Grapevine Happy about the makeover

Grapevine
Happy about the makeover

Mike and Steve Gulick of Gulick Associates and the Brown family celebrated the successful completion of the rebuilt Brown family house for cable TV’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” in Bridgeport recently. Three-thousand volunteers, including multiple Connecticut businesses, built the home under the Gulicks’ direction. It was presented to the Brown family this month before 6,000 spectators. The airing of the Brown family episode is scheduled for October. Politicians of all stripes weighed in with well wishes and Western Connecticut State University promised scholarships to the Brown children. The original home was ravaged by a 2006 fire.

Fifth most-interesting new name:

Throw in the Towel, Stamford

(Don’t just quit your job, hire these folks to make a statement.)

Fourth most-interesting new name:

Your Party Architect, Ridgefield

(“Speakers here and here; hot guy slouching here; hot girl in tight jeans here …”)

Third most-interesting new name:

The Town Greeter, New Canaan

(No, it’s not the guy on the exit ramp with the “Will work for food” sign.)

Second most-interesting new name:

Free People, 351 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich

(Still, we’d like to hear about the return policy.)

The most-interesting new name:

Evolutionary Classics, Greenwich

(“We were on the Beagle approaching the Galapagos when Cookie the chef said we were out of turtle soup. Perfect timing!”)

Corn-fed Huskies

We’re not saying there was any quid pro quo … but no sooner had University of Iowa Provost Michael Hogan accepted the president’s post at the University of Connecticut, then UConn football coach Randy Edsall named Iowa transplant Tyler Lorenzen his starting quarterback.

Sounds like Lorenzen landed the job fair and square, after securing All-American honors quarterbacking the Palomar Community College Comets in California. Last fall, Lorenzen completed 69 percent of his passes for 2,960 yards and 26 touchdowns in 11 games (with just three interceptions); but it was his speed that really set him apart.

Originally attempting to play at Iowa State University as a Cyclone walk-on wide-receiver, Lorenzen subsequently transferred to Palomar to play quarterback. The 6-foot-5-inch Lorenzen gained 836 yards on the ground last season, averaging better than 6 yards per carry while scoring eight more touchdowns.

Lorenzen and UConn star running back Donald Brown will have their work cut out against Louisville, West Virginia, Rutgers and the rest of the Big East the Associated Press has picked the Huskies for the conference doghouse this season.

UConn opens the 2007 season Sept. 1 at Duke University.

Speaking of sports

With a winning resume like Maria Conlon’s, who wouldn’t hire her?

The UConn grad played in more than 100 of the women’s basketball games and was one of two to play in all 70 games during the college’s record-setting year of 70 straight victories

Incidentally, she won three consecutive NCAA Division I titles and graduated as the fifth-leading, three-point shooter in school history.

And if that wasn’t enough, the Derby native also coached the Southern Connecticut State University women’s basketball team to win the national championship in 2007.

Conlon just joined Barnum Financial Group as a financial services representative.

We hear that the Shelton firm is considering starting a company basketball team in the fall. Can anyone say ringer?

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