Greetings Greenwich friends and neighbors.
Congratulations graduates!
The Greenwich High School commencement on Thursday evening certainly was a welcome return to post-COVID normalcy. It was a wonderful ceremony celebrating the accomplishments of our 682 high school seniors in the renovated Cardinal Stadium that is welcoming to all.
I wish you well in your upcoming endeavors – with the education you received in our schools, you certainly have built a solid foundation on which to build your future. I believe this quote by the musician B. B. King is very appropriate: “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.”
It was a beautiful sight and a fitting end to see that rainbow emerge from the skies as the ceremony concluded.
2022 Child Tax Rebate
The child tax rebate, which was recently signed into law, is intended to help Connecticut families with children. You may be eligible for a child tax rebate of up to a maximum of $750 ($250 per child, up to three children).
To be eligible for this rebate you must meet all of these requirements:
You must be a resident of Connecticut;
You must have claimed at least one child as a dependent on your 2021 federal income tax return who was 18 years of age or younger; and
You must meet certain income thresholds.
For more information, please use this link.
Fireworks Saturday
The annual Fourth of July fireworks shows are scheduled for Saturday, July 2 at Binney Park and Greenwich Point.
The Binney Park show will start about 9:10 p.m., following a performance by the Sound Beach Community Band scheduled for 8 p.m. in the Showmobile that will be set up at the flagpole. Vendors will be located near the Binney Park Tennis Courts by Wesskum Wood Road, which will be closed to traffic by early evening. No parking will be allowed on Binney Park Drive. More details on traffic and parking, can be found here.
The Greenwich Point fireworks will begin about 9:35 p.m. Residents need to show their 2022 park pass or a single-entry ticket which can be purchased online. Greenwich Police will have a command post set up and will be directing traffic and parking operations. The park entrance will close at 8:30 p.m. or when filled to capacity, whichever comes first. Drop-off and pickup of pedestrians will not be allowed. Details on the Greenwich Point show can be found here.
Visitors to both parks are urged to bring flashlights. Personal fireworks are not allowed, including sparklers.
In the event of rain, the fireworks display may be rescheduled for a date to be determined. If there is inclement weather, please call the Recreation Weather Hotline at 203-861-6100 or use this link.
Support Sound Beach Community Band
The Sound Beach Community Band, in partnership with Burke Catering, is holding its first-ever picnic fundraiser in conjunction with the Binney Park fireworks display. Supporters can pre-order picnic boxes to be picked up between 5 and 7 p.m. behind the Showmobile in Binney Park on the day of the fireworks, rain or shine. Meals cannot be purchased on site.
Twenty percent of each order will be donated to the Sound Beach Community Band’s free concerts in Old Greenwich program. The menu and order form can be found here until June 29. If the show is canceled due to inclement weather, the catered meals will still be available for pick-up.
Time to renew licenses, permits
Time is ticking away for renewing annual licenses and permits. June is “Dog License Renewal Month” in Connecticut. Registering your dog can be done in person or through the mail. The dog license is valid from July 1 through June 30, 2023. All dogs over 6 months old living in the Town of Greenwich must be licensed with the Town Clerk’s office. For questions, contact the Town Clerk’s office at 203-622-7897 or via email: Town.clerk@greenwichct.org More information can be found here.
Join your neighbors at Holly Hill
More than 3,000 households have renewed the annual Holly Hill Resource Recovery Facility entrance permits. Remember that by July 1 residents are required to have the new permit when visiting Holly Hill. The quickest and easiest way to order your permit is online through the Town’s website. For more information and to purchase your permit, please click HERE.
Register fire, burglar alarms
Residents must register their fire and burglary alarm systems. The $20 annual registration fee that’s due July 1 can be paid using this link. The late fees are expensive: $70 beginning August 1; $220 beginning September 1. All alarm devices, including self-installed devices purchased online, calling for a response from either the Police or Fire Department must be registered with the Alarm Administrator. Details can be found here.
COVID Update
Today Greenwich Hospital reported it was treating 3 COVID-19 patients, with 1 in the intensive care unit. Last week there were 7 patients being treated for COVID. The Yale-New Haven Health system has a total of 71 patients.
On the last day of school, Greenwich public schools reported today there are 18 active cases in the district. This week, a total of 32 new cases were reported in our schools. A total of 3,471 cases have been reported for 2021-2022 school year.
According to the state, as of June 24, the total number of Greenwich COVID cases (since the pandemic began in March 2020) is 14,417. The number of residents whose deaths have been attributed to COVID increased by 1 to 124.
Vaccine info
Log onto the Yale New Haven Health website to find a booster vaccine site.
Family Centers is offering weekday vaccine and testing clinics at 111 Wilbur Peck Court. Details can be found here.
The Connecticut Department of Public Health is offering mobile vaccine clinics. Information on locations can be found here.
Free Musi
c Fridays
It was quite enjoyable and encouraging this afternoon to see the crowds listening to Cover Story with Megan Tyre as part of the Free Music Fridays concert series in Greenwich Common. Kudos to the First Selectman’s Re-Imagine Greenwich Committee for organizing this lunch-time musical respite. And this year, the committee has scheduled evening concerts from 5 to 7 p.m. on select Friday evenings. The complete schedule can be viewed above. - Contributed photo
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Stay safe and wishing you all the best,
Fred