The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Farewell parade set for Madison’s ‘power couple’
‘We can’t have this amazing couple leave without acknowledging them’
MADISON — If there was a big event in town, you’d probably see Tom and Eileen Banisch there.
At the town’s Fourth of July celebration, Rotary Carnival, Turkey Trot, Vista Starlight Benefit and the Madison Chamber’s Antiques Show. Or maybe you saw them in sneakers doing their daily fitness walk through downtown.
Once called Madison’s “power couple,” Tom Banisch, a former first selectman, and his wife, Eileen Banisch, Madison Chamber of Commerce executive director, are packing up and moving south.
Friends, colleagues and members of the community are getting together to throw them a parade.
Since moving to town more than three decades ago, the couple has immersed themselves in the local scene, volunteering, working and enjoying all Madison has to offer.
Married 13 years, they know just about everybody in town between the two of them — that is, anyone who’s served on local boards and commissions or civic organizations, or volunteered or participated in town events or has a local business. That’s just to start with.
Now, they are packing up their handsome, historic home on Route 1, filled with more than 13 years of memories and moving South Carolina.
“I’m excited,” Eileen Banisch said. “I’m looking forward to warmer weather and no snow.”
With the impending move, friends of the couple have rallied to put together a thank-you celebration.
“As I ran into people or heard from people, I think everybody was thinking the same thing: ‘We can’t have this amazing couple leave without acknowledging them,’” said Noreen Kokoruda, a former state representative and longtime selectman.
A celebration of the couple’s commitment to Madison includes thank-you posters in all the local stores, teal-colored lawn signs made to match the Banisches’ distinctive front door, and a townwide parade at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 21 at the Surf Club.
The parade will include firetrucks, local civic groups and citizens. The procession will make its way to the Banisch home on Boston Post Road, where the couple will be sitting on their front lawn, facing Route 1.
“It’s open to everyone who just wants to come by and thank a couple that have really stood out for what they’ve done for Madison,” said Kokoruda.
Kokoruda said everyone will be “socially distanced and playing by the rules, because we have to and need to.”