Weston Today publisher and editor Edward (Ted) Craft spoke at the Kiwanis Club of Weston meeting on Saturday, January 18, 2025. Ted recapped the history of Weston’s digital news publication, which is coming up on its seventh birthday at the end of January. Ted created Weston Today to address the news desert created when The Weston Forum, a weekly broadsheet published on Thursdays, ceased publication.

As far as Ed can tell, the last Weston Forum print issue was on January 4, 2018. A week later, on January 11, 2018, Hersam Acorn Newspapers announced the closure. Weston Today launched on January 31, 2018.

Hersam tried a sort-of regional paper, the Aspetuck News, to replace the Weston, Easton, and Redding papers. The Aspetuck News lasted only nine months. Hersam later sold the four papers to Hearst, who apparently weren’t interested in the Weston, Easton, and Redding papers.

Ted took questions from an appreciative Kiwanis audience on a variety of content covered since the birth of Weston Today, how Weston Today’s editorial policy maintains objectivity in reporting and guides authors of letters to the editor and guest essays, the potential and impact of artificial intelligence, and challenges and opportunities for local journalism in the coming years.

Juan Negroni contributed to this article.

By Dan Gilbert.

The Kiwanis Club of Weston conducts a food and personal care products drive on Saturday, January 25, 2025 at Weston Shopping Center to benefit Weston Food Pantry clients. The event provides Westonites with the opportunity to help our neighbors in need. Kiwanians will be at the shopping center from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., collecting shelf-stable food products at Lily’s and personal care products at the Weston Pharmacy.

Fall’s been a busy time for the club. During October, Kiwanis held its13th annual Weston Kiwanis Reservoir Run half marathon, 5K, kids fun run foot races. Registrations totaled almost 500 runners. Men from West Point’s cross-country team ran the half marathon. The day is a community-wide effort supported by Weston’s Board of Selectmen, public schools, the police department, Weston Volunteer EMS, Weston High School Key Club and Girl’s Track Team, and the Scouts BSA Troop 788.

Kiwanians dressed up as witches and goblins to help transform the Lachat Town Farm’s
landscape in the Haunted Halloween production of “Meteor, The Immersive Theater
Experience.” Strange things happened at Lachat as children and their parents encountered
disturbing creatures and supernatural surprises. The 45-minute interactive Walking Tour was
filled with live actors (some Kiwanians), horrific scenes, and chilling surprises. The children,
their parents, and Kiwanians had a wonderful time.

Weston Kiwanis is dedicated to serving children. Through a combination of community service and philanthropy, the club supports worthy causes in Weston and neighboring communities. The club has donated over $900,000 since 2000 to help children. Weston Kiwanis meets each Saturday at the Norfield Congregational Church parish hall. Meetings begin at 8:30 a.m. A full breakfast is available for $10 and is complimentary on their first visit for individuals exploring membership. All are welcome.

By Frank Ferrara

Today, Wednesday, December 18, 2024, the Kiwanis Club of Weston provided new winter coats to keep 145 needy children warm this winter. In the nearby photograph contributed by Frank Ferrara, Frank, and Harry Spencer are pictured with a few of the delighted three- to five-year-old recipients.

Weston Kiwanis Community Service Committee members volunteered over 80 hours to ensure 136 children of Head Start Family Services in Norwalk and 19 children of Rippowan Park complex In Stamford would have a coat to keep them warm.

Working with Kiwanis Club community service funding, Costco Wholesale® of Norwalk managers played an essential role in accomplishing this mission.

Head Start programs are provided at no cost to eligible families. They provide high-quality pre-kindergarten education for children who are 3 years old until they enter kindergarten.

Head Start, delivered in Norwalk by the Family & Children’s Agency,  is a program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and families. It is the oldest and largest program of its kind.^[1] The program’s services and resources are designed to foster stable family relationships, enhance children’s physical and emotional well-being, and establish an environment to develop strong cognitive skills. The transition from preschool to elementary school imposes diverse developmental challenges that include requiring the children to engage successfully with their peers outside the family network, adjust to the space of a classroom, and meet the expectations the school setting provides.^[2]

Kiwanians, families, and friends celebrated the season with a special breakfast on Saturday, December 14, 2024, our last meeting of 2024.

Party organizers Frank Ferrara and Harry Spencer, with help from a talented elf (named Amy Jenner), decorated Norfield Congregational Church parish hall for the occasion and greeted us, serving mimosas during gathering time. Reverend Dr. Bernard Wilson engaged us in his invocation, reminding us how Christmas was no “ordinary” night. The Honorable Lisa Wexler explained the meaning of Hannukah. If we didn’t before, now we know the difference between a menorah and a hanukkiah with a demonstration of the latter.

Chef Bill laid out a spectacular breakfast spread. Dr. David H. Connell, Director of Music and Worship at Norfield, on the grand piano, joined by professional soprano Jennifer Barron, performed Christmas and holiday favorites after breakfast, leading to the arrival of St. Nicholas himself (sounded a little like Bill Brady) and one of his elves, who bore somewhat of a resemblance to Roy Marsh. Santa received requests from the children before departing.

By Dan Gilbert

Each December, the Kiwanis Club of Weston wishes everyone happy holidays with a wreath constructed with greens donated by Weston Gardens, decorated and hung by Kiwanis members on Weston’s historic onion barn on Weston Road, opposite Weston Shopping Center.

Weston’s historic onion barn photograph by Jim McMorris.

The 2024 wreath was constructed with boughs from Weston Gardens by Steve Thomas. Karen Chrisley created the decorative bow.

Kiwanis serves the children of the world. The Kiwanis Club of Weston also serves families and our larger community. Through a combination of community service and philanthropic fundraising, the club supports worthy causes in our community and surrounding area. The club meets each Saturday from September through June at the Norfield Congregational Church parish hall, 64 Norfield Road, Weston, Connecticut. Meetings begin with breakfast ($10) and run from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Doors open at 8 for coffee and conversation. All are welcome.