NEIGHBORHOODS
What’s going on in your part of Greenwich
Cos Cob
The Grandiflora Garden Tour will return this month, an annual fundraising event for the Greenwich Botanical Center, a Cos Cob-based nonprofit.
The tour will cover properties in Greenwich as well as neighboring towns and will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 10 and June 11.
Visitors will get up-close views of many private gardens in the region that are described as “spectacular.” The GBC said the tour will provide “inspiring views” that cannot usually be seen by the public.
“Generous homeowners open their world-class properties to the public, offering a rare opportunity to enjoy these hidden gem landFor
scapes,” GBC Executive Director Phoebe Lindsay said. “The Grandiflora Garden Tour has been a highlight on the Greenwich Botanical Center’s event calendar since 1958 and is a key fundraiser for the nonprofit.”
The private gardens will include a pollinatorfriendly garden, a wetland garden with native trees and wetland friendly perennials and what is called a garden for wildlife. Some of the gardens date to the early 1900s.
Those taking part can visit each garden once on a self-guided tour on either June 10 or June 11. The tickets will include information on the location of the gardens. Tickets must be picked up at the GBC at 130 Bible St. in Cos Cob.
more information about the tours and of an online auction to benefit GBC, visit www.greenwichbotanicalcent er .org/grandiflora-garden -tour/
Old Greenwich
After a successful first year, the Old Greenwich Festival is returning to Binney Park on June 11.
Organizer Liz Tommasino said the event celebrates the upcoming end of the school year, supports Old Greenwich’s small businesses and nonprofits and welcomes the start of summer. Tommasino promised “tons of fun” at the event, which is produced by It’s All In The Details LLC.
The festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 11, with food trucks from DCW, Flavor Bomb and Dominick the Singing Ice Cream Man parked at Wesskum Wood Road. A marketplace will feature local vendors selling jewelry, accessories, clothing, home goods, candles, honey and more.
A “Kids Korner” will be set up with bounce houses, a bungee run, two obstacle sources and a “gaga pit.” There will also be face painting, a balloon artist and some “clowning around.”
There will also be youth performances from Greenwich A Cappella and the Greenwich Performing Arts Studio.
Visitors are reminded that construction continues on a bridge replacement project on Sound Beach Avenue, with traffic detours set up near the park and the Perrot Memorial Library. Tommasino recommended entering the park at Wesskum Wood Road and Sound
Beach Avenue, where check-in and an event map will be stationed.
Tommasino encouraged anyone living nearby to walk or bike to the event.
Parking will be available at the Old Greenwich Train Station, the Living Hope Community Church at 38 West End Ave. and St. S
aviour’s Episcopal Church at 350 Sound Beach Ave. No parking will be allowed at the First Congregational Church; anyone parking there will be towed.
Tickets are $10 per person, and free for kids under the age of 1. They can be purchased online at https:// ogf22tickets.event brite
.com or at the entrance on the day of the event. The rain date is June 12.
Central Greenwich
The Putnam Hill chapter for the Daughters of the American Revolution recently honored its American History Essay contest winners with a ceremony at Knapp’s Tavern.
This year’s contest centered around the theme of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Students from fifth to eighth grade were invited to mark the 100th anniversary of the monument’s dedication, which is located at Arlington National Cemetery and honors American service men and women whose remains have not been identified.
The contest asked students to imagine they had a brother who died on the battlefields of France during World War I. They were asked to then imagine they were attending the Nov. 21, 1921, dedication of the tomb in Arlington and to share the thoughts they would express while there.
Additionally, students in grades nine through 12 were asked to select a figure from the American Revolution era and describe how they influenced the nation’s founding.
At the Putnam Hill chapter’s awards ceremony, the winners read their essays in front of family members and school administrators. There was a special honor for Izize Nassa, who won first place in the Connecticut state level contest and went on to compete in the DAR’s New England Division.
The winners of the local contest are Ellia Kutai, Elsa Wang. Summit Mock, Ella Starpoli, Taylor DeVries, Tatum Wunderlich, Manual Saelens, Izzie Nassa, Peter Passaro, Olivia DeVries, Lakshmi Neelavilli, Jacqueline Mulle and Lindsey Mulle.
The tavern, which is also known as Putnam Cottage, dates to the 1720s.
The Putnam Hill DAR Chapter welcomes prospective new members to inquire about determining whether their family’s lineage can be traced back to an American patriot. For information on the membership drive, visit www.putnamilldar.org.