Ridgefield HS class of 1957’s 65th reunion, more news

A class on “Advanced Excel for Windows” will be held on July 26 and July 28 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Attendees will learn about Excel pivot tables and charts, V Lookup, database features, statements and scenarios. Priced at $80 per person, attendees can join the class in person or over Zoom.

For $40 per person, a class on “Windows 10 Basics and Your Laptop or PC” will be held on July 28 from 1 to 3 p.m. over Zoom. This class will answer a variety of questions about the Windows 10 computer; attendees are invited to bring their laptop or desktop PC to learn basic computer skills, such as personalizing their computer through its array of settings, how to speak to Windows 10 using the Cortana voice assistant and how to shop for apps on the Windows Store.

Advance registration is required with a discount for Ridgefield seniors ages 62 and older. For prerequisites or to register, visit www.ridgefieldschools.org or call Peggy Bruno at 203-431-2812. Tutorials as well as Windows, PowerPoint, Word, Publisher, Cyber Security, eBay, Google Docs, iPhone and iPad are also available.

Ridgefield Continuing Education will also be offering instructor-facilitated online courses with ed2go. Among the classes available, ed2go offers courses on business, computer, writing, grant writing, languages, health and online test prep, including C++, Network+, Accounting, QuickBooks, GED, GMAT, SAT, GRE, LSAT, and other certification prep classes. All courses run for six weeks and range between $99 to $120 per person. A new session of each course begins each month, and the next sessions start Aug. 17. Class participants are free to choose the self-paced learning option.

To register, visit www.ridgefieldschools.org and click “ed2go online courses” or call Peggy Bruno at 203-431-2812.

Pete Wikul Band at Ridgefield Theater Barn

The Ridgefield Theater Barn (37 Halpin Lane) will be getting jazzy toward the end of the month with the return of the Pete Wikul Band on July 30 at 8pm.

At the concert, audiences can expect an eclectic mix of jazz, bossa nova, rock, blues, and R&B. The band’s quintet will feature Russ Nolan on tenor sax, Max Darché on trumpet, Brian Glassman on upright bass, and Rob Aries on the keyboard, with Pete Wikul leading the band from his seat at the drums.

As with most Barn shows, the seating is cabaret-style, and patrons are encouraged to bring food and drink to enjoy before the show. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $30 per person and masks are optional for vaccinated patrons. Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made at www.ridgefieldtheaterbarn.org.

Charles Ives Music Festival concerts

Local residents are invited to mark their calendars for the six live concerts that will be presented in Ridgefield from Aug. 1 to Aug. 14 as part of this year’s Charles Ives Music Festival. This annual event explores the history and legacy of Danbury native and American composer Charles Ives through a series of concerts and education events.

The concert series will begin with “Pulse” on Aug. 1 at 6:30 p.m. at the Keeler Tavern Garden House (152 Main St), and will explore the use of folk music in concert music as well as folk-influenced, rhythm-oriented works throughout the last century of American concert music.

The series will continue on Aug. 3 at a private Ridgefield home with “Dedication.” This concert will feature works with a significant personal influence or dedication as well as performances by Artist-Faculty members concert pianist Anna Petrova, cellist Francesca McNeeley and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra violinists Julia Choi and Jeremias Sergiani-Velazquez.

On Aug. 5, the First Congregational Church (103 Main St) will host “An Evening of Chamber Music” at 7 p.m., which will feature musicians participating in the festival’s Chamber Music Intensive program performing alongside the festival’s Artist Faculty.

Attendees are invited to enjoy the free outdoor concert and community expo “Simple Gifts” on Aug. 7. The expo will run from 12 to 2 p.m. and the concert will follow from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Ridgefield Playhouse Tent (8 E Ridge Road). On Aug. 10 at 7 p.m., the First Congregational Church will host “The Unanswered Question,” featuring performances by the festival’s Artist Faculty.

This year’s concert series will conclude with “New Works and New Worlds” on Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Richardson Auditorium at Ridgefield High School (700 North Salem Road). WCYO Music Director & CIMF Orchestra Director Eric Mahl will lead the festival orchestra in works by Brahms, Dvorak, Bizet and Aaron J. Kernis. The concert will also include compositions by festival youth composers performed by Artist Faculty members.

A complete schedule can be found at www.charlesivesmusicfestival.org/concerts. Information about the festival’s Artist Faculty can be found at www.charlesivesmusicfestival.org/artist-faculty.

Seven Ridgefield residents to run in race

On Aug. 6 and 7, more than 6,000 riders – including 158 riders from Connecticut – will pedal in the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC), a bike-a-thon with one and two-day routes from 25 to 210 miles, with the goal of topping last year’s record-breaking gift and raising $66 million for cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Dana-Farber).

