Hellos and goodbyes in Greenwich
Town mourns loss, while toy legacy opens new chapter
Out there… Funky Monkey Toys & Books will officially celebrate the grand opening of its new location at 86 Greenwich Ave. with a ribboncutting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 26. There will be special guest appearances by Elsa from “Frozen,” Spiderman and a very Funky Monkey. This is the second location for toy store owner Jared Greenman. He’s a fourthgeneration toy store owner — his father, Stan Greenman, was the creator and founder of the popular Noodle Kidoodle stores. The grand opening will feature special activities, including photo opportunities with the superheroes, kids tattoos, music and kids karaoke as well as monkey cake pops, chocolatedipped Oreos and pretzels, cookies and Rice Krispie treats. For more info, go to www.funkymonkey.toys.
Scene… Greenwich resident and former NBA star Allan Houston was seen dining at MIKU Sushi Bar & Restaurant on Greenwich Avenue Thursday afternoon.
Out there… Hope for Orphans of Ethiopia Ministries will hold its fifth annual fundraising banquet on Friday, Nov. 1, at the Norwalk Inn. The event will feature keynote speaker and orphan “angel” Hanna Teshome. For more info, visit www.hoeministries.org.
Scene… The Smile Greenwich 2019 event to benefit the international children’s charity Operation Smile takes place Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Belle Haven Club. The event is hosted by
Greenwich resident and Smile Greenwich founder Lisa Lori and cochaired by CNN’s Alisyn Camerota, Trisha Dalton and Dr. Stacy Zarakiotis. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the event will feature a performance by Grammynominated artist and Broadway star Deborah Cox. Through the efforts of Smile Greenwich, more than $2.8 million has been raised to provide lifechanging surgery to children born with cleft conditions. For more info and tickets, visit www. operationsmile.org/smile greenwich, or contact Alexandra Bitoni at alexandra.bitonti@operationsmile.org or 7576441991.
Out there… The 14th annual Walk/Run For Abilis takes place Sunday, Oct. 20, at Greenwich Point. Choreographer and fitness celebrity Billy Blanks Jr., owner of Dance It Out, will serve as master of ceremonies and lead the walk with the Abilis Ambassador Rebecca Yorkmark. The family friendly event will feature children’s activities, a 1mile wheelchair and strolleraccessible walk, and a 5K run. The registration fee for the run is $40 for adults and $20 for children ages 11 to 17.
The walk is free, but a donation to Abilis is appreciated. Register for both the walk and the run at abilis.us/walkrun. For more info go to www.abilis.us.
Out there… Grammywinner Tony Bennett will perform Tuesday, Oct. 22, at The Palace Theatre in Stamford. For tickets ($82 to $247) and more info, go to www.palacestamford.org or call 2033254466.
And condolences to the family of Greenwich’s own Pasquale “Pat” Spezzano, the son of Loretta and Michael Spezzano, who passed away suddenly last week. He leaves a a legacy of accomplishments in the fashion industry, Broadway and the media, as well as his outpouring of love and friendship to all who came in contact with him. He will be missed and never forgotten.
And that’s all for now. Later …
Got a tip? Seen a celebrity? Email Susie Costaregni at thedish2@yahoo.com.