He went to Kings Highway, Bedford Middle School and Staples. He lifeguarded at Longshore, and became an Eagle Scout with Troop 36.

He veered a bit from the typical path in 11th grade, when he transferred to Phillips Exeter.

After graduating in 2004 Andrew entered Colgate University. As a senior he applied to Army Officers Candidate School. He was commissioned, and was stationed in Georgia, Kentucky, California, Louisiana and Kansas.

And then, last April — in a journey far from typical for a young Westporter — Andrew went to Afghanistan.

1st Lieutenant Andrew Long, in Afghanistan.

“He was always interested in the military,” his mother Sandra explains. “As a kid, he was really into the Civil War.”

She thinks 9/11 influenced him greatly. “He was in 10th grade at the time. From then on, he thought about serving in the military all through college. We were at war, and he wanted to help.”

The Longs were not thrilled.

“We’re not a military family, and that’s not what most Westport kids do,” Sandra says. “We were worried. But he was adamant. So we said ‘We support you. We love you.’”

Now, Sandra says, “We’re so proud of him. He is so brave, dedicated and patriotic.”

In Afghanistan Andrew was posted to a forward operating base 50 miles west of Kandahar.

Part of the famed 1st Infantry Division — “The Big Red One” — Andrew served mostly as a maneuver platoon leader, with a combination of armor and infantry men. They used vehicles, went on foot patrol, and did a number of air assault missions with helicopters. Sometimes, he commanded Afghan soldiers.

“He’s amazingly versatile,” Sandra says proudly.

The Longs did not know much about what he was doing. They spoke every 3 or 4 weeks by phone, for 10 or 15 minutes at a time.

1st Lieutenant Andrew Long (left), with his tank crew.

“He talked about the great poverty in Afghanistan — mud huts, no water or electricity,” she says. “Sometimes things were very quiet. Other times, during missions, it was wild.”

The hardest part, he told his mother, were when members of his unit were killed.

“I’m sure there’s a ton of stuff I don’t know,” she notes.

On Christmas Eve, Andrew called his parents. “I’m coming home,” he said.

1st Lieutenant Andrew Long returns to Ft. Riley.

When he returned to Fort Riley, Kansas earlier this month, it was with a Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service. The Longs were there to greet him.

After spending some leave time in Westport, Andrew will return to Fort Riley.

It won’t be forever. Sandra says he will not make the military his career. He has, however, “certainly appreciated” his service.

Friends and colleagues have “been great,” she adds. “Everyone at Saugatuck Congregational Church wrote cards. Neighbors sent packages. People at work (Pitney Bowes) were very supportive.”

Yet still, something felt strange.

“There are very few military families here,” Sandra says. “When I went out to Kansas, there were lots.

“I think people in Westport don’t know what to think about having a son serving in the military. They’ve been super to us. But in some ways, we’ve also been alone.”

It also drove 35 children, ages 2 to 5, from their “home.”

That home is the Saugatuck Nursery School. Since its founding 43 years ago, it has served youngsters from Westport and surrounding towns — some of them minorities, some from less privileged circumstances than Westporters.

On April 4, 1968 Florence James Shook was enjoying a Tougaloo College choir concert at Carnegie Hall. She heard the news that Rev. Martin Luther King had just been killed. Driving home, she vowed to do something. She soon helped create the Saugatuck Nursery School, to carry on his dream.

This past October, Florence died. The month before, the nursery school had added a 3rd classroom, an $80,000 project — what director Ellen DeHuff calls “the beautiful Purple Room.”

On November 20 it — and the other school classrooms and offices — suffered smoke and water damage. Gone too were books, toys, arts and crafts supplies, computers — “everything you need to run a pre-school,” DeHuff says.

Almost immediately, the Westport Y offered space: 3 childcare classrooms that were not in use. In what DeHuff calls “Extreme Pre-School Makeover,” her staff of 10 spent several hours brightening the rooms for their kids.

