News from the First Selectman's Office, June 2026

          

Our nation’s 250th birthday is just around the corner, and Wilton will be celebrating with our first ever Fourth of July Parade followed by a day of festivities ending with a spectacular fireworks display. Everyone is invited to join the parade, including friends and family. All you need is a flag to wave. Large groups should fill out a parade registration form and send it to Steve Pierce, Director of Parks & Rec, at [email protected] by June 20th. Sign-ups are also available on the Parks and Recreation website: July 4th Parade Registration.

Patriotic costumes are encouraged and decorate your bikes, trikes and wagons, too, for the Bicycle Brigade! Whether you choose to build a float, play your fife and drum through Town Center, or simply wave your flag high – we hope everyone will participate. You will make this celebration of community, history and country even more memorable by joining the parade.

Parade Details:
Date: July 4, 2026
Step-Off Time: 11:00 AM
Muster Location: In front of the Stop & Shop Plaza on River Road
Route: Through town, Old Ridgefield Road, and Hubbard Road; ending at the Town Green

At the Town Green, the celebration will continue with a reading of the Declaration of Independence, live music, and celebratory cupcakes and cookies as we honor this historic milestone together.

If you have any questions or ideas, reach out to the co-chairs of the Town of Wilton July 4th Parade, Steve Pierce and Pam Brown. Steve: [email protected]; Pam: [email protected]

Stage 2 Drought Advisory

The Governor has included Fairfield County in a Stage 2 Drought Advisory, which means that authorities are watching for an emerging threat, given the very dry conditions in our area. Individuals are encouraged to take the following steps voluntarily:

• Reduce outdoor irrigation during daylight hours
• Minimize overall water use by fixing leaky plumbing and fixtures
• Run dishwashers and washing machines only when full

Rain forecasted for the coming days is not anticipated to be enough to completely overcome the potential for drought as we head into summer. Residents are encouraged to monitor drought conditions here:  http://portal.ct.gov/Water/Drought/Drought-Home

Wilton Law Enforcement CT Special Olympics Torch Run

On Friday, June 6th, members of the Wilton Police Department joined other area law enforcement to run several miles carrying the Flame of Hope, to raise awareness and funds for the Connecticut Special Olympics. We are so proud of our Police and Town employees who took part in this special event which exemplifies a strong partnership between law enforcement and the Special Olympics community, fostering inclusion, respect, and celebration of diversity across the state.

                         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merwin Meadows

It’s starting to look very beachy at Merwin Meadows. Our Parks & Recreation team have been working hard to make sure that we will open the pond in time for summer swimming.

Kiwanis Club Celebrates 75 Years

One of Wilton’s preeminent civic organizations celebrates 75 heroic years of serving the Town of Wilton. The Kiwanis Club received its charter in 1951. Since then, it has unfailingly supported youth programs, educational scholarships and initiatives, food security efforts, local nonprofits and community organizations. They have fostered community pride and spirit by creating enduring traditions like the American flags that flutter everywhere downtown from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the famous Kiwanis Memorial Day Pancake Breakfast, the Chess Park in Wilton Center, the holiday decorations in December and more. Since its founding, the Kiwanis Club of Wilton has raised and donated over a million dollars to charitable, educational and community causes that have benefited the people of Wilton. We cannot imagine life in Wilton without their steadfast dedication to community service, volunteerism, civic engagement and commitment to improving the lives of others. To the members we say Thank You, Kiwanis. Your generosity in action inspires us all, every day.

  Flags and flowers courtesy of the Wilton Kiwanis Club

   Kiwanis generosity on display

Wilton Congregational Church Celebrates 300 Years

  Congregational Church Yankee Fair, circa 1880

On May 12, 1726, the Connecticut General Court (today’s State Legislature) accepted a petition from Jonathan Elmer and thirty fellow residents to recognize the Wilton Parish of the Congregational Church. From that time, the Church provided spiritual and practical support to its neighbors and came to serve as the center of community life. The Sanctuary that stands today was built in 1790. Since then, it has been a welcoming beacon of hope, faith and heritage for Wilton residents and all who pass its historic steeple. On this august anniversary, we send our congratulations and deepest thanks to the Wilton Congregational Church for their 300 years of faithful service to God, community and country.

