New Canaan Nature Center events 2018
New Canaan Weekend Waddle

Thanksgiving Weekend Waddle at the New Canaan Nature Center

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Grab the entire family (and any lingering holiday visitors too!) and head on down to the New Canaan Nature Center! Join the NCNC naturalists for a healthy, invigorating trail trek to work off that holiday meal. Naturalist-led Trail Treks depart the Sugar Shack at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

As an extra Thanksgiving bonus, after our hike, you’ll also get to enjoy a FREE behind the scenes tour of our animal care facilities and Birds of Prey Exhibit — our way of saying “thank you” to the community. This is a FREE drop-in program! *Donations are greatly appreciated.*

— an announcement from the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce

Rowayton Turkey Trot
Rowayton Turkey Trot

Rowayton Turkey Trot: Fun Running on Thanksgiving Morning

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The Rowayton Turkey Trot has 5K and one mile courses for runners of all ages and abilities, with money raised going to great local causes each year. This year, the Rowayton Fire Department will be the main beneficiary. — an announcement from the Rowayton Turkey Trot website

The trotting begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Rowayton Community Center on Highland Avenue. Parking is available across the road. Online, the entry fee is $30 for adults, $10 for ages 10 to 18 and kids under 10 are free.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2018
Macy's parade event listing on Facebook 2018

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

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The Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade marks the start of the holiday season with a beloved spectacle featuring giant helium balloons, floats of wonder, pulse-pounding marching bands, engaging performance groups, celebrity appearances and our special Santa Claus. On Nov. 22, 2018, the 92nd annual parade will start at Central Park West and West 77th Street, head down Central Park West and travel east along Central Park South to Sixth Avenue. From there the procession will move south on Sixth Avenue from West 59th Street to West 34th Street, ending in front of the Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square. More than 8,000 participants, some donning clown costumes, handling balloon giants or striking up the band, set off down the streets of Manhattan at the sound of the time-honored catchphrase “Let’s Have a Parade.”

Healthy Living
Thanksgiving Weekend Waddle in New Canaan Nature Center 2018

Join the Thanksgiving Weekend Waddle on Saturday Morning at the New Canaan Nature Center

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Grab the entire family (and any lingering holiday visitors too!) and head on down to the New Canaan Nature Center to join the NCNC naturalists for a healthy, invigorating trail trek to work off that holiday meal. As an extra Thanksgiving bonus, after our hike, you’ll also get to enjoy a FREE behind the scenes tour of our animal care facilities and Birds of Prey Exhibit — our way of saying “thank you” to the community. See also — another walk in the woods:

Take a Walk on Saturday Through Selleck’s and Dunlap Nature Preserve with Darien Land Trust Members

If You’re Going … Naturalist-led Trail Treks depart the Sugar Shack at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 24.

Healthy Living
Night Police Lights CT State Police on Facebook March 30-17 uploaded 06-20-17

College Students Returning Home for the Holidays: Beware of ‘Drinksgiving’

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Thanksgiving is a holiday about family and friends — reconnecting over food and drink. For college students coming home for the holiday break, a new tradition has emerged, and it can have tragic consequences. Known as “Blackout Wednesday,” and even “Drinksgiving,” the evening before Thanksgiving sees college students packing local bars to catch up with hometown friends, binge drinking as the night wears on. — an announcement from Mountainside Treatment Center

The restaurant management platform Upserve found that beer sales soared by 270 percent and liquor sales jumped 114 percent on Blackout Wednesday in a 2016 survey of 3,000 restaurants across the country. As the name “Blackout Wednesday” suggests, during this celebration one drink can quickly become four or five over the course of two hours – an alcohol consumption rate that meets the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s criteria for binge drinking.

Holidays
Turkey on a biplane for Thanksgiving postcard 1912

AAA Offers Travel Timing Advice as More People Take to the Roads, Air This Thanksgiving

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Despite paying the highest Thanksgiving gas prices in four years, look for busy roadways and packed airports in New England this holiday, when 2.4 million in the New England region make their annual holiday pilgrimages. Of the 2.4 million traveling New Englanders, nearly 87 percent plan to drive this year, a 5 percent increase from 2017, projects AAA in its annual holiday travel survey. The holiday period is Wednesday to Sunday, Nov. 21 to 25. Average gas prices today in Connecticut continue to drop but are still higher than previous Thanksgivings.