The Y also provided equipment. Many Westporters offered books, toys and furniture — but there is no place to store them. (DeHuff suggested cash donations, so equipment can be bought later.)

The children use the Y gym. They also walk across the street to Christ & Holy Trinity Church, enjoying its playground for hour a day.

The nursery school staff is now working to gain church and town approval to use modular equipment in the church parking lot.

“It’s different, but the kids are loving it,” DeHuff says of the changes.

But the fire was “devastating” to the staff.

Still, she says, there are benefits to the disaster. Beyond the help offered by the community, there’s this.

“We realize more than ever that it’s not the building that makes Saugatuck Nursery School what it is,” says De Huff. “It’s the families and staff.”

These are challenging days for us. But together, we’re all making the pre-school work.”

And work very, very well.

The annual feast — serving hundreds — is set for Christ & Holy Trinity Church. It begins at 11:30 a.m. Christmas Day (not the usual 1 p.m. start).

The Easton Congregational Church, doing its Saugatuck Church imitation. It's just a few minutes from Westport -- and very hospitable.

The Christmas Eve candlelight service of lessons and carols will be held at the Easton Congregational Church (9 p.m.). That’s fitting: Built in 1835, it was modeled on the Saugatuck Church.

Most intriguingly, the Christmas Eve family worship service and pageant will be held at Temple Israel, beginning at 5 p.m. There will be the traditional baby gift giving, when unwrapped presents are placed in a “manger.” The gifts — including disposable diapers — are taken to the Norwalk Domestic Violence Crisis Center, for newborns who have no manger.

The birth of Jesus will be celebrated on Christmas Day at 10 a.m. — also at Temple Israel. The heart of the service is a spirited carol sing.

The Saugatuck Church welcomes the New Year on January 1 at Temple Israel, also at 10 a.m. Holy Communion will be celebrated. There is no sermon; instead there’s a “true and moving story of a child’s impression of one family’s life at Christmas.”

The spirit of Christmas is indeed everywhere.

Dolores — known to her many friends and fans as “Do” — is indeed a perfect exemplar of a Westporter who gives. And gives. And gives some more.

And has done so ever since she moved to Westport, half a century ago.

So, in terms of a column on Do: done.

Now in her mid-80s, Do has not stopped serving the town.

“Her energy is awesome,” the reader who suggested a profile — Nick Thiemann — wrote. “It would be impressive in a 20-year-old. And she has a grand sense of humor.”

Dolores Bacharach (Photo/Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com)

As a member of the original Commission for the Elderly — now called the Commission for Senior Services — Do started the “We Do Walkways” program, through which middle and high school students provide raking and shoveling services to older citizens.

“She has a generous spirit,” praises human services director Barbara Butler. “There’s always a smile on her face. And she’s a lot of fun to work with.”

Rev. Tom Thorne has been Assumption Church‘s pastor for nearly 13 years. That’s a quarter of the time Do has spent in Westport, but he knows she and her family have been “genuine pillars of the parish.”

Through the Social Concerns Ministry she ministers to people in need — those who are poor, hungry, without transportation or clothing, cold, lonely or homebound. Through events, opportunities and awareness, she helps the entire parish participate in supporting, helping and loving the marginalized.

A daily communicant, she is present at the 7:30 a.m. mass every Monday through Saturday. She also serves as a eucharistic minister.

Do is the parish representative on the Westport-Weston Interfaith Council. “She has left a loving mark within the parish, and the Westport and wider community,” Father Tom says.

“She is truly a woman of faith who is open, inclusive, in possession of great dignity and authenticity.”

Nearing her 9th decade, Do cooks each week at the Gillespie Center. Homelessness has long been a concern of Do and her family. The Bacharach Community — 3 houses on Wassell Lane run by Homes With Hope that serve as emergency housing for women and children — is named for them.

