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HERSAM ACORN NEWSPAPERS HERSAM ACORN NEWSPAPERS
The Summer Theater of New Canaan is celebrating its 11th
season of theater al fresco, as it were, as all its productions are
performed in its open-air tent theater, located in New Canaans
Waveny Park, adjacent to Dunning Field at New Canaan High
School all less than a mile from the Merritt Parkways Exit
37.
Were thrilled to present our 11th summer season,
STONCs artistic director, Melody Libonati, said. This year we
are continuing our tradition of providing professional Broadway
hit theater productions and great kids theater in addition to
offering an established voice and platform for new original
musicals and stage productions.
Entertainment for everybody
The heat and humidity of summer can mean bad hair days
for many, but STONCs production of Hairspray is certain to
fix your do!
The winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical,
Hairspray has delighted audiences of all ages since it opened
on Broadway in 2002. Set in 1962 Baltimore, it tells the story
of a lovable plus-sized teen, Tracy Turnblad, whose only desire
is to dance on the popular Corny Collins TV show. When her
dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from social outcast to
sudden star. She must use her newfound power to dethrone
the reigning teen queen, win the affections of heartthrob Link
Larkin, and integrate a TV network all without denting her do.
The show runs until Aug. 3 every Thursday, Friday and
Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 4. Every Thursday in July is
Girls Night Out. Get your hair done, grab your girlfriends and
head under the tent for fun and prizes.
Summer Theatres family shows include the world premier of
off-Broadway-bound Merrilee Mannerly A Magnificent New
Musical, which plays Saturdays and Sundays through July 19
with a special performance on Friday, July 4, at 1. The rules of
summer may be more relaxed, but that doesnt mean good man-
ners go out the window. This fun and energetic new musical
reminds us Good manners are always in fashion!
On June 28, childrens favorite, The Little Mermaid pre-
miers and runs through Aug. 3. The Little Mermaid tells the
story of the beautiful young mermaid Ariel who longs to leave
her ocean home to live in the world above. But first, shell have
to defy her father, King Triton, make a deal with the evil sea
witch Ursula and convince Prince Eric that shes the girl with
the enchanting voice.
Adapted from Disneys 2008 hit Broadway production,
Disneys The Little Mermaid Jr., features the hit songs Part of
Your World, Shes in Love, and the Oscar-winning Under the
Sea, with performances Saturdays and Sundays. There will also
be a special show on Friday, July 4, at 11 a.m.
Charlottes Web takes the stage for performances from July
12 through Aug. 3, with a special weekday performance Friday,
Aug. 1.
Generations of children and parents have enjoyed the book
Charlottes Web, by E.B. White, which has been heralded by
the Childrens Literature Association as the best childrens
book of the past 200 years.
The play begins after a restless first night in the Zuckerman
family barn, where a wide-eyed young pig named Wilbur meets
a witty and resourceful spider named Charlotte. When Wilbur
learns through his fellow barnyard creatures of some unsettling
plans for his future, Charlotte takes it upon her spinnerets and
her trusty web to save him. This magical tale of what it means
to be a good writer and a good friend features the much-loved
characters created by White.
New series
In July, Summer Theatre of New Canaan premiers a new
series, Under the Stars New Artists Summer Theatre
Works featuring established Broadway and regional directors,
writers, composers and songwriters. Its an exciting opportu-
nity to showcase a rising singer/songwriter one week, present
a renowned Broadway directors new project the next, followed
by a new play about the adult life of Helen Keller the next, said
Ed Libonati, executive producer. It is a chance to experience
the work, the process and to talk with the artists making great
theater today.
Tickets for all shows are available online at stonc.org, by
calling the box office at 203-966-4634, Monday-Friday, 11 to
4, or by email at boxoffice@stonc.org. Tickets are also available
one-hour before each show at the tent theater box office. Stage-
side picnic tables are available for show or pre-show dining and
parties. Parking is free.
by Nancy Bemis
Summer Theatre Workshops
Each event begins at 8 p.m. and will include a special
post-show conversation with the featured artists.
