Community Corner
Watch: Taylor Swift Surprises Fans with Gifts
Taylor Swift recently released an extended video chronicling her gift-giving, including a surprise visit to a North Haven family.
Last year was hailed as the Year of Taylor Swift after the star released the best-selling 1989 album. In the weeks following the album’s release, Swift devoted her time to surprising some of her loyal fans with gifts.
Swift recently released a video that chronicled her many surprise visits to fans, including one Connecticut fan who was floored when Swift personally came to her home in North Haven to drop off gifts.
Swift’s impromptu stop at a North Haven Starbucks in November set off a mini-bonanza as fans flocked to meet and take selfies with the star.
Find out what's happening in North Havenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
It was later revealed that she had stopped at Stephanie Barnett’s house to give Barnett’s 2-year-old son Leyton gifts, including a toy car that was too big to ship.
“I’ve never gotten to meet (Leyton) before so I guess we’re just going to go and drive to Connecticut and bring Leyton some Christmas presents,” Swift said in the video.
Find out what's happening in North Havenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The newly-released video shows several reactions of fans who were overwhelmed by Swift’s random acts of kindness.
Swift played with Leyton and spent a couple of hours with the family.
“...she’s an absolutely incredible human being, and it IS a good thing that the press have finally started to focus on that rather than nonsense reported in the past,” Barnett wrote on her Tumblr blog.
Other Patch Stories:
- Juvenile Charged with DUI on New Year’s Eve in Naugatuck
- Wintry Mix for the Weekend; Cold Temps Follow
- Last Tour of Duty -- Greenwich Police K-9 Tyro Retires
Like many other regular folks, Swift decided to stop at a North Haven Starbucks to use the bathroom and get a coffee. Many fans were in disbelief about the seemingly random encounter.
Quinnipiac University junior Nicole Giuliani said she had been at the Starbucks 45 minutes before Swift walked in. She was throwing out her coffee when she noticed a really tall girl with short blonde hair and a hat walk past her.
“To be honest, it was her height that gave her away,” Giuliani said about the 5-foot, 10-inch singer. “I walked back to my table and turning to my friend and calmly said, ‘Taylor Swift just walked into the bathroom.”
She tried to remain as calm as possible, but was freaking out on the inside, she said.
“We ended up walking up to her and getting a picture but I wish I had said so many things to her,” Giuliani said. “I was just in disbelief and I couldn’t even form words.”
Swift fresh off of releasing what will likely be the best-selling album of the year took time to take selfies with fans.
“The fact that she takes so much time to acknowledge her fans and make people’s dreams come true shows how selfless and considerate she is,” Giuliani said. “She carries herself with confidence and at the same time she comes off as the most grounded person.”
Gia Rosarbo is the barista that served Taylor Swift and said it was a “very quick encounter.” Rosarbo said Swift had just got done visiting a child in North Haven and she stopped in and that “she had about five bodyguards with her.”
Rosarbo said they were trying to keep it quiet but then she asked Swift for a picture and Swift said sure and “gave me a big hug.”
Images via Taylor Swift Youtube video, Twitter.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.