  The Congregational Church today

An Ode to Town Government

In today’s fast-paced modern life, it’s easy to take our democratic institutions for granted. But on such a momentous occasion as the 250th anniversary of our country’s founding, we thought we’d take a moment to appreciate our New England Town style of governance, which is unique to our region. It can be argued that what the Puritan settlers created here set the expectations, the tone and even the character of modern American life.  

The Puritans were passionate about direct self-governance where the general citizenry voted on how the community business would be conducted.  This was in contrast to the Virginia Company’s colonies in the south, where authority was concentrated in the hands of the upper classes. Because of our rocky soil, New England towns organized around rivers and along the coast. Royal Courts decreed that these clusters of people should manage their own affairs. Thus, the Town Meeting was born in 1630. Attendance was mandatory for those who could vote, or else a fine was levied. Survival made this ironclad rule a necessity. Life in New England was hard and dangerous, but an interdependent community had a greater chance of succeeding. When civic affairs were decided upon through a public vote they could most easily be embraced and enforced. This is where our long, ingrained tradition of community participation through the open town meeting comes from.

Of course, it took over two centuries before every resident was given the right to vote, and the strictures around who was even allowed to become a Town resident were erased. But the instinct of self-determination that is distinctly American was created through the Town Meeting model. When Baron von Steuben arrived from Prussia to help George Washington whip his rag tag American Army into shape, he wrote to a friend that in all of his years of training soldiers, the Americans were the first he had encountered who had to have the why of an order explained to them. In every fighting force around the world soldiers simply did what they were told. Only Americans asked “why?”.  Even by 1776, the habit of democracy had created a new breed of common man.

The Annual Town Meeting was also a direct, instigating force in the American Revolution. In Salem, Massachusetts in 1774 British soldiers were encamped all over the Town Green and other common areas because General Gage of the British Army had been named Governor and was living nearby. Locals were furious about the Port of Boston being closed after the Boston Tea Party, and other coercive acts enforced upon them by the British Parliament. In response, the Massachusetts Legislature gathered on June 17th to secretly vote for delegates to send to the Continental Congress. An informer ran to tell General Gage of this treachery, and he immediately dispatched the Secretary of the Province to dissolve the legislature. But before the Secretary could arrive the members had locked themselves inside the Meeting House. The Secretary could do nothing but stand impotently on the street and read the Governor’s dissolution proclamation. Strangely, the legislators heard nothing until after the delegates to the Continental Congress had been duly appointed.

Not only was the legislature officially dissolved after this, but the British Parliament banned Town Meetings throughout Massachusetts, except to vote on annual budgets. Neighboring town leaders, who heard what had happened in Salem, tested the Government’s limits by continuing to hold Town Meetings, even if there was no business to discuss. There simply weren’t enough British soldiers to answer all of these dares. General Gage is reported to have shouted, “Damn them, I won’t do anything about it unless his Majesty sends me more troops.” He was forced to move back to Boston to stop this insurrection from spreading to the most explosive of all powder kegs. But as we know, the spirit of self-determination continued to build. In just a few short months, the battles of Lexington and Concord set America irrevocably on the path to revolution. 

I hope these stories remove any doubt about the importance of participating in our democracy. From the very beginning, citizen engagement has shaped our nation and our character. Because of the New England Town Government and Annual Town Meeting, we, as Americans, believe in our right to vote, we believe that our voice matters, and we believe that we have a say in our government. As we ready ourselves for an extraordinary Fourth of July 2026, where we celebrate these rights, let us also celebrate each other. For 250 years, America has grown and evolved as its people endured hardships and sacrifice to move America toward a shared future, where love of country and faith in our democracy overrode our differences. In that sense, we are as reliant on one another today as the Puritans were in the 17th Century. The spirit and strength of democracy will always be All for One and One for All. 

Happy Fourth of July

We hope everyone is getting ready for Wilton’s Fourth of July Parade and family picnics. We are excited and look forward to seeing all of the creativity and patriotic spirit that will be on display downtown. However you would like to come, in costume or not, please join us and march with your neighbors. Everyone’s presence adds to this very special day.