I have known the Bacharachs ever since my own high school days. I served with her late husband Jim on the original Youth-Adult Council. I was there when the Bacharachs were driving forces behind the Intercommunity Camp — an innovative summer program drawing children from Westport, Weston, Norwalk and Bridgeport together for summers of fun and self-discovery.

I was privileged to join Jim, Do and their 5 children — all of whom carry on their parents’ legacy of service to others — in annual Christmas carol sings at their Stony Brook Road home. Each one was filled with the joy of being together with others who value community and action — along with plenty of laughter and love.

“Do makes Assumption and Westport holy,” Father Tom says of Dolores Bacharach.

And, I’d add, she is an unsung hero who makes Westport “Westport.”

Oy.

The event comes a few days after Staples’ Candlelight Concert. A tradition for over 70 years, the event opens — as it always has — with the haunting hymn “Sing We Noel.” It ends — as always — with the “Hallelujah Chorus,” as ebullient and glorious a paean to “the Lord God omnipotent” as you’ll find anywhere.

But traditions change. The Candlelight Concert now includes Hanukkah and African songs, plus other evocative music.  (There’s also a production number filled with schmaltzy Christmas tunes, Santa Claus, reindeer, and the occasional dreidel.)

Georg Friedrich Handel wrote the "Hallelujah Chorus" -- not Hanukkah music.

In fact, for over 2 decades Staples’ choral director was Alice Lipson — whose husband and daughter are rabbis and cantors. Alice conducted the “Hallelujah Chorus” as lustily as anyone — and made certain that, while her students knew they were singing pieces rich in history and beauty, they could opt out if they so chose. None did.

Back at Burr Farms Elementary School in the 1960s, it was all-Christmas, all the time. In music class, we sang only Christmas songs. There was “Frosty the Snowman” and “Rudolph,” sure — but also heavy-duty carols: “Adeste Fidelis.” “Away in a Manger.” “The First Noel.”

I had no idea what I was singing, but no matter. It was beautiful music.

And I got more than a music education at Burr Farms. Our classrooms had Advent calendars. Every kid — Catholics, Christians, Jews and Muslims (just kidding) — thrust hands in the air, begging to be the one to open the window that day.

A big part of my elementary school education.

The big event was a nighttime Christmas concert. Parents, students, younger and older siblings stood outside, in the cold air — around an evergreen tree, decorated with ornaments and topped with an angel — singing carols. I even remember someone pointing out where the Star of Bethlehem might have been, though perhaps that is pushing it.

When the Christmas carols were over we all went into the “cafetorium” for hot chocolate, the only secular part of the night.

I didn’t think twice about any of that. For one thing, I was in 1st or 2nd grade.

For another, we started every day with the Lord’s Prayer.

Over the loudspeaker.

That ended in 1963, when the Supreme Court outlawed prayer in school. I have no idea if there was any discussion about that in Westport — if, in fact, parents knew it was going on, or thought anything about it.

The Westport of my childhood was a multi-religious place. Temple Israel was built in 1959, with a membership of 250 families. We were certainly not Darien, and even at a young age I recall my parents being proud of our town’s pluralism.

But you’d be hard pressed to find any evidence at Burr Farms Elementary School, back in the early ’60s.

Not that anyone noticed. We were too busy exchanging Christmas cards and presents in class.

(For more information on Wednesday’s Temple Israel “celebrating the holidays” event, email amendelson@tiwestport.org, or call 203-227-1293. “Drinks and a nosh” will be provided.)

In “The Reckoning,” Kenan Trebincevic recounts the journey he, his brother and father — Bosnian refugees, now prospering in America — took back to their homeland.

The sons thought they were doing it for their father. But, as often happens in tales like these, they learned life lessons about themselves.

The bio note describes Kenan as “a physical therapist in New York.”

It does not say he spent his formative years in Westport.

Kenan Trebincevic today.

The Trebincevics — Kenan, his older brother and parents — came here thanks to a little-known but life-changing project administered by Westport’s Interfaith Council.

Working together — as they often do — local clergy took care of the Bosnian family’s many needs, from the moment they arrived here.

