Bill Mitchell Gets A Birthday Surprise

Posted on May 18, 2013 | 4 Comments

Every Saturday is “showtime” at Mitchells.

A steady stream of customers – from Brian Williams, Jack Welch and Jim Calhoun to your basic, everyday Joe Hedge Fund Manager and CEO — drops in. They grab a bagel, schmooze, and buy a suit or three.

Today was extra special. Bill Mitchell — son of founders Ed and Norma, father and uncle of the 3rd generation to run the store — turns 70 tomorrow.

The store was packed with well-wishers (and stocked with champagne and cake).

In the midst of all the A-Listers and heavy hitters, it was easy to overlook one older man.

But Walt Melillo was there too. He’s 90 now, but in 1958 he was the 1st non-family member hired by Ed and Norma.

Bill Mitchell (left) and Walt Melillo.

Bill Mitchell (left) and Walt Melillo.

Walt worked Friday nights and all day Saturdays . His real job was as an elementary school teacher (Saugatuck, then Burr Farms). In fact, both Bill and I were Walt’s students.

Today was a great day for Bill Mitchell. He was especially happy to share it with one of Westport’s most important — but seldom recognized — big, big names: Walt Melillo.

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Posted in Local business, Looking back, People

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Christine Pakkala’s Nightmare, Prize-Winning Trip

Posted on May 18, 2013 | 1 Comment

There’s a lot to learn at the Westport Writers’ Workshop. But it’s not all about the words.

Christine Pakkala has taken workshops, and been mentored, at the Sylvan Road center since 2008. Beyond important writing skills, she’s gained confidence. And learned to put herself waaay out there.

She did it so well that her essay — “The Vacation Nightmare That Changed My Life” — won 1st place in the prestigious Ladies’ Home  Journal writing contest. Chosen from thousands of submission, it earned her $3,000 — plus publication in the June issue.

Christine Pakkala (Photo by Kristin Hoebermann)

Christine Pakkala (Photo by Kristin Hoebermann)

Christine wrote grippingly about her fear of flying. She finally overcame it in order to spend Christmas in Costa Rica with her husband, attorney and author Cameron Stracher, and their kids (Simon, then 13, and Lulu, 10).

The vacation turned grim when Cam collapsed after a run. The only CAT-scan machine in the country was in San Jose — and the only way to get there was on a tiny plane.

Back in Westport — after a long commercial flight — the couple learned that a major artery was 90 percent blocked. He had survived only because his runner’s heart was so strong.

After a stent and medication, he’s back running. Christine has flown half a dozen times since then. And, of course, she writes.

A former Fulbright Scholar who received her Master of Fine Arts degree from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she says, “I’ve had Pulitzer Prize-winning writing teachers. But the best advice came from Jessica Bram and Suzanne Hoover” — 2 of her Westport Writers’ Workshop teachers. “They taught me to first listen to myself, then listen to others.”

Now others are listening to Christine. Last month she taught students how to break into children’s books. She should know: She’s got a multi-book publishing deal.

Christine got interested in writing for kids when Simon was in kindergarten. Her tales incorporated his classmates as characters. She read them aloud, and teachers encouraged her to do more.

She listened. She wrote. She branched out from kindergarten to middle grade fiction, and now to a harrowing but healing account of her terrible trip to Costa Rica.

Which — thanks to confidence gained through the Westport Writers’ Workshop — is a prize-winning essay, shared with Ladies’ Home Journal readers everywhere.

Westport Writers Workshop

(To read Christine’s essay, click here.)

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Posted in Entertainment, Organizations, People

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Remembering Ali Mirza

Posted on May 17, 2013 | 5 Comments

Friends from the Staples High School Class of 2011 — and volleyball teammates — are stunned by the death of Ali Mirza.

He died last night in California, where he was a student at Claremont McKenna College. His older brother Akbar — a Staples 2009 graduate — also attends Claremont McKenna. Their parents were in California, for Akbar’s graduation tomorrow.

Friends filled Facebook with tributes to Ali, a product of Westport schools since kindergarten. Two themes predominated: his genuine friendliness to everyone, and his tremendous spirit for the Staples volleyball team.

Funeral services have not yet been announced.

Ali Mirza

Ali Mirza

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Posted in People, Staples HS

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Blunt Humor Raises High Hopes

Posted on May 17, 2013 | 7 Comments

Connecticut has not yet followed Washington and Colorado’s lead. Marijuana is still illegal here.

So the front window of Jonathan Adler‘s Main Street store offers a helpful link to its website.

Jonathan Adler, Westport CT

But the 24-hour site sells no 420.

Pottery, not pot.

What a buzzkill.

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Posted in Local business, Totally random

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Comic-Con Comes To Town

Posted on May 17, 2013 | 5 Comments

For years, comic books were the nemeses of librarians.

