NEIGHBORHOODS
What’s going on in your part of Greenwich
Old Greenwich
The Garden Club of Old Greenwich and Girl Scout Troop 50917 are working together to make a pollinator garden thrive again at Old Greenwich School.
The nearly two-decade-old garden is overgrown. They are also creating a database to educate people about pollinator-friendly plants.
“The girls first identified the plight of pollinators as a troublesome environmental concern,” according to the garden club. They researched pollinator gardens and learned about the Greenwich Pollinator Pathways, which are designed to “establish pollinatorfriendly habitats and food sources for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinating insects and wildlife.”
The Girl Scout troop reached out to the Garden Club of Old Greenwich, which taught the girls about what goes into a pollinator garden and gave them a tour of the butterfly garden that the club maintains at Greenwich Point.
“The girls developed an action plan and worked to weed and refurbish the garden at Old Greenwich School,” the club said. “They planted additional pollinator-friendly plants which included fall blooming asters.” The Girl Scouts also plan to create educational documents to inspire ongoing learning about the garden at Old Greenwich School.
The troop researched more than 45 flowering pollinatorfriendly perennials and recorded data on their height, bloom time, features and region of origin. The information will be posted in an online catalog on the garden club’s website.
“For years the club had wanted to catalog the plants at the Greenwich Point Butterfly Garden,” club copresident Wendy Yu said. “Through their hard work and time, the Girl Scouts of Troop 50917 have finally allowed this important database to be created.”
This project is part of the troop’s efforts to earn the Girl Scout Silver Award, which is the second highest award in Girl Scouting.
Downtown
Thanksgiving in Greenwich mean it is time for the 11th annual Turkey Trot, a town tradition that is back this year after a COVID-19 interruption last year.
There will be a 5K race at 9:30 a.m. and a non-competitive 1-mile run/walk at 10 a.m. on Nov. 27. Both races will begin and end at the Arch Street Teen Center at 100 Arch St. in downtown Greenwich and take participants through Bruce Park.
There will be warm-up exercises and stretching starting at 9 a.m.
The race is a fundraiser for the Greenwich Alliance for Education, which was created to “fund innovation, expand opportunities and inspire teachers to foster educational success” in the town’s public schools.
“We are delighted to host the Turkey Trot again as an in-person event,” said Julie Faryniarz, the alliance’s executive director. “It’s wonderful to be able to bring the community together to have fun while fundraising for Greenwich school programming for students from infancy through college graduation and into the work force.”
To register, visit www.greenwichalliance.org/turkey-trot2021. The entry fee of $15 for children 13 and under and $30 for adults will run until Oct. 31. The fee increases to $35 for adults from Nov. 1 to Nov. 26. Race-day registration is $40 for adults and will take place inside the Arch Street Teen Center from 8:15 to 9:15 a.m.
There is also a “Run For Your School Competition,” with a $500 gift card for physical education purchases to the Greenwich school with the greatest number of registered runners. The 2019 winner was Julian Curtiss School.
After a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the event is roaring back this year with nearly 2,000 participants and spectators expected to take part.
Performance material T-shirts and goody bags are guaranteed to runners who register by Nov. 15. Race materials, which will include bibs, T-shirts and goody bags, can be picked up Friday, Nov. 26, at Cadillac of Greenwich at 144 Railroad Ave.
Awards and prizes will be presented to the top three overall male and female 5K winners. The top three male and female finishers in nine different age categories, from 10-and-under to 70-plus, also will receive awards. All 1-mile finishers will receive medals.
Central Greenwich
The Junior League of Greenwich will hold its Harvest Sunday Supper fundraiser on Nov. 7, offering residents an opportunity to take a day off from cooking while supporting the league’s work in the community.
The catered meals will come from Simply Delicious, which specializes in local, fresh and seasonally inspired food. The meal choices are: meatballs marinara over pasta with caesar salad; roasted chicken breast over pumpkin risotto with mixed vegetables; or eggplant parmesan with an autumn salad. The meals will include sides, desserts and a bottle of wine from Cap, Cork & Cellar. “We had such a wonderful response from our recent Sunday Suppers, and look forward to providing another fresh and delicious hot meal, which we can all enjoy together at home,” league President Karen Richard said.
The cost is $100 for supper for two; $140 for supper for four; and $160 for supper for six people. A fall cookie kit can be ordered for $30.
The meals can be picked up drive-thru style from 4 to 6 p.m. Nov. 7 at the league’s headquarters at 231 E. Putnam Ave. Contactless delivery is available for Greenwich residents for $25.
Orders must be placed at www.jlgreenwich.org/ harvest-supper/ by Nov. 4.
The proceeds will benefit the league’s programs in town. For more information, visit www.jlgreenwich.org.
Central Greenwich
Want to learn more about your family’s background? The Putnam Hill Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution is prepared to help with a special genealogy workshop on Nov. 14.
Attendees can talk to a genealogist for free and find out about their family’s roots.
Participants are urged to bring any documents or family trees that contain the names of descendants. The genealogist will explain how to use computerized ancestry, heritage and find a grave databases to explore links to family histories. Also, participants can learn how to find old census records, ship manifests, war records, wills and land records and how to document lineage using DAR forms.
The workshop will take place from 2 to 6 p.m. at Putnam Cottage at 243 E. Putnam Ave. Light refreshments will be served. To make an appointment, call 914-9670013 or email Joan Cresap at jmcesqny@aol.com.