Their 1st home was with the Methodist minister. Then — after hearing about the program through her church — Judy Landa took them in.

Ellie Lowenstein heard of the family too. She gave the mother driving lessons.

And so it went.The Interfaith Council helped with medical and dental needs, and everything else a refugee family needs as it makes a new life.

Kenan went to Bedford Middle School. His older brother and father went to work — at jobs arranged through the Interfaith Council’s contacts.

The family moved a few times — to Norwalk, Stratford, then back to Westport at Sasco Creek Village.

Kenan earned his masters degree in physical therapy from the University of Hartford in 2004. Today he’s got a thriving practice, specializing in adult and adolescent sports rehabilitation (complete with website).

None of that is part of his Times story of his trip back to Bosnia — a place he escaped from, but felt compelled to go back to.

Then again, the Westport Interfaith Council plays an integral role in Kenan’s life story. Without it, he might not be where he is today.

Or anywhere at all.

But it shouldn’t be.

Tomorrow (Thursday, December 1, from 5-7:30 p.m. at Christ & Holy Trinity Church), the Westport Downtown Merchants Association is sponsoring a “Season of Giving” event.

Sure, there’s the usual ho-ho-ho attractions — refreshments, an ice sculpture, a visit from Santa, music by the Orphenians and Chris Coogan — but the real attraction is a chance to do some good for some great community non-profits.

Many hands will help Westport charities tomorrow.

A variety of organizations — Homes With Hope, the Y, Save the Children and a dozen others — will have booths.  They’ll hand out information — but they’ll also have “wish lists.”  If something strikes your fancy, just donate to the cause.

The Westport Arts Center, for example, has “wishes” ranging from $10 (help install an art exhibit) to $250 (send a kid to summer art camp).

It’s just like real life Christmas (and Hanukkah).  Sometimes you get everything you ask for; sometimes you don’t.  Whatever happens, it never hurts to ask.

The “Season of Giving” is a great idea — and everyone’s a winner.  Our non-profits get a chance to have their wishes filled.  You get a chance do some good for a group you love — or one you never knew about — while having a good time.  And your kids get a chance to learn “the true meaning of Christmas” (or Hanukkah).

PS:  Really want to make a day of it tomorrow?  Head to Town Hall at 4:30 p.m. for the lighting of the (very ecumenical) “town tree.”  Then wander down the hill to the Westport Historical Society, for hot cocoa.  And if you stop in to a store or two on your way to the “Season of Giving” at Christ & Holy Church, I’m sure the downtown merchants won’t mind. 

Now, following last Sunday’s fire at the church, Temple Israel has opened its doors.  Saugatuck Church’s regular worship service will take place this Sunday, at 10 a.m.

Temple Israel is also providing rooms for church school and child care.

A perfect example of “loving thy neighbor.”

Also lost:  over 30 donated turkeys, part of the annual Thanksgiving Feast (now set for 1 p.m. Thursday at Christ & Holy Trinity Church).

It took less than 24 hours for the turkeys to be replaced.  Scott Thommen of Britt-Air, along with Stew Leonard’s, quickly made sure the church had one less thing to worry about.

For Stew’s, it was the 2nd turkey donation to Saugatuck Congregation.  “The world’s largest dairy story” had already donated a bunch o’ birds — the ones caught in the fire.

Oscar's Andy Porier; Scott Thommen, owner of Westport's Britt-Air; Randy Christophersen, chair of the Saugatuck Feast Committee, with newly donated turkeys.

But — stirred by words like “we shall never be shaken,” and comforted by the closeness of friends and fellow congregants — the Saugatuck Congregational Church held a flashlight service tonight on its front lawn.

A few yards away, the church — fire-damaged, but still intact — stood proud and tall.

Thursday is, officially, Thanksgiving.

But for dozens of Westporters on the church lawn, tonight was the true celebration.

Doug Johnston, chair of the diaconate, welcomes Westporters to the service.

