A crowd of 50 happy revelers gathered Thursday at City Hall for the annual Bastille Day celebration and celebration of France.
The French flag was raised at the ceremony, followed by a morning reception at Bistro V on Greenwich Street and dinner at L’Escale on Steamboat Road. This multi-part event is organized by the Alliance Francaise of Greenwich.
Bastille Day is a day when we celebrate French values. Jeremy Robert, the French general counsel based in New York City, said at the flag-raising ceremony. They are freedom, equality and brotherhood. These values are shared by our American allies. We have founded our countries on the idea of freedom and democracy and these values must be defended every day because in the world today there are many challenges.”
“It’s great to see so many members of the French-speaking community and friends of France gathered here,” said Robert, looking at the crowd.
First Selectman Fred Camillo read an advertisement for Bastille Day and paid tribute to the French-American Greenwich community. He also talked about the relationship between France and the United States, which dates back to the era of the American Revolution.
“It has stood the test of time,” Camilo said. “We have stood together in two world wars and are symbolized by the immortal words of an American soldier in World War I when he said, ‘Here we are Lafayette.
The French flag was raised by 18-month-old Nika Bleach of Greenwich, with the help of her grandfather, Antoine Bleach, owner of Le Penguin, as well as her parents, Adrien and Kate Bleach.
To conclude the event, Large Town Ambassador Pia Crompin led everyone in singing “La Marseillaise”, followed by Robert Gina, a townspeople, who led the audience in singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Chickahomeni
With the annual Saint Roch Day approaching a few weeks away, the Selectmen board of directors has voted unanimously to close St. Roch Avenue is in front of traffic every day of the event from 6 to 11 p.m.
The feast will be held from August 10 to August 13 in front of the Basilica of Saint-Roch. Greenwich Police officers will be on hand to direct traffic.
There was no doubt that the elect would approve of the item – as usual. It only took minutes at Thursday’s meeting, as First Selectman Fed Camillo said they were “very familiar” with the feast and looking forward to it, especially the frita pizza.
“We’ve done this (lockdown) before and it’s never been a problem,” said Camilo, who before the meeting issued a statement outlining his views on the event.
Feast organizers have sought for years permission to use the field at Hamilton Avenue School, which is across the street from the church. But they were unable to strike a deal with the school district to put carnival rides on the square.
The church has not used the field since school renovations were completed in 2009. The school board was reluctant to allow use of the fields due to the weight of the equipment. In his statement, Camilo said, “We must respect their decision and the good relationship between the Bank of England and the Church.”
Camilo said the town’s support for the holiday was strong and he hoped the area and the church would find a solution for next year.
“The town’s support for the church goes back decades, and most recently when the COVID pandemic threatened to cancel the event entirely,” Camilo said. “In 2020, my office worked with Paul Cappiali and the Feast Committee to facilitate a mini version of Feast in the middle of the pandemic when no other parish in the state holds one.
“Because of the precautions that were started at the time, Eid was not a super spreader of the virus and was a historic success for the time period in which it was held.”
cos cup
When Ben Pote opened his new chicken Wildacre Rotisserie in Cos Cob, he wanted to connect with the community and build relationships with local nonprofits.
For Wildacre’s June 23 opening, Pote pledged to donate first-day sales to Neighbors to Neighbors, which operates a local food store. Last Tuesday, Pote presented a check for those proceeds, which amounted to a total of $3,971, to Neighborhood CEO Margaret Gemus Goldberg’s neighbor.
“When we conceptualized this restaurant, we wanted to have strong relationships with local charities,” Botti said. “When asking the neighbor, the neighbor was one of the first people mentioned. I called the neighbor cold for the neighbor. … We wanted this to be a place connected to the community and the local neighborhood. We rely a lot on the community for our business and this connection started six months before we opened. In our mission of wanting to nurture the community.”
Goldberg said this type of support is critical after the demand for food services for nonprofits has grown during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We need this very strong and positive engagement. Look at the business model that Ben has put here in giving back to the community.” It is important to know the essence of who they are and what they want to do in the community. …it elevates us all to a level of participation and reflection.”
Pote also donated unsold food after that first day to Neighbor to Neighbor for distribution to her clients.
“We wanted to be able to feed people right away,” he said. We knew we were going to start with lots of leftover food. This is the nature of the beast in opening restaurants. You make a lot of food to practice with and unfortunately end up putting a lot of it in the trash or using it for composting. … We knew it would be much better if we put this food in people’s mouths.”
Wildacre is located at 147 E. Putnam Ave. At Cos Cob at the former Starbucks website.
downtown
Greenwich teens can check out the average Joes vs. Globogym for an epic Dodge Ball showdown at Teen Movie Night outdoors, courtesy of Greenwich United Way.
The non-profit organization will show “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” from 7-10 p.m. on July 23 at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. A free ice cream truck will be on hand as well as a food truck. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets.
The film, starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn along with several funny cameos, has built a cult following since its release in 2004. It is rated PG-13.
Greenwich United Way CEO David Rabin said the film was selected from the children’s list.
“United Greenwich Road, in partnership with several township organizations, including GPD, took the opportunity to give teens a fun and constructive event,” Rabin said. “Social and emotional learning is an important part of youth development, and movie nights will bring teens together at a time when they need it most.”
Registration is required for the free event at www.greenwichunitedway.org/teen-movie-night/. The event is for Greenwich teens aged 13-18.