Tuesday, July 1 Nick Depuy & Friends: an intimate
look at life through the eyes of a new songwriter and
his songs. Featuring fellow performers and the First
Presbyterian Church of New Canaan choir.
Wednesday, July 9 Money, the Musical: Broadway
composer and cabaret lifetime achievement recipient
David Friedman and two-time Tony nominee Peter Kellogg
offer their Broadway-bound musical take on the journey
and effect of money on us all. Featuring Broadway artists in
concert.
Wednesday, July 16 Route 66: The Connecticut
premier of a new musical about adventure, romance and
a trip down a highway we all wish we could take. See this
staged concert version and get a peek at a great new show
destined to touch hearts across our great country. By
Connecticut theater artists Jerold Goldstein and William
Squier, lyrics by William Squier and music by Fred Stark.
Wednesday, July 23 Guns, A Cabaret: Liz Swados,
the director of the hit Broadway show Runaways, collabo-
rated with NYU Tisch School Musical Theatre graduates
to present a dynamic poignant musical narrative on gun
issues. The piece is presented in a concert cabaret-style,
with the cast singing and accompanying for the evening.
Wednesday, July 30 Little Island of Joy: A staged
reading of a new and profound play by Christopher
Carlson, about Helen Keller, and the secret love of her life.
Performed by a cast of local professional theater artists.
The Summer Theatre of New Canaan
Theater al fresco
Molly Garbe, left (Merrilee Mannerly), and Sarah Mae Banning (Princess Posy), in the world premier of Merrilee
Mannerly A Magnificent New Musical.
Rebecca Spigelman (Tracy Turnblad) in The Summer Theatre of New Canaans production
of Hairspray, June 21-Aug. 3.




















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The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one
page. St. Augustine.
You got to be careful if you dont know where youre going,
because you might not get there. Yogi Berra
Recently, I have been planning a family trip for my husband
and two teenage sons, the oldest of whom will be heading off to
his first year of college in the fall. Sob. The trip will entail a visit to
two West Coast cities with a fair amount of driving in between. I
am hoping for a magical bonding experience, but somehow Chevy
Chase and his family in National Lampoons Vacation are the
images that keep cropping up in my head. I am by nature and for-
mer career, a planner, so I have been doing extensive research on
where to go, what to eat and how to get there and wondering if it
will be possible to please everybody or anybody. While the Internet
has been very helpful, I am at heart a book person and would much
rather do my research flipping through pages while earmarking and
highlighting.
Working in a bookstore, I get questioned fairly frequently on
which of the many guidebooks we carry is the best. Some of the
ones we carry are Lonely Planet, Fodor, Frommer, Rick Steves and
DK Eyewitness. And I always answer that it is a truly subjective
choice. Do you want a huge amount of information to lug around
or a thin book that will fit nicely into a purse or coat pocket? Are
pictures important? Do you want a fold-out map in your book
or in the individual pages? I often suggest that if a person is at all
familiar with a place in the books, he should read how that place is
described in each book and choose the book that fits his opinion of
that place the best.
Books to take you away
I love books on travel not only for help in planning trips, but for
the pure pleasure of inspiration for trips I may take or wish I could
take. In addition, I love the great travel writers who let me indulge
in my voyeuristic tendencies to accompany them on their adven-
tures while safely nestled in my own home.
One such book was Nina Sovichs To the Moon and Timbuktu.
Sovich is a reporter who begins to feel the chains of her domes-
tic life and decides to leave it all behind and travel throughout
West Africa. This is a beautiful memoir, which not only recounts
details of her travel with vivid descriptions of people and locales,
but the authors own personal growth. You will feel the heat of the
African sun and want to meet the lovely women in Nigeria that she
befriends.
John Waters of Hairspray fame has come out recently with
his own not surprisingly quirky travelogue, Carsick: John Waters
Hitchhikes Across America, which tells the tale of ... wait for it. ..
