healthy Living
Online Documentary for Teens, Parents on Combining Prescriptions, Alcohol: Online Wednesday
|
“If They Had Known,” a 35-minute documentary about an accidental death that shouldn’t have happened, will be presented online, for free,, by New Canaan Cares and Silver Hill Hospital.
Blooms for Campers
To Help Kids in Financially Struggling Families, OPUS Launches ‘Blooms for Campers’
|
OPUS for Person-to-Person’s Balloon Day is now Blooms for Campers; the same fundraiser (raising funds to send low-income kids to summer camp) with an earth-friendly spin.
Darien Obituaries 2021
Michael Mullin, 87, Standout College Athlete, Accomplished Golfer, IBM Executive, Active in His Parish
|
Michael John Patrick Mullin passed away peacefully on April 3, 2021, in Fort Myers Florida, following a brief battle with cancer. He was 87.
Charity Events and Opportunities
Join Community Fund of Darien’s Dinner for a Cause and Celebrate Mom on Mother’s Day Weekend
|
Grab a delicious meal for Mother’s Day weekend as a special treat while helping The Community Fund of Darien address the hardest hit by the pandemic, our youth.
Darien Obituaries 2021
Alison Warner Waterman, 101, Grew Up in Tokeneke, Prolific Gardener
|
Alison Warner Waterman died April 4, 2021 at Westminster Canterbury of the Blue Ridge in Charlottesville, Virginia. She was 101.
Coronavirus 2021
School District Announces Yet More COVID-19 Cases, Quarantines; Health Dept Issues COVID-19 Update
|
Five more individuals in Darien Public Schools have COVID-19, the school district announced Friday night, resulting in a total of 15 quarantines at Darien High School.
Also, Darien Health Department released its COVID-19 update showing 28 new positive cases in town from April 2 to 8, but no new hospitalizations or deaths (the complete 10-slide report is at the bottom of this article).
Parents & Kids
The Dinosaur Place, an Attraction for Dino-Loving Kids, Opens for the Season in Montville
|
If your kids love dinosaurs and you’re looking for something different in a daytrip, a place with 50 life-sized models of dinosaurs and a variety of amusements at the eastern end of the state could be just what makes that day the best one of spring break.
Nature’s Art Village, which includes The Dinosaur Place, its 60-acre “Outdoor Adventure Park,” is now open for the 2021 season.
Theater
![[title of show] poster](https://darienite.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Screen-Shot-2021-04-09-at-7.03.10-PM-140x140.png)
Theatre Fairfield’s Latest Musical Leans Into the Differences Between Livestream and On Stage Productions
|
During the pandemic, theater performances have joined nearly everything else in going livestream online, and Fairfield University’s performance of the musical “[title of show]” takes advantage of the difference rather than just showing you a taped stage performance.
So expect it to be different.
Gardening
Rowayton Gardeners’ Spring Market Coming on May 15
|
Over 400 hardy perennials donated from local gardens, pollinator-friendly plants, herbs, greenhouse-grown veggies and a limited number of fabulous annuals will be available to buy in mid-May at Rowayton Gardeners club’s Annual Spring Sale.
Art Exhibits
Open Call to Artists: Submit Work for Upcoming ‘In the City’ Exhibit at Rowayton Arts Center
|
Online submissions are now being accepted in an open call to Artists for “In the City,” at Rowayton Arts Center (RAC) from May 23, 2021 to June 20.
Government & Politics
Sewer Inspection Project Now Started, Runs Through Mid-June
|
The Darien Department of Public Works has hired a consultant to perform planned inspections of the sewage collection system in the central and east-central areas of town, starting Friday, April 9 and running through mid-June, the department announced late Friday afternoon.
Transportation
Schedule Change Monday for the New Haven Line: Metro-North Adds Early A.M. Train to Grand Central
|
Effective Monday, April 12, 2021, Metro-North is making schedule adjustments to the weekday schedule on the New Haven Line. We are adding an early morning inbound train from New Haven, and we are adding a stop at Greenwich to two New Haven express trains.
Additional service is added to New Rochelle, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Harrison and Stamford stations.
Darien Public Schools 2020-2021
Hindley School Principal Julie Droller Appointed District Director of Elementary Education
|
Julie Droller, principal of Hindley School since the summer of 2019, has been appointed by the Board of Education to the new position of director of elementary education for Darien Public Schools, the district announced Friday.
Obituaries
Nancy Melson, 90, Darien Native, Bookkeeper, Mother of Five
|
Nancy Quackenbush Melson, beloved wife, mother of five children, passed away March 24, 2021, in San Diego.
Darien Community Association
‘Darien Neighbors, Global Players’ Speaker Series Returns to DCA, Starting April 28
|
Darien Community Association’s “Darien Neighbors, Global Players” speaker series returns for a fourth year on April 28 with three online events, in partnership with DAF Media.
COVID-19 2021
Thursday Night Announcement: Another 63 in Schools Quarantined, Including Eight With COVID-19
|
A total of 63 people in the Darien school district — students, staff or both — were quarantined after eight of them tested positive for COVID-19, district officials announced late Thursday night.
The people quarantined include 34 (with five people testing positive) from Darien High School; one from Middlesex Middle School (who tested positive); and 21 from Tokeneke School (which had two people testing positive).
The announcement from Schools Superintendent Alan Addley and district Nursing Director Alicia Casucci was received by Darienite.com at 9:15 p.m.