What’s going on in your part of Greenwich
Downtown
The contributions of one of the town’s leading figures will be honored when the John Margenot Atrium at the town’s Public
Safety Complex is formally dedicated Sept. 8.
Margenot served as first selectman for 10 years and still gives back to Greenwich at the age of 90 as a member of the town’s Board of Ethics. In addition to his five terms as first selectman, a record broken by six-term First Selectman Peter Tesei, Margenot also was a selectman for four years and served on the town’s Board of Estimate and Taxation and the Representative Town Meeting.
“His early years were lived downtown, and ... during wartime he was a spotter who would climb the steps up to the old Town Hall,” Tesei said Thursday.
Greenwich Time has provided photographs and information from Margenot’s time in office from 1981 to 1995 that will be part of the dedication ceremony.
“This is truly special and priceless material to see the interactions he had and how that has come forward to today, 30plus years after he was in office,” Tesei said.
The dedication, first announced in November, is an honor, Margenot said.
“It really is something special for me,” he said when the announcement was first made. “It’s one more example of why this town is so great. There are people here that care and work hard.”
At the time of the announcement, Tesei praised Margenot as “a son of Greenwich.”
“He is a kind man, a gentle man and one that exhibits the attributes we wish were more in abundance today in our political life,” Tesei said.
The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Sept. 8. The public is invited to attend.
Glenville
The 17th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks will be marked with a ceremony outside the firehouse in Glenville.
The annual event, put together by the Glenville Volunteer Fire Department, will take place from 7:30 to 8 p.m. Sept. 11 at 266 Glenville Road. The ceremony will include a presentation of the colors by the Greenwich Police Department honor guard, and a wreath will be placed at the memorial outside the firehouse.
The memorial is made from a piece of steel from the World Trade Center that was salvaged from the wreckage after the attacks. It was formally dedicated as a memorial in Greenwich in 2014 and is on display outside the firehouse to remember all of those who were killed in the attacks and the first responders who bravely rushed to the scene to help.
A total of 33 people with ties to the Greenwich community were lost in the terror attacks.
A ceremony will be held as well at the town’s Sept. 11 memorial in Cos Cob Park, but the time has been announced yet. The September 11 Memorial Foundation has held an annual ceremony at the memorial ever since it was dedicated in 2015. That ceremony has traditionally been attended by families of the local victims; town and state government officials; and first responders from Greenwich.
Backcountry
Ready for some polo? Starting today, the Greenwich Polo Club will present the 2018 East Coast Open in partnership with Audi of America.
The high goal polo tournament, which runs on Sundays through Sept. 9, is considered one of the most prestigious polo tournaments in the country. The 20-goal tournament will feature top players and top teams — all looking to score first and most.
“This is our 14th year hosting the East Coast Open, and it just keeps getting bigger and better every year,” town resident Peter Brant, founder of the Greenwich Polo Club, said in a statement. “The tournament showcases the top level of polo. It has grown in popularity thanks to the support of team owners, our sponsors and fans.”
Games will be played on three consecutive Sundays, bringing in an expected crowd of 11,000 spectators to the club in backcountry Greenwich. Those who can’t make it can watch online courtesy of the United States Polo Association at www.uspolo.org/video and on the USPA’s Facebook page, Twitter and YouTube pages.
More information, including about ticket sales, is online at www.uspolo.org.
“The USPA is excited to once again host the prestigious 2018 East Coast Open along with the celebrated Greenwich Polo Club,” USPA CEO Robert Puetz said. “The strength of Greenwich as a USPA member club ... is reflected in the quality of polo played at the club, and in the number of players, spectators and fans they attract each year.”
Old Greenwich
On Labor Day weekend, a zoologist from Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo will bring a program about saving animals from extinction to the Seaside Center at Greenwich Point. And he will bring along a few animals, too.
The program, which will run from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 2 with family activities about animals, is part of the Fred Elser First Sunday Science Series presented by the Bruce Museum.
At 2 and 2:35 p.m., Jim Knox, who is the curator of education at the zoo, will explore the international state of biodiversity and profile the zoo’s work with Species Survival Plans. His presentation is called “Saving Animals From Extinction: Tales of Species Recovery in Connecticut and Beyond.”
“Knox’s message of hope will be underscored by appearances by some of the zoo’s live animal ambassadors,” said a statement from the museum. Knox will invite guests of all ages to “learn how you can help protect our planet’s most imperiled and majestic creatures” and explain what concerned local citizens can do to become involved in recovery efforts.
Knox has appeared as a wildlife expert on the “Today” show, “The CBS Early Show” and Fox News, among others.
The event is free and open to the public. Beach passes are not required — guests can tell the front gate attendants they are going to the event.