Holidays
Rowayton Turkey Trot

Rowayton Turkey Trot: Fun Running on Thanksgiving Morning

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The Rowayton Turkey Trot has 5K and one mile courses for runners of all ages and abilities, with money raised going to great local causes each year. This year, the Rowayton Fire Department will be the main beneficiary. — an announcement from the Rowayton Turkey Trot website

The trotting begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Rowayton Community Center on Highland Avenue. Parking is available across the road. Online, the entry fee is $30 for adults, $10 for ages 10 to 18 and kids under 10 are free.

Holidays
State Police logo thumbnail

State Police Stepping Up Highway Patrols for Thanksgiving Weekend

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With tens of thousands of travelers driving through Connecticut during the Thanksgiving week, State Police are ramping up their plans to keep highways safe for all during the holiday rush. — an announcement from Connecticut State Police

Beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2018, at 12:01 a.m. and running through Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018, at 11:59 p.m., Connecticut State Police will supplement its normal routine patrol personnel with additional Troopers throughout the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Across the state, Troopers will patrol roads and highways across Connecticut focusing on aggressive drivers, unsafe drivers and drunk drivers.

Holidays
Metro-North Train

Metro-North Has Travel Tips and Schedule Changes for This Year’s Thanksgiving

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Metro-North has announced a Thanksgiving holiday timetable with these customer service changes on the New Haven Line from Wednesday through Sunday, Nov. 21 to 25. — an announcement from Metro-North

You can also find train times on our schedules page or on Metro-North’s new TrainTime App! We’ve got plenty of service to take you over the river, through the woods, and to your holiday destination. On Wednesday, Nov.

Charity Events and Opportunities
DHS Band collects turkeys 2017 from flickr

REMINDER: Help DHS Band Members Standing in the Cold on Tuesday, Nov 20 Make for a Warmer Thanksgiving for Others

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Darien High School Band members will stand out in the cold early next Tuesday morning, Nov. 20 to collect turkeys for families who need some help getting food for Thanksgiving this year, and they’re asking for your help. From 7 to 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 20, band members will be at the bus loop and at the gymnasium entrance at Darien High School. They’ll be there to collect fresh and frozen turkeys, along with cans or packages for side dishes — stuffing, corn and mashed potatoes.

Thanksgiving 2018

Norwalk’s 19th Annual Community Thanksgiving Luncheon

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The Community Thanksgiving Luncheon is a non-denominational, inclusive event where everyone is invited to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at no cost. Organized and served by volunteers, it brings people of diverse backgrounds together to celebrate the community  and give thanks. All are welcome! Walk-ins are welcome, and registration is not required. There will also be live music, arts and crafts, kids’ activities, karaoke, and more!

Holidays
Stamford Downtown Parade poster top part

Giant Balloons and More on Sunday at the Stamford Downtown Parade Spectacular

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A bicycle stunt team, dance troupes, floats, 11 award-winning bands and, of course, 14 colossal helium ballonsPlease join us at the 2o18 Stamford Downtown Parade Spectacular starting at 12 noon on Sunday, Nov. 18. The festivities start the day before, from 3 to 6 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 17, at the Giant Balloon Inflation Party at the intersection of Hoyt and Summer Streets in Stamford where you can watch the drama of giant helium balloons coming to life. The party will have live music, clowns, cartoon characters and a meet-and-greet with Santa. 

The following is part of the announcement from the Stamford Downtown Special Services District: 

The parade promises to be the highlight of the holiday season starring Perfection on Wheels – Bicycle Stunt Team! The Master of Ceremonies for the parade will be Television Personality Alan Kalter.

Charity Events and Opportunities
Person to Person Thanksgiving Food Drive 2018

Person-to-Person Needs Thanksgiving Food Donations — Most Darien Supermarkets Have Bins

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Person-to-Person is asking schools and businesses to help gather Thanksgiving food items to help families in need on the holiday. You can help individually by buying some of the items at a Darien supermarket (Palmer’s Market or either of the two Stop and Shops) and dropping it off in a Person-to-Person bin near the exit. P2P’s goal is to collect 1,600 cans of cranberry sauce (they say “cranberries” but we think they mean cans of cranberry sauce, sometimes with whole cranberries in them), 900 cans of yams and 900 boxes of instant mashed potatoes. Those are the “top three food needs” but feel free to add to that list. If you’re at a supermarket with your children, you could get them to help put the food in the bins as a way of getting comfortable with charitable giving.