NEIGHBORHOODS
What’s going on in your part of Greenwich
Central Greenwich
On Veterans Day, the Putnam Hill Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Greenwich gathered to celebrate patriots who have fought for the United States.
To mark the day, the group presented a community service award to Greenwich residents Joe and Barbara Havranek, donated gift cards to a veterans’ organization called Homes for the Brave and placed American flags on the graves of veterans at Christ Church Cemetery.
The Havraneks are both Vietnam-era veterans who often give back to the community: They volunteer at soup kitchens during the COVID-19 pandemic and are a driving force in placing American flags every year on the David N. Theis Memorial Bridge in Cos Cob.
Joe Havranek is a former member of the Greenwich Police Department and was in the Air Force’s Air Police, which is where he met Barbara Havranek, who was also serving in the Air Force. Their desire to service didn’t end after they left the Air Force, though. It has only continued in their time in Greenwich.
Both are active volunteers at St. Mary’s Church in Greenwich, and they have also worked together at Neighbor to Neighbor in town and Covenant House in Stamford.
The couple has been married for 53 years.
Downtown
The new term of the Representative Town Meeting will begin Jan. 18, and there are still two vacancies to fill on the 230-member legislative body.
There is one opening each in District 1, which covers Greenwich’s downtown, and District 9, which covers Glenville.
If there is more than one candidate steps forward, the caucus will vote on who will get the spot at the January district meetings.
Residents looking to serve in District 1 should send email to Chair Frederick Lee at fredericklee.rtm@gmail.com. To serve in District 9, residents should contact Chair Betsey Frumin at betsey@nacca.com.
To serve on the RTM, a resident must live in the district they plan to represent and must be a registered voter in town. Since the RTM is a nonpartisan body, a member’s party affiliation does not matter.
The RTM term will run until January 2024.
At the Jan. 18 meeting, all of the members will be sworn in for the new term. There will also be elections for a new moderator and moderator pro tempore.
Current Moderator Tom Byrne is not seeking a new term in the leadership role, although he will continue to serve on the RTM. Current Moderator Pro Tempore Alexis Voulgaris has said she will seek the top position.
Other nominations can be heard at that night’s meeting.
There is one more meeting left in the current RTM term, which is scheduled for Dec. 13.
Old Greenwich
As a treat for the holiday season, the First Congregational Church in Old Greenwich will present its 55th annual performance of the Christmas part of Handel’s “Messiah.”
The church’s Festival Chorus will be accompanied by the First Church Chamber Orchestra, featuring professional soloists soprano Gileann Tan, mezzo-soprano Sarah Bleasdale, tenor Daniel Young, and bass Brian Mummert.
The performance will take place at 4 p.m. Dec. 11 at the church at 108 Sound Beach Ave. The general public is welcome. Admission is free, but there is a suggested $20 donation.
“Everyone who has some choral experience is welcome to join this special Festival Chorus,” said Craig Scott Symons, the church’s minister of music who will be conducting the performance. “We want everyone who loves to sing to experience the joy of performing this great holiday piece with a chamber orchestra and a group of very talented chorus members.”
There will be a opportunities to rehearse. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 6, the singers will be joining the Festival Chorus in rehearsal and there will be a dress rehearsal with the orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8.
There is a refundable score deposit of $20. Singers are required to use a score provided by the church.
Masks are also required. For Saturday’s performance, seating will be firstcome, first-served. The church’s meetinghouse will open at 3:30 p.m. There will also be a livestream of the performance on the church’s YouTube channel.
Central Greenwich
Registration has begun for the Junior League of Greenwich’s PositivelyMe! program for girls in third grade.
In the program, all of the participants will get to know each other over two days through icebreakers and participate in fun activities such as meditation, drawing, crafts and more.
The program is designed to help the girls “develop the skills to be confident, to make good decisions, to be assertive, and to express themselves, all while meeting new friends and having lots of fun,” the Junior League said in a statement.
The sessions will take place on Jan. 21 and Jan. 22, Feb. 25 and Feb. 26 and March 25 and March 26, which are all Fridays and Saturdays. The sessions will run from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. It will be held at the Junior League of Greenwich’s headquarters at 231 E. Putnam Ave.
“PositivelyMe! is a beloved program at the Junior League of Greenwich,” President Karen Richard said. “We have served third grade girls in our town with this uplifting, inspiring, self-esteem building program for the past 15 years.”
It is one of the Junior League’s most popular programs, she said, and it fills up quickly.
“Part of the beauty of PositivelyMe! is that it makes a strong positive impact, not only on our young participants but also on our JLG volunteers alike,” Richard said. “Last year, we successfully transitioned the program to a virtual format, which was well-received. But we are thrilled to once again offer all sessions inperson at our headquarters this winter, with important safety protocols in place.”
The program is free. Participants will be required to show proof of full COVID vaccination or a negative PCR test within 72 hours of the Friday night session. Registrations will be confirmed by email in mid-January. To register, visit www.jlgreenwich.org/positively-me. For questions, contact positivelymejlg@gmail.com.