Now they’re a way to get teenagers through the door.

Several good story lines surround tomorrow’s Westport Library Comic-Con (Saturday, May 18, 1-4 p.m.).

Comic-ConOne is that the event — it stands for “comic book conventions,” if your knowledge of comics ends with Archie and Jughead — is being held here at all.

Comic-cons are very popular — they include contests, games, workshops and more, and they are not just for teenagers — but they usually take place in convention centers and hotels.

A 2nd story line is what’s on tap: a talk by Paul Kupperberg (longtime comic author and former editor at DC Comics); a cartoon workshop with Christopher Hart (author of over 50 how-to-draw books); a trivia contest (run by former “Jeopardy” contestant Staples semifinalist Emily Greenberg); a showcase of artwork by local high school talent; a costume contest; comic books for sale; a card game and video game…you get the idea.

Oh, yeah: There’s food too.

But the best story line — for me, anyway — is that tomorrow’s Comic-Con has been planned entirely by teenagers.

Teen planning members joined the library's Jaina Lewis sitting) at a presentation for the Connecticut Library Association last month.(From left): Matt Walton, Zoe Ginsberg, and Shira Gitlin. All are Staples students.

Teen planning members joined the library’s Jaina Lewis (sitting) at a Connecticut Library  Association presentation last month.(From left): Matt Walton, Zoe Ginsberg and Shira Gitlin. All 3 are Staples students.

For over a year, teen services librarian Jaina Lewis has worked with a teen committee. They organized the Hunger Games and Haunted Library programs; they’re running the library’s Memorial Day float, and they are very excited about Comic-Con.

Jaina loves the group’s excitement. “They don’t think of the Westport Library as a place where they can’t do things,” she says. “They think of it as a place where they can make their ideas happen.”

For Zoe Ginsberg, the best part is “focusing on how great everyone in Westport is.”

She helped gather presenters from around the area. “These aren’t just stars coming for a paycheck,” she says. “They’re real people, with real talent. At larger Cons you can only see the talent from a distance. Here, everything will be up close and personal.”

Matt Walton appreciates being given rein by Jaina to pursue whatever he’s interested in.

In fact, he says, “I’ve honestly never read a comic book. But there’s so much variety in what’s going on — TV, film, virtually every kind of entertainment and media available — that I’d have a great time even if I wasn’t involved.”

(Comic-Con admission is $8, payable in advance or at the door. To register or for more information, click here or call 203-291-4809.)

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Posted in Entertainment, Library, People, Teenagers

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Butterfly Wings Build A Playground — And More

Posted on May 16, 2013 | 1 Comment

Last month, the Board of Education accepted a very generous gift. The New Jersey State Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association is donating a $117,000 playground to Long Lots Elementary School.

As “06880″ reported, the firefighters are paying forward — to communities struck by Hurricane Sandy, and near Newtown — the kindness they were shown after in New Jersey after the storm. Seven years earlier, following Hurricane Katrina, the same firefighters had built playgrounds along the Gulf Coast.

Westport was chosen by relatives of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victim Dylan Hockley, because of a family connection here.

Butterfly magnet Long Lots playgroundWestport firefighters and Public Works, Gault Energy, Kowalsky Brothers and AJ Penna Construction are all donating time, labor and materials to prepare the site for the new playground. Sunrise Rotary is contributing funds.

The groundbreaking on June 7 will be a community event. Jake Hockley — Dylan’s brother — will be the “foreman,” and cut a ceremonial ribbon. 26 butterflies — one for every student and educator killed in Newtown — will be released into the air.

In addition to being beautiful, the butterflies symbolize the Butterfly Effect: Something as small as a butterfly flapping its wings can cause change halfway around the world. Dylan’s parents, Nicole and Ian, call Dylan their butterfly. He — and the 25 others who died — can be a catalyst for change, they say.

But the effort does not end there.

Butterfly Effect t-shirtThe Long Lots PTA has created “Butterfly Effect” t-shirts (left and below) and car magnets (above). Part of the money raised will go to Sandy Ground: Where Angels Play. That’s the umbrella organization coordinating the construction of 26 playgrounds in the tri-state area, of which Long Lots is one.

The rest will go to Dylan’s Wings of Change, a memorial fund created in his memory to provide support for children — like him — with autism, and other special needs.

They’re also selling Sandy Ground bracelets ($5, at Elvira’s, Christie’s Country Store and Wishlist).

Long Lots — and Westport — received a wonderful gift. The New Jersey firefighters and Hockley family say they’re just paying it forward.

Now we’ve got a chance to do the same.

