Fairfield Social Services is gathering names of student volunteers for its Shoveling for Seniors program. It is open to middle- and high-school students who might be interested in helping a senior or neighbor with disabilities.
Visit the town website for information about volunteering and the parent permission slip for students to register.
The department will then send information out on how to register for shoveling once the list of volunteers is ready.
St. Paul’s hosting its carol service
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church’s choir will celebrate its annual “Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols” at 5 p.m. on Dec. 18.
All are welcome. There is no admission charge.
The St. Paul’s Choir is a semi-professional 20-voice ensemble of boy and girl trebles and adults modeled after the great cathedral and collegiate choirs of England. The choir has been directed by John Abdenour since 2000 and has toured England five times.
The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols will feature a variety of songs, like the traditional “O Holy Night” and “Stille Nacht” (Silent Night) sung in the original German, plus newer works, some composed specially for the choir. The congregation and choir will join in singing the hymns of the season.
Saint Paul’s is handicapped accessible, and ample parking is available in lots and on the streets surrounding the church. The church is located at 661 Old Post Road in Fairfield.
Prevent package theft during the holidays
Chief Robert Kalamaras and the Fairfield Police Department are offering tips to prevent package deliveries from being stolen.
Tips include getting a P.O. box at the local post office or having packages delivered to your office, set up notifications to track packages, install a security camera outside the home where packages may be delivered, require a signature upon delivery to ensure packages are never left unattended, reschedule deliveries or ask for a package hold when on vacation, ask neighbors to grab packages for safekeeping until you return home and sign up for the United States Postal Service’s “Informed Delivery,” which provides a daily email with a picture/scan of the mail you will receive that day.
Anyone who believes they have fallen victim to package theft should confirm with the delivery company that the package was actually delivered, identify which package was stolen and what the contents of that package were, contact the police immediately and report the package as stolen, provide any security camera video to the police, and report the package theft to the applicable carrier.
Anyone who witnesses package theft, should not approach the suspect. Instead, pay attention to what their vehicle looks like and its license plate number. If possible, get a physical description of the suspect to share with police.
Residents should note that around the holidays mail carriers such as Amazon and FedEx contract independent carriers to help deliver items. These independent carriers typically drive their own vehicles that have no affiliation markers. Residents should be mindful of these individuals who are often mistaken as thieves when dropping off packages on behalf of carriers or delivery companies.
Shop and Stroll to have pre-event
The 10th Annual Holiday Shop and Stroll will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 8. There will be a pre-event happy hour at South Bay from 5 to 6 p.m. for cocktails and appetizers. Participating shops will stay open late and offer an assortment of hors d’oeuvres and seasonal refreshments. There will be additional festive happenings, such as the traveling carolers and musicians from local schools. There will also be an after-party at Isla & Co at 8:30 p.m.
Check out experiencefairfieldct.org/shopnstroll or on Facebook and Instagram @ExperienceFairfield for more event information.
Fairfield offers local e-gift cards
Fairfield is again offering its Buy Local e-gift card program, which is redeemable at more than 50 businesses in Fairfield.
People can purchase the gift cards and view a list of participating merchants at fairfieldctchamber.com/giftcards.
Fairfield BOE elects new chair
New officers for the Board of Education were voted in during a meeting on Tuesday, and while some faces stayed the same there were some big changes.
Jennifer Jacobsen was selected as the new chairperson of the board, replacing Christine Vitale. Nick Aysseh will stay on as vice chair for this term, and Carol Guernsey was voted in as the new secretary of the board, replacing Jessica Gerber.
Aysseh thanked Vitale and Gerber for their “tireless commitment to the Fairfield board as leaders.” He said Gerber proved herself a reliable historian for the board, adding she has a unique ability to pull information out of her bag at a moments notice.
“Jessica has donated so many years to the board and to the position of secretary,” he said. “However, it goes way beyond the leadership position. She has served on so many committees and dedicated an almost unhuman amount of time to the BOE related business.”
Aysseh said Vitale chaired the board during some of the most difficult times in history and put in countless time without complaint.
Vitale thanked everyone for their support and dedication to the board. She said she was happy Jacobsen would be taking on the role, and added she would be there to support her in any way she can. She said the past three years have been some of the district’s most challenging, but she is proud of the work the board and staff have done.
New York City Opera to perform in Fairfield
New York City Opera will perform “All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914” at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 7 and 8, 8 p.m. on Dec. 9 and 11 a.m. on Dec. 10 at Sacred Heart University Community Theatre, 1420 Post Road in Fairfield.
Tickets are $45 for adults, $25 for children and are available at shucommunitytheatre.showare.com/NewYorkCityOpera.
The show tells the story of the first Christmas Eve of World War I, when soldiers across the Western Front laid down their weapons to celebrate Christmas together.
The New York City Opera was founded as “The People’s Opera” by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia in 1943. Its mission includes offering affordable ticket prices, a devotion to American works, English-language performances, the promotion of up-and-coming American singers, and productions intended to introduce new audiences to opera.
Pequot Library installs new trustees
Pequot Library recently added six new members of the Board of Trustees and made Coke Anne Wilcox the president.
Murchison Wilcox started her career in architecture. In the early 1990s, she purchased The Maidstone Arms in East Hampton and was the proprietress of the property for almost 16 years. Most recently she moved to Westport and began to study ceramics at the Silvermine School of Art in New Canaan. Over the years, Wilcox has been involved with numerous philanthropic, educational and cultural organizations. She joined the board in 2014 and previously served as board’s vice president.
The new trustees are Caroline Calder, of Westport; Jennifer Bradford Davis, of Southport; Dan McHale; Margaret Riek, of Fairfield; Blythe Smith; and Libby McKinney-Tritschler, of Fairfield.
Calder works on wealth management and also advises endowments and foundations on investment policy development/revision and portfolio management of the organization’s assets. She serves as an advisory council member for Fairfield County’s Community Foundation; is vice chair/board member of The Pequot Library; and is a member of the Tiffany Circle – Society of Women Leaders of the American Red Cross.
Jennifer Bradford Davis Interior Design specializes in custom high-end residential interiors. She serves on the vestry of Trinity Episcopal Church and on the Burr Gardens Advisory Committee. Jennifer has served as a community member for the library’s building and grounds committee.
McHale serves as director and head of business development at Praesidium Investment Management, an alternative investment firm headquartered in New York City.
Riek had a career in retail at various places including Burberry and Neiman Marcus Now retired, she is active at Trinity Church. She works at the Fairfield Women’s Exchange and is a Living Donor Ambassador at Yale New Haven Hospital. She was named Volunteer of the Year at last year’s Pequot Library Annual Meeting.
Smith led development efforts at Tipping Point Community. Blythe launched the organization’s first-ever leadership council. Prior to Tipping Point, she ran a $13 million capital campaign for the Katherine Delmar Burke School.
McKinney-Tritschler is an executive vice president of sales with AFA and has consistently been a top producing agent and she has been involved with all of On The Harbor Team’s highest recorded sales. She serves on the board of the Westport/Weston YMCA as well as serving as a mentor for Shepard’s Inc. and a student of the Colby class of 2026
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