Wednesday, Sept. 29 is National Coffee Day. For visitors to New Canaan's many coffeehouses, every day is a celebration of coffee. The town offers nearly 70 locations at which to obtain the brew, but there are a few local favorites. One of these is Zumbach's at 77 Pine Street. "When I come in, everyone smiles," said local Muffy Lewis about the cozy, wonderfully aromatic coffee purveyor. "You're in a good mood when you leave here. You know everyone, and they know you. It has a hometown feel. I'm addicted to my large latte whole milk. I have to have one… or two… every day." Over at Starbucks, at…

Students in this year's Summer Theater of New Canaan's summer Apprentice Program decided to cap off the summer by performing an original musical for friends and family. In addition to working as crew for STONC's professional productions and taking classes with Broadway veterans in everything from dance to spoken word, the students collaboratively wrote and rehearsed the  original musical, "The 4 Aces," which will debut on Saturday, July 24 at 3 p.m. in the tent at Waveny Park. Admission is free. Take a look at the hard work the student actors did in preparation for Saturday's show.

New Canaan will celebrate the Fourth of July on Sunday with old-fashioned picnics and fireworks at Waveny Park, all in keeping with a tradition that goes back to at least 1818. "It's a simple, fun event with family picnics, comaraderie and 35 minutes of painting the sky with foreworks," said Steve Benko, recreation director, who serves on the Family Fourth Committee. This is the 30th anniversary year of the "Family Fourth" and he's been working on it since last July 4. Some surrounding towns (including Stamford and Norwalk) have eliminated fireworks for the 4th because of budgetary …

Six days a week (except Tuesdays) from May through November a motley crew leads visitors through Philip Johnson's estate. Ten of the 19 guides are New Canaanites. Some are transplants, others are life-long New Canaan residents, some studied and worked in architecture, others in the financial industry. All of them love this place.  Johnson called the site his "50-year diary". New Canaan resident and tour guide Peggy Dannemann tells her tours it was his "50-year laboratory"."He tried out different ideas and different concepts, constantly changing things, because he was curious about what was …