At 7:30 tonight — less than 24 hours after a fire severely destroyed part of the handsome building — a brief worship service will be held on the front lawn.

Guests are asked to bring candles, and park at the Westport Country Playhouse.

More good news:  The church’s neighbor — Christ and Holy Trinity Church, near the YMCA — has agreed to host the Saugatuck Church’s annual Thanksgiving Feast at 1 p.m. on Thursday.  As usual, all are welcome.

This afternoon, Saugatuck Church emailed a “Dear Friends” letter.  It read:

As many of you already know, last night there was a devastating fire in our church building.

We are clearly hurt by this, but we are also profoundly thankful that the fire did not, as we feared it might, take the entire building. We have not lost our spiritual home.

At this time we know that there was severe fire damage to the choir loft, the Daniels Room, the Fellowship Room and the nursery school. We know that the sanctuary and the new education wing have at least sustained water and smoke damage. At this time, we don’t have more details on the extent.

We’ve had so many expressions of support.  Sarah Verasco, Jeff Ryder, John Branson and the Town of Westport, along with many others, have stood with us through this ordeal.

So many others have come to visit or called to express their concern and support, and we know that our friends are praying for us across the state and even the entire United Church of Christ. May their prayers comfort us as we step forward.

We have spoken with our insurance provider at the Insurance Board, and they have already sent a team today. We know that we will be in a lengthy partnership with them as we look toward rebuilding.

As more information becomes available, we will send it through.

We will get through this together.

Please check out our website (www.saugatuckchurch.org) which will be updated as information becomes available.

And why not?

It’s a magnificent building — as beautiful and iconic as any New England church should be.  It’s the perfect image of Westport — even if it’s been there, on the corner of the Post Road and Myrtle Avenue, since “only” 1950.

(Fun fact:  That year, the church was moved — very slowly, on a bed of logs — from its spot across US1 a few hundred yards away, where the Sunoco station now stands.  Life Magazine covered the event.)

More importantly, for nearly 180 years the Saugatuck Church has played a vital role in the life of our entire town.  More than 50 different 12-step groups meet daily there.  The church hosts a thriving nursery school, and many other community groups.

A fire last night destroyed part of the magnificent structure — thankfully (if one can say that) the back, not the sanctuary or steeple.

But the fire came at a particularly bad time.  On Thursday, 300 diners would have relished the traditional Thanksgiving feast.  Next month, the same number would have gathered for a Christmas meal.

Offers have already poured in to cover those 2 events, and provide a place for the AA and other meetings, as well as the nursery school.

The entire town will help the Saugatuck Congregational Church, and its members — just as, for nearly 2 centuries, they have helped all of us.

In the meantime, our prayers are with all congregants, and clergy, of this wonderful church.

Firefighters from Westport and surrounding towns did a great job saving most of the Saugatuck Congregational Church last night. (Photo/Cathy Zuraw for the Westport News)

“Our customers told us they would rather stay up late to shop than get up early, so we’re going to hold special events on Thanksgiving and Black Friday,” Walmart’s chief merchandising officer said.  (No word on what Walmart’s hard-working, non-unionized workers associates think about punching in late on Thanksgiving night.)

While “06880″ cannot become a bulletin board for every worthy help-the-less-fortunate endeavor this winter (bah, humbug!), 3 special events have caught our eye.

First:  Once again, the Conservative Synagogue is partnering with gourmet bakers, caterers and fine food outlets to provide Thanksgiving pies — while making a donation to Homes With Hope.

The “Share the Pie” fundraiser offers apple, pecan and pumpkin pies for $20.  The deadline to order is this Wednesday (November 16); pies can be picked up Tuesday, November 22 at the synagogue parking lot.

Click here to order, or call 203-454-4673.

Second:  The Department of Human Services is again sponsoring a holiday giving program for Westport residents.