John Waters hitchhiking from Baltimore to San Francisco! Like his
movies, the book is not for everybody. In the beginning of the
book he spends a fair amount of time fantasizing about worst-case
scenarios of the types of people who might pick him up before the
trip even starts. Since I have been doing my own worst-case sce-
nario in planning my own trip, I understood where he was coming
from sort of. Happily for him the reality is much tamer than his
imagination and ultimately more interesting.
Another quirky book, 100 Places You Will Never Visit: The
Worlds Most Secret Locations, just came out this past April. True
to the title, there are places in this book that you will never visit
because some of them are: 1. Terrifying (Snake Island, one venom-
ous snake per square meter), 2. Illegal (Area 51), and 3. Sacred, (the
Vatican Archives.) From the Coca Cola deposit box to concentration
camps, to the mighty Fort Knox, author Dan Smith whets ones
interest with as much information as could be compiled from places
that the average Joe is unlikely ever to see, would probably never
want to see, or even knew existed.
But for those travelers interested in a more immersive experi-
ence, National Geographics Where the Locals Go is a great book
to go to. The title says it covers more than 300 places around the
world to eat, play, shop, celebrate and relax. There are beautiful
pictures as only National Geographic can take and brief descrip-
tions of happenings and places revealed from the perspective of the
people who actually live in the places.
Also in the category of terrific local knowledge for the epi-
curean traveler is Where Chefs Eat; A Guide to Chefs Favorite
Restaurants, by Joe Warwick. For anyone who has ever wondered
where a chef wants to eat at the end of his day or on his day off
this book provides the answer. This is a
worldwide compendium of places to eat
frequented by chefs with brief descrip-
tions, and maps.
A similar topic, but more in the culinary
writing category, is A Fork in the Road, Tales
of Food, Pleasure and Discovery on the Road,
published by Lonely Planet. These are enter-
taining stories told by food writers and chefs
of their greatest food experiences in places such
as eating cassoulet in the French countryside to a
grand wedding banquet in India.
Lonely Planet also has a helpful travel guide,
Lonely Planets Best in Travel 2014. As it sounds,
this book lists the top 10 regions to travel in 2014. It
is filled with truly gorgeous pictures and great ideas for
all sorts of getaways. It has the top choice locations for
specific adventures such as mountain biking or surfing
in addition to historical and cultural information for the
more cerebral traveler.
However, if you only have a weekend, one of my favorite books
is the New York Times 36 Hours series. Started as a column in
the New York Times in 2002 for travelers with only 36 hours to
spare, these books cover a little something for everyone in a variety
of locations worldwide.
And lastly, National Geographics Travel Editor-at-Large
Christopher Elliot has recently written How to Be the Worlds
Smartest Traveler. The book is divided into three main chapters
Before You Go, Getting There and On the Ground. From packing
advice to resolving travel disputes, he arms you with good things
to know before you go and when you are there. He says, The one
thread that runs through all the advice, and maybe this isnt the sex-
iest thing to say, is, Think about it before it can become a problem.
This then leads me back to my own trip and pre-travel night-
mares. Is it possible for two teenage boys to stop texting and enjoy
the view? Will all four of us fit into one small hotel room at this
stage in life? Will we be able to agree on any of the activities I have
so lovingly prebooked?
It may well be as Dave Barry said, Thats the wonderful thing
about family travel: It provides you with experiences that will
remain locked forever in the scar tissue of your mind. Or, with any
luck it will be as Seneca says, Travel and change of place impart
a new vigor to the mind, and I might add with hope, to a new
appreciation of the journey we are taking with each other.
Melissa Thorkilsen of New Canaan is the floor manager at Elm Street
Grill safety
Summertime, and the grilling is easy
by Fred Baker
New Canaan Fire Marshal
Now is the time for the greatest of sum-
mertime traditions grilling! (or, if you are
like me, it never stops). To insure everyone can
enjoy their back yard bistros unencumbered
by unfortunate mishaps, below is a list of steps
you can take to avoid being well done:
Make sure that your grill is serviced and
cleaned annually, following manufacturers
instructions for care and use.
