NEIGHBORHOODS
What’s going on in your part of Greenwich
Old Greenwich
The volunteers in the community who are committed to the continued beautification and maintenance of Binney Park are already turning their attention toward next spring.
Volunteers will gather from 9:30 a.m. to noon Oct. 16 at the Hillside Annex in Binney Park’s north end by the turtle bridge to plant daffodil bulbs.
The goal is to plant 600 bulbs, which will sprout and bloom in the spring.
This is the 10th year for the daffodil volunteers. The effort is part of the ongoing “Help Binney Be Better” initiative.
“We do this because Binney Park is a special place, and we want to make it look beautiful,” said Peter Uhry, a founding member of the Friends of Binney Park. “This all part of improving the town.”
Residents of all ages are encouraged to take part. Volunteers should bring water, a shovel and gloves. Additionally, wear old clothes that can get dirty.
The group skipped the daffodil-planting event last year because of COVID. But in the past, 15 to 20 volunteers have shown up. The group hopes to get even more this year to help with the 600 bulbs.
The first bulbs will start to bloom in early March, and then come to life in phases for six weeks going into April, Uhry said.
Volunteers are expected from the Old Greenwich area along with residents who work with Greenwich Green & Clean. That group has taken part in beautification projects all over town, including planting bulbs last November along the Post Road in Cos Cob.
Uhry also noted the contributions of the Garden Club of Old Greenwich, which he said has been “very helpful over the years.”
Cos Cob
At a benefit this month, the Greenwich Botanical Center will honor town residents Kim and John Conte while raising funds for its efforts in the community.
The nonprofit volunteer organization promotes horticulture, conservation and the arts through educational programs, special events and other outreach efforts. The benefit will support those efforts to “connect the community to nature.”
All of the funds raised will go toward its mission, the nonprofit said. It will also be a night to honor the Contes, longtime supporters of that mission. The two founded Conte & Conte, a landscape architect and civil engineering firm in town. John Conte is also president of the Round Hill Association in backcountry Greenwich and is on the town’s Architectural Review Committee.
“We are big fans of the GBC and the programs that it provides for our community because our interests are closely aligned with their core mission to better the environment through education. We sincerely thank the GBC, its board, its staff and all of the members that make this place so special,” Kim and John Conte said in a statement.
The benefit will take place from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 14 at the Greenwich Botanical Center at 130 Bible St. in Cos Cob. For tickets, sponsorship opportunities and more information, visit www.greenwichbotanicalcenter.org.
Proof of full COVID vaccination will be required upon entry.
Downtown
The National Executive Service Corps will honor Greenwich residents Margaret Esme Simon and David Weisbrod at a dinner Oct. 19 at the Indian Harbor Yacht Club in downtown Greenwich.
The event is co-chaired by Greenwich residents Sue and Michael Bodson. Jane Condon of Greenwich will perform stand-up comedy as emcee, and there will be a musical performance by the Yale Alley Cats.
Stephen Heintz, president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, will be the featured speaker.
An architect, Simon has designed commercial and real estate projects in Fairfield County, New York City and Milan, Italy. Her works as an artist have been exhibited in Fairfield County, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Athens, Greece.
A former president of the board for YWCA Greenwich, she also has been a board member of the Greenwich Arts Council and co-chair of the art division for the Greenwich branch of the National League of American Pen Women.
Weisbrod is a member of Greenwich’s Board of Estimate and Taxation. He worked for 40 years at JP Morgan Chase, serving as vice chair of risk management and the chief risk officer for treasury and security services. He also served on committees of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and as U.S. country head for the London Stock Exchange Group and CEO of LCH Clearnet.
“Peggy and David each have had a meaningful impact on the Greenwich community, through Peggy’s outstanding work in the arts arena and as a result of David’s leadership to the town’s operations as BET member,” said Marv Berenblum, vice chair of NESC.
The NESC was founded in 1977 by Frank Pace, Jr., a Greenwich resident, and David Rockefeller with a mission of providing “affordable highquality business consulting services to nonprofit organizations, schools and government agencies.”
Tickets are available by emailing Sharon Reis at sreis@nesc.org or calling 212-269-1234. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required to attend, and masks are welcome.
Central Greenwich
Members of the Putnam Hill Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution recently took part in the 128th Connecticut State Meeting in Rocky Hill.
The meeting included lunch and dinner at the Sheraton Hartford South Hotel as well as workshops on historic preservation, education and patriotism.
The members of the Putnam Hill Chapter that attended as delegates were Karen Neilinger, the chapter’s regent; Joan Cresap, registrar; Caryn Frick, treasurer; Danielle Ojjeh, the C.A.R.; Suzanne Branch, who is in charge of special events; and Kathleen Hoffer, who handles public relations.
The chapter continues to seek new members and is open to all women, 18 and older, who have a direct line to a someone who served the burgeoning United States in the American Revolution. Residents might not know that their roots go back to the country’s patriots, so the DAR has genealogists available for anyone who is seeking help with their prospective membership.
To learn more about membership and the chapter’s work in town, email Karen Neilinger at PutnamHillDAR@gmail.com or visit www.PutnamHillDAR.org.