Greenwich Free Press highlights of 2020 in photos.
At Glenville School students, staff and parents became avid knitters, their busy hands fashioning winter hats and “teenie beanie” keychains for the Best Day Ever Hat Project . The knitted hats and key chains were sold to benefit Vanishing White Matter (VWM) Families Foundation. The last gathering we covered for GFP before Covid-19 was the Boys Scouts Pinewood Derby at Miller Motorcars on March 8, 2020 . Photo: Leslie Yager Picnic tables had caution tape at Tod’s Pt. Saturday, March 21, 2020 Photo: Leslie Yager The last day Tod’s Point was open – March 21 – there were 8,500 people in the park including many New Yorkers based on the license plates in the parking lot. Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo ordered all Town parks and beaches closed to the public, effective at 8:00pm on Sunday, March 22, 2020. Photo: Leslie Yager In April a Greenwich volunteer firefighter set up a GoFundMe Bryson Kent Bowman Mr. Bowman had worked for Student Transportation of America since 2017. Contributed photo On April 14, the heads of the Police Dept, Fire Dept and GEMS finished their daily task force meeting at the public safety complex, where First Selectman Camillo said, “We were told the surge would be in mid-April for our area, and that’s what’s happening.” April 14, 2020On Tuesday, April 14, Health Director Caroline Baisley said so far, the increase of 65 additional Greenwich resident cases was the largest daily increase since the beginning of the pandemic.
Friends, family and neighbors joined Greenwich Police and Fire for a car parade to celebrate Gabriel Cid who survived Covid-19 and returned home to Byram. He spent 30 days in the Intensive Care Unit at Greenwich Hospital and was connected to a ventilator for 21 days . May 28, 2020 Photo: Leslie Yager“Heartbroken,” is how Kate Truesdell felt in early March when she realized she had to tell her dancers their end-of-the-year performance was canceled due to COVID-19, wrote Emily Graffeo . In a drive-through event, 17 graduating seniors watched a slideshow projected on the side of the studio, and listened to remarks from Truesdell. May 31, 2020 Photo: Photo: Chris Ramirez Hundreds of young people mostly from Greenwich High School marched 8.46 miles in a “Walk for Floyd” honoring George Floyd . June 5, 2020 Photo: Leslie YagerGreenwich Police including Captain Kraig Gray and Chief James Heavey took a knee outside the public safety complex as a crowd of about 150 protested police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis on May 25. Floyd’s death had been classified as a homicide . June 1, 2020 Photo: Leslie YagerA group of about 150 protesters against police brutality gathered at the Greenwich public safety complex. June 1, 2020 Photo: Leslie YagerMonday June 1 was supposed to be the first day of Pride Month, but calls for justice triggered by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis took center stage on Greenwich Avenue.
On May 25 Mr. Floyd was pinned face down on the ground, in handcuffs, by a white police officer who pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes.
Greenwich began its first stage of transforming Greenwich Avenue to an open air pedestrian mall by closing off two blocks to vehicular traffic on June 2 . Photo: Leslie Yager After a full shut down, Tod’s Point reopened on May 7 with a maximum number of visitors and people were guided around a one-way loop in the park. There was no stopping, no sitting in the sand and with no swimming allowed.families could sit inside hoops placed in the sand organized to encourage social distancing. June 21, 2020 Photo: Leslie Yager At Tod’s Point families sat inside hoops placed in the sand organized to encourage social distancing. June 21, 2020 Photo: Leslie YagerEA and AFT-CT organized car caravans to send a message to Governor Lamont that Connecticut must direct resources to school districts in order to fully implement protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in schools. July 30, 2020 Photo: Leslie YagerStorm Isaias beat up Greenwich on Aug 4, 2020. As of 3:25pm, Eversource reported that Greenwich 3,812 customers were without power out of 28,236 customers served, which represented 13.50% of customers. Park Ave in Old Greenwich. Aug 4, 2020 ContributedJen Danzi from the Tamar Lurie Group held a Demolition & Donuts event to mark the demolition of 62 Mason Street to make way for a seven-unit luxury condominium building . Sept 29, 2020 Photo: Leslie YagerOld Greenwich School PTA first Vice President Erica Jacoby, PTA President, with Mack the Dolphin who OGS on Monday to help unveil the Pumpkin Lady, and school principal Jen Bencivengo. Oct 6, 2020 Photo: Leslie YagerJessica Reid from IN Greenwich dressed as a giraffe during a visit from GEMS to Armstrong Court for Halloween . October 19, 2020On an unseasonably mild day, an unseasonably mild day, dozens of volunteers from Greenwich Green & Clean and local garden clubs planted thousands of bulbs in the grassy island at the foot of Stanwich Rd at East Putnam Ave, soon to be renamed “Chestnut Allée.” Nov 4, 2020 Boys &Girls Club staff, Board members and local officials were on hand to help with the distribution of Thanksgiving meals in a drive-thru format. Nov 24, 2020 Photo: Leslie Yager
Nov 25 was George Chelwick’s birthday and he turned 95. The event was marked by a car parade of longtime friends some veterans, led by Greenwich Police officers on motorcycles. In November the Family Centers Health Clinic was busy with their free Covid-19 tests. This reporter received results in 48 hours. Meanwhile, Greenwich and Darien Residents said the fees charged to their insurance Companies for Covid testing by Dr. Murphy were exhorbitant . November 18, 2020 On Dec 8 Greenwich High School’s bleachers were demolished. Photo: Leslie YagerJeff Medina stops at collection point in central Greenwich to pick up coats. Dec 15, 2020 Photo: Leslie YagerAmid the pandemic Raphael’s Bakery opened on Mason Street. During the holidays there were socially distanced lines that spilled down the sidewalk. Dec 17, 2020 Photo: Leslie YagerGreenwich resident Victor Samuelsen is originally from Norway, and there’s something about his accent that makes his Santa alter ego plausible. But it’s his sweet ride, a 1965 Cadillac DeVille, that results in a double-take as he cruises around town. Dec. 20, 2020In Glenville, Derek D’Andrea’s ‘Arch in Bloom’ was a great spot to shop for Christmas and buy trees and wreaths. Dec 22, 2020 Photo: Leslie Yager