Leak check all hoses and fittings on gas
grill with a dish detergent and water solution.
If any bubbling appears, have the grill ser-
viced by a certified technician.
Whenever changing propane tanks make
sure all connections are tight.
When transporting propane tanks for
refilling/exchange they must be secured
upright. An old milk crate works great to sta-
bilize tanks for transport. Never transport in
trunks.
Never leave a tank in the car while doing
other errands full tanks sometimes will start
to off-gas in the heat build-up inside of a
parked car.
Keep grills at least three feet away from
combustibles (i.e. your home!)
Always dispose of ashes from charcoal
grills in metal containers with a tight lid.
Never use gasoline or other flammable
liquids to start your charcoal only use
approved charcoal lighter fluid. Once the char-
coal is started never add lighter fluid.
Never use a grill gas or charcoal
indoors.
For more information, contact the fire mar-
shal in your town or city.
Travel by the book
Books to help get you from here... to there
by Melissa Thorkilsen
2 SummerScapes Hersam Acorn Newspapers June 26, 2014



Its been around in the U.S. since 1916, in the
Northeast since 1926 (when the first rooftop was used, in
New York City), and a big part of Connecticut summer fun
for generations. Myrtle Beach, S.C., may be considered the
mini golf capital of the world, but our state has plenty of
courses worthy of summer day-trip status.
Why did mini golf make the family summer bucket list
for Jamie Johnson, Virginia Tantral and their twin eight-
year-olds, who live in Stratford? Jamie, who is from Texas,
knows it as putt-putt and only recently discovered it
with her family. We like that it is a family game, though
for now as the kids are learning, were not even counting
score, she said. That keeps it more cooperative and fun
than competitive.
But she has found there are plenty of lessons to be
learned on the green. We discuss sportsmanship, the
physics of the ball navigating the course and putt-putt jar-
gon like hole in one and par, Jamie said. We reminisce
about our own childhoods playing and talk about the
course; we like the ones with moving parts like a windmill
or running water.
She calls it the perfect outing in that a game takes
about an hour and there are often food and other activities
on site. The kids love it so much theyre becoming expert
course spotters, she added.
While going pro might only be for the best of us (yes,
theres a United States ProMinigolf Association), the rest of
us can plan some tee-off play and other fun at the follow-
ing local putt stops.
Mini-Golf at Saybrook Point, 154 College St., Old
Saybrook; 860-388-2407; oldsaybrookrec.com; $5 per per-
son ($3 for kids on Mondays during the day). The slogan
Putt a round by the Sound, tells all about this courses
stunning location, which overlooks the water. It sustained
damage in Hurricane Sandy, but reopened in 2013 with
a new course that includes a number of local landmarks
and a clubhouse offering snacks and drinks. Or enjoy a
before- or after-course meal at Saybrook Point Inn & Spa
next door.
Sports Center of Connecticut, 784 River Road (Route
110), Shelton; 203-929-6500; sportscenterct.com; $8.50-
$10.50 (return your ball for $1 back). This nature-themed
course, featuring a waterfall and river, is open year round.
And theres much more on site: a weather-protected driving
Up to Par
Area Mini Golf
Locales Worth A Visit
by Melissa Ezarik
Woodsy places that make for a great nature walk or hike are
seemingly around every corner throughout our state. But adven-
ture-loving residents looking for a bit more mix in that trail can
find it on a treasure or scavenger hunt. Ranging from low-tech and
casual to high-tech and precise, these hunts can also be found all
over if one knows where to look.
The key to not missing a thing along the four-mile trail system
at 171-acre Webb Mountain Discovery Zone in Monroe, which
opened in 2007, is to pick up an interactive scavenger hunt game
on the way in. Designed to heighten childrens awareness and
observational powers (as well as promote exercise), the scavenger
hunt includes searches for frogs and salamanders in vernal pools,
charcoal bits and arrowheads in Colonial quarries, mammal tracks
in sandpits and signs of life in rotten logs.