(T-shirts for $10, and “Butterfly Effect” magnets for $5, are for sale at Christie’s Country Store on Saturday, May 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m, and at a table near the Westport Y at the Memorial Day parade. Requests can also be sent to goodygirls@mac.com. If you’d just like to donate to the cause, send a check payable to “Long Lots PTA” to Lauren Goodman, Long Lots Elementary School, 13 Hyde Lane, Westport, CT 06880).

Butterfly 2

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Posted in Children, Local business, Organizations, People

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An “Elementary” Westport Murder

Posted on May 16, 2013 | 4 Comments

I’m not a fan of “Elementary.” In fact, until this week, I’d never heard of the CBS detective show.

ElementaryBut my great, longtime friend Neil Brickley is. And even though he no longer lives here, he keeps up with the 06880 (and “06880″).

Last week’s episode caught his eye. The plot involved a murder that took place 20 years earlier. The victim was stabbed to death on a street, and the case had gone cold.

“Elementary’”s writers could have chosen anywhere for their fictional murder. It might have been New York, or a made-up place like Mayberry or Mayfield.

But the murder took place in Westport.

We’ve come quite a way from the days when Lucy Ricardo accidentally destroyed our Minuteman statue.

(If your browser does not link directly to YouTube, click here.)

 

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Posted in Entertainment, Looking back

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Happy 100th, Sherwood Island!

Posted on May 15, 2013 | 1 Comment

Next year, Sherwood Island celebrates 100 years as a state park. (At least, 1914 was the year Connecticut acquired the initial parcels for what — 23 years later — eventually became our 1st state park.)

In anticipation of the centennial celebration, the Friends of Sherwood Island will install educational panels on the history of the Sherwood family. Daniel Sherwood and his wife Catherine Burr settled the area in 1761. They farmed onions and potatoes, and harvested oysters.

An aerial view of Sherwood Island State Park.

An aerial view of Sherwood Island State Park.

But before the signs can be installed for a historical walking tour, an archaeological survey must verify the locations of houses and barns.

Next Wednesday (May 22, 10 a.m.), Connecticut state archaeologist Nick Bellantoni will make a presentation and inspection visit. The public is invited to attend his free lecture and walk-about tour. Entrance to the park is also free.

Elwood Betts will be there. The 87-year-old Westporter remembers where the Sherwood house was; he visited the farm complex as a 6-year-old. (Just as notably, he’s a Sherwood descendant.)

In preparation for Wednesday's event, Elwood Betts (left) shows archaeologist Ernie Wiegand where the 1787 Sherwood house stood.

In preparation for Wednesday’s event, Elwood Betts (left) shows archaeologist Ernie Wiegand where the 1787 Sherwood house stood.

Archaeology professor Ernie Wiegand will exhibit Native American artifacts from Sherwood Island and nearby Green’s Farms. He’ll also help identify arrowheads, stone axe heads or other artifacts residents have picked up over the years.

Sherwood Island is an enormously popular state park — and a spot many Westporters have never set foot in. You may not be able to make it to next Wednesday’s event — but don’t wait another 100 years to go.

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Posted in Environment, Looking back, Places

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Grim Reaper Visits Staples

Posted on May 15, 2013 | 5 Comments

Today was Grim Reaper Day at Staples.

To raise awareness of the dangers of drunk driving, the Teen Awareness Group (TAG) plastered the halls and lockers with informational signs and graphic posters.

A coffin near the cafeteria hammered home the point that drunk driving kills.

A video — shown to the entire school — was the day’s centerpiece. The TAG-  produced documentary featured members of the Staples and Westport communities, sharing personal stories of the impact drunk driving had on their lives.

The effect was powerful. And — in every aspect of the word — sobering.

Click below to watch the video. Click here if your browser does not link directly to YouTube.

 

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Posted in Organizations, Staples HS, Teenagers

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JD And Harvey

Posted on May 15, 2013 | 6 Comments

The New York Times reports that in September Harvey Weinstein will release one of his film company’s “unlikeliest projects ever.”

“Salinger” — 9 years in the making — is a documentary about a very famous American writer.

JD Salinger

JD Salinger

But, the Times says, J.D. Salinger’s reclusiveness makes marketing the film difficult. Not only was the author — who died in 2010 — not involved in the film; neither was his son, nor the few members of a small circle of friends.

“Mr. Weinstein indicated that the secrets will be part of the fun as he and his company forge a strategy for selling ‘Salinger’ to the masses,” the Times reports.

So the “06880″ question of the day is this: Does the film that Westporter Harvey Weinstein is releasing contain any information about Salinger’s 2 or 3 years in Westport?

He came here in 1949 or ’50 — details are sketchy. But according to the Times — and reported on “06880” the day he died — Salinger “holed up in a house on South Compo Road” in 1950 to write Catcher in the Rye.

Does Westport make it into “Salinger”? Because Salinger certainly made it to Westport.

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Posted in Arts, Entertainment, Looking back, People

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