As 2024 comes to a close, the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce wants to share our gratitude for all the people and groups who make New Canaan so special. In working toward our mission of Connecting the Community with Commerce, the Chamber is in the fortunate position of interacting with many of the kind and hardworking people that make the town work so well. We want to take this opportunity to express our appreciation for everyone who has worked alongside of us this year.
The first group we want to thank is our Members and Sponsors. These businesses have made the commitment to the larger New Canaan business community and through their financial support, help the Chamber organize and execute events such as The Halloween Block Party, Sidewalk Sale, Taste of New Canaan Stroll and of course The Holiday Stroll. We enjoyed seeing our members learn from and support each other at the many networking meetings the Chamber hosted in 2024.
All those town wide events would not be possible without the full support of the New Canaan’s Police, Fire, Health, Parking and Public Works Department. The Chamber could not put on such large-scale happenings in a safe and secure manner without the full cooperation of these Departments. Under the guidance of the First Selectman’s office New Canaan’s municipal leadership is very pro-business and understands how important a robust downtown business district is to the overall health of New Canaan.
The next important piece of the puzzle is filled by the dedicated volunteer groups that are the backbone of our community. The Chamber relies heavily on SLOBS, both Chapters of the National Charity League, Young Woman’s League, Newcomers, The Boy Scouts, Beautification League, and Garden Club. All these groups have turned their passions and philanthropic instincts into making our town a better place to live. As a non-profit ourselves, we appreciate the guidance that comes from The New Canaan Community Foundation which serves as an invaluable resource to all of New Canaan’s 501c 3’s.
New Canaan has an amazing artistic community, and the Chamber has been proud to partner with many of these organizations over the past year. The Carriage Barn brings amazing works into town via the Art in The Windows event in June. The Holiday Stroll show included performances from The Studio, New England Academy of Dance, New Canaan Dance Academy, Performing Arts Conservatory and Harney Pender Keady Academy along with NC Dance Clinics NC Music and Fred Astaire Dance Studio. Performances sponsored by The Town Players and New Canaan Chamber Music delight our residents and bring many new people to town.
We are also grateful for all the “assets” that New Canaan has to offer. The Land Trust properties, Grace Farms, and Waveny Park attract visitors from all around the country. The New Canaan Museum and Historical Society and The Glass House are also invaluable resources for our residents and visitors. We also want to acknowledge the role Caffeine and Carburetors has had on bringing more attention to our town. The C & C Team demonstrated their commitment to the merchant community by “revving” up our Community Gift Card by donating $4,000 worth of bonus bucks to the program.
Last but certainly not least it is all of our residents for whom we are grateful! Seeing how busy the stores were over the Holiday Season let us know that you are embracing our “Shop Local” message. Donating to the Holiday Lights, sponsoring a Lamp Post, decorating a Gingerbread House or participating in the Taste of New Canaan Stroll to help the local Food Pantry are small acts of service that add up to a wonderful sense of community. We appreciate the support and look forward to seeing all of you at our 2025 Events.