Twenty-eight learning stations, covering rocks and minerals,
plants and wildlife, ecology, biology and Native American and
Colonial history, are included throughout the trails and define
many of the scavenger hunt items. There are benches, too, where
kids can take a quick break or have a seat to check off items on
their scorecards.
Stamp Marks the Spot: Letterboxing
For a more structured hunt, try letterboxing. Letterboxes are
small, weatherproof boxes that can be located by following specific
clues. Once theres a find, you open the box and stamp the log
book before hiding it again for the next adventurer. Those carry-
ing their own log books can also bring home a stamped memento.
According to Letterboxing.org, there are about 20,000 letterboxes
hidden in North America.
Nature centers are good places to find letterboxing. (sub)
At Ansonia Nature & Recreation Center, three boxes take about
an hour for a novice to find. A family starts near a slide and swing-
set, looks for a poison ivy marker and then begins the trail to the
left of that sign. When they reach a bridge and cross it, theyll find
another marker, near which they can search for the Mosquito let-
terbox, hidden at the base of a two-sister tree.
Earthplace -The Nature Discovery Center, in Westport, is a wild-
life sanctuary with two miles of trails. The Swamp Loop Trail is the
place to be, as it contains five letterboxes. The clues require not only
good direction following but also some thought. For example: Find
a watchful mother. From here turn to 300 degrees and proceed
to the green sign. Turn right and follow the trail. Look for a bench
overlooking the field. Behind this bench is an old sugar maple. This
tree was hit by lightning long ago, leaving a large cavity. Look inside
the tree under some pieces of bark.
Coordinates, please: Geocaching
Geocaching also involves cleverly hidden containers and log
books, but a geocaching app or GPS device as well. There are
more than two million geocaches to be found worldwide and six
million people who consider themselves geocachers, according to
Geocaching.com, run by the company Groundspeak. On the site,
one can enter a zip code to find nearby geocaches to try.
Angela Capinera, who has lived in Stratford for 11 years and
homeschools her children, ages 5 and 8, has been on half-day
geocaching trips with other families. In the past year, theyve made
about eight treks and found some geocaches to be very well hidden.
Her biggest recommendation: Head to Hamden. Lake
Wintergreen and Sleeping Giant State Park both offer beautiful scen-
ery, her family found.
My children like geocaching because they get to use maps and
get to explore different areas, and areas we know in different ways,
she said. Its cool to be looking under rocks, and great for learning
and science exploration.
Melissa Ezarik is a Stratford mom who has created more than one
on-the-fly scavenger hunt to make a visit to less interactive muse-
ums more fun. She is a journalist and editor of a national education
trade magazine.
More info on scavenger hunting
Ansonia Nature & Recreation Center: ansonianatu-
recenter.org; 10 Deerfield Lane, Ansonia; 203-736-1053
Earthplace-The Nature Discovery Center: earth-
place.org; 10 Woodside Lane, Westport; 203-557-4400
Geocaching-The Official Global GPS Cash Hunt
Site: geocaching.com
Letterboxing North America: letterboxing.org
(includes a kids-oriented introduction)
Webb Mountain Discovery Zone: webbmountain-
discoveryzone.com; East Village Road (off Route 111),
Monroe; 203-556-9737
Ready, set... scavenge! Monroes Webb Mountain Discovery Zone
includes 28 learning stations for young scavenger hunters.
On the hunt
Outdoor fun with an adventurous twist
by Melissa Ezarik
Mini Golf continued on page 4
June 26, 2014 SummerScapes Hersam Acorn Newspapers 3

THERES SO MUCH TO
EXPLORE AT CAMP!
Camp Mini Preschool Summer Camp
Ages 3-5
NEW CANAAN YMCA
With unique activities such as swim lessons and
Bouncing Bears, Camp Mini provides a special

and personal growth.
Learning to swim is crucial to
ensuring your family has a fun and
safe summer. With swim lessons
offered as a part of our program,
campers become stronger and safer in
the water just by attending camp!
Theres no need to add another separate
class to your busy summer schedule!