PMC 2022 will include 16 routes – from 25 to 210 miles – designed to cater to all levels of cycling and fundraising ability. Most participate in honor of a family member or friend fighting cancer and more than 800 riders and volunteers are cancer survivors or current patients, considered Living Proof® of the PMC mission.

Among this year’s partcipating riders are Ridgefield residents Mitchell Ancona, Julie Fruchtman, Alex Leritz, Kate Lieder, Nick Lieder, Tizzie Mantione and Thomas Mantione.

To make a financial contribution to a rider to register as a rider, visit www.pmc.org, or call 800-WE-CYCLE.

Ridgefield Class of ‘57 celebrates 65th reunion

The Ridgefield High School Class of 1957 recently celebrated its 65th reunion on July 9 at Chuck’s Steakhouse in Danbury. Attending classmates included Jim Mullen, Fred Bonsignore, Bill Greene, Booker Jackson, Fred Izzo, Bob Dingee, Marilyn Besse, Joan Carboni, Johanna Walker, Frances Pierpaoli and Ernest Conti. Trivia from 1955 was shared and a moment of silence was held for deceased members. Another reunion was planned for 2027.

‘A Garden of Verse’ continues on July 25

Poetry lovers are invited to enjoy the third of five free poetry readings as “A Garden of Verse” welcomes poets Joan Kwon Glass and Jordan Franklin to the historic walled gardens of the Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center (152 Main St in Ridgefield) on July 25.

Garden grounds open at 6:30 p.m. and the reading will take place at 7:00. Guests should bring a lawn chair or blanket. In the event of rain, the reading will move inside the Museum’s Garden House. There will be parking on site.

Lifetime Achievement ceremony at Ridgefield Station Senior Living

Residents of Ridgefield Station Senior Living recently gathered in celebration of the Lifetime Achievements of Sandy Tucker.

Senior Living Residences created the Lifetime Achievement Award Program in 2010 to offer an antidote to the isolation and anonymity experienced by individuals with memory loss. Throughout the last decade, thousands of seniors living in an SLR community have received this special award of personal recognition.

Tucker was recognized for being an amazing part of the community, for never going a day without laughing and for sharing great stories about her life as a teacher and all of the places she has traveled around the world. Sandy’s daughters, Alyssa Flynn and Samantha Samaras, were able to attend the celebration, along with their children and other family members. Also on hand was fellow resident and Sandy’s good friend Mary Super, who was herself a recent Lifetime Achievement recipient at Ridgefield Station.

John Queenan named New Ridgefield Brokerage Manager

William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty recently announced that John Queenan will assume the role of brokerage manager for the firm’s Ridgefield brokerage. Queenan brings to the position vast knowledge and understanding of the real estate market in the region, as well as exceptional attention to detail and knowledgeable analysis of property values and market trends.

Queenan’s wide-ranging experience as a former business owner, property investor, real estate appraiser, marketing consultant and corporate sales trainer have all played a role in his successful real estate career. Queenan began working in the Connecticut real estate market in 2006, representing buyers and sellers as an agent with Nicholas H. Fingelly Real Estate in Southport and Westport. When the firm was acquired by William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty in 2015, Queenan came on board and has remained a top asset with the company. He has been named a Connecticut Five Star Real Estate Agent each year for more than 10 years.

Queenan said he is excited to bring his skills to this role to help enhance the Ridgefield brokerage. Having worked for years in Scout leadership with two sons who are Eagle Scouts and a third close to obtaining the honor, Queenan plans to draw on the Scouts’ philosophy of servant leadership in his role as a manager.

Ridgefield Playhouse receives CT Humanities grant

This week, CT Humanities announced the awarding of significant grants to cultural nonprofits across the state, including four grants awarded to nonprofits in Ridgefield and Westport. State Sen. Will Haskell cheered the grants, which will support several meaningful programs to advance arts, culture and education for local residents.

Among the local nonprofits to receive grants, The Ridgefield Playhouse (80 E Ridge Road) received a $4,999 grant for an independent filmmaker forum as part of the Best of RIFF Shorts Fest “Are the Kids All Right? – Raising Resilient Children In Cinema.”

Nominated for Best Lingerie Boutique

Pamela Fitzpatrick, owner of the Candlelight Shoppe of Lingerie (416 Main St. in Ridgefield), has been nominated for Best Lingerie Boutique in North America.

This recognition is a nomination direct from the industry and Fitzpatrick will be recognized at the Awards Ceremony on July 31 in Tribeca.