Theres no playtime like Bouncing
Bears playtime!
Camp Mini campers have a blast with
ball pits, moon bounce, slides, swings,
ropes, and so much more to discover in
our Bouncing Bears preschool gym.
Swim Lessons
Bouncing Bears
Plus music, arts & crafts, end-of-session family
sing-a-longs, Wacky Wednesday themes, weekly
special events, and more!
Learn more about all of our summer camp offerings (ages 3 - 13)
online at www.newcanaanymca.org/summer-camp
REGISTRATION IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE AT THE Y AND ONLINE

range, a jungle-themed Lazer Tag arena, Fun Bowl
Bowling (kid-sized alley), the Game Zone arcade,
batting cages, and a double-decker ice skating
arena. Join the frequent mini-golfer club for the
chance to earn free future rounds.
Norwalk Cove Marina Mini Golf, 48 Calf
Pasture Beach Road, East Norwalk; 203-838-2326;
norwalkcove.com; $6 per person. Waterfront
views are the main attraction at this course, which
offers obstacles, sand traps and extreme contours
that help make each hole fun. Plan a trip on a kids
summer concert day, or visit SoNo or Stepping
Stones Museum for Children after your game.
Putters Paradise Mini Golf at Berlin Batting
Cages, 1801 Berlin Turnpike, Berlin; 860-828-
7518; berlinbattingcages.com; $5.75 per person.
Novices and experts will both find a home here.
Theres the Fun Course with traditional windmill,
bucketwheels and wishing well, or the Challenge
Course featuring rock traps and breaks in the
green.
The Only Game in Town, 275 Valley Service
Road, North Haven; 203-239-4653; onlygamect.
com; $7-$10 per person. Options abound here,
with two different outdoor courses (one with
18, and the other 9, holes) and indoor Thriller
Mini Golf (featuring glow-in-the-dark effects and
music). go-carts, a driving range and the arcade
are other reasons to visit.
Sonnys Place, 349 Main St., (Route 190),
Somers; 860-763-5454; sonnysplace.com; $5-
$7.50 per person. Just a few years old, the course
winds around fountains, ponds, a river and a
cascading waterfall with a variety of tilts, ramps
and obstacles. Other activities include an arcade,
batting cages, go-carts, a driving range, a rock
climbing wall and the Monkey Motion trampoline/
bungee jumping attraction. Some nights feature
live music in the pavilion.
Farmington Miniature Golf & Ice Cream
Parlor, 1048 Farmington Ave. (Route 4),
Farmington; 860-677-0118; farmingtonminia-
turegolf.com; $6-$8 per person (weekday repeat
games cost $3). A peaceful setting with lots of
flowers, this course features a church, a windmill
and other building challenges. The ice cream
parlor has more than 40 flavors of hard scoop ice
cream.
Olde Sawmill Grill and Miniature Golf
Course, 345 Oxford Road (Route 67), Oxford;
203-888-3954; oldsawmillgolf.com; $5-$7 per
person. Open since 1996 and overlooking Little
River and a real golf course, this course has an
in the country feel and was designed and built
by the owner. A highlight (at hole 16) is a saw-
mill, which gives a nod to the sawmill history in
town. The restaurant, with both indoor and out-
door seating, offers a variety of food as well as ice
cream.
Monster Mini Golf; 14 Starr Road, Danbury;
203-744-GOLF; monsterminigolf.com; $8-$9
per person. Second location opening late this
summer or in the fall in Orange. This indoor
monster-themed glow-in-the-dark course features
music to accompany play. Download the app from
iTunes and theres no need to keep score the old
fashioned way. An arcade is on site for before- or
after-golf fun.
Melissa Ezarik of Stratford is the mother of a soon-
to-be second grader who scored his first hole in
one last summer. She is a a journalist and editor of a
national education trade magazine.
The Sports Center of Connecticut in Shelton offers a nature-themed mini golf course.
Mini Golf
Continued from page 3
4 SummerScapes Hersam Acorn Newspapers June 26, 2014