Those who can contribute — gift cards for food, gas and discount department stores, for example, along with tax-deductible donations of money that’s used to fulfill last-minute requests — do so.  Human Services acts as a facilitator, protecting the confidentiality of donors and recipients.

To donate — or request help — email humansrv@westportct.gov, or call 203-341-1069.

Third:  The Westport Police Department local union 2080 and Police Benevolent Association are again sponsoring a toy drive.  New, unopened and unwrapped toys — as well as cash donations — will be collected at police headquarters any time through December 18.

There are plenty of ways to do good this holiday season.  These are just 3.

And none require a trip to Walmart at 10 p.m. Thanksgiving night.

That’s what the obituary said, anyway.  Some people might have read the name, not recognized it, and moved on.

But if the story said simply “Lili died,” nearly everyone in town would have noticed.

Lili, of course, owned Lili’s Fine Food and Catering, the railroad station coffee shop that for 28 years served coffee, croissants, conversation — and much, much more.

Her obituary noted that she was born in Monte Carlo, moved to Canada in the 1960s and the US in the early ’70s, then became an American citizen just in time to cast her first vote for Bill Clinton.

She was “an accomplished cloisonné artist and designer.”  She was a concert pianist, and also played violin, flute and guitar.  For a while, she gave piano lessons.

Lili worked at Soup’s On before opening her railroad station spot.  There, she met countless customers who were enchanted by her “generosity of spirit, and her gifts as a chef.”

The obituary continued:

Her devotion to beauty and perfection translated into everything she did.  Her culinary and floral creations were breathtaking.  She is held lovingly in the hearts of all the lives she touched.

Among those lives was Ellie Solovay’s.

“I was probably one of Lili’s first customers,” the longtime Westporter recalls.

For many years she cooked Friday night dinner for me and my family.  In the past few years my husband and I would walk over the railroad bridge to her cafe on Saturday mornings.  She made us the best omelets this side of the Atlantic.

When Ann Sheffer — who lives on Stony Point, just across the parking lot from the train station — heard Lili had died, she remembered so many parties Lili had catered.

Ann contacted friends, and learned that a group of parishioners at St. Luke Church had taken care of Lili.

They and others started planning a tribute.  A memorial service is set for 10 a.m. this Saturday (November 5), at St. Luke’s.

A reception will follow.  At Lili’s Place, of course.

(Lili’s obituary noted that contributions in her honor can be made to the Connecticut Food Bank and Homes With Hope.  The story concluded:  “An act of kindness each day dedicated to Lili would please her.)

The words will be recited in nearly 2 dozen churches and synagogues as an expression of unity, with thoughts of the victims and their families close at heart.

The clergy members add:  “If you are home-bound, we encourage you to recite this prayer with us from your home on September 11.  For those who can join us, please know that our doors are open and we look forward to welcoming you into our houses of worship with open arms.”

The 9/11 Prayer of Remembrance and Hope:

Dear God, we remember before you today those whose lives were lost in the catastrophic events of September 11, 2001, and for all those whom we love but no longer see.  We give thanks to you for the selfless courage of those brave souls who ran into burning buildings and who labored in the rubble; may their courage be to us a witness of what is possible when we are guided by love and dedication to our fellow human beings.

We pray today for the continued healing of all those suffering emotional and physical scars.  May your spirit breathe new breath into clouded lungs, new life into troubled minds, and new warmth into broken hearts, so that all may feel wrapped in your loving embrace.  May we move from suffering to hope, from brokenness to wholeness, from anxiety to courage, from death to life, from fear to love, and from despair to hope.

Guide our feet into the way of peace.  Inspire us with hope in the gift of shalom and salaam.  May we receive this gift, so that we might become instruments of your peace in this world, knowing all people as equally loved, lovingly created, children of God.

Amen.

But Green’s Farms Congregational Church — which turned 300 years old this year, and in 3 centuries has never missed a service — kept that incredible record intact.

Green's Farms Congregational Church

At the height of the storm, the faithful — though fewer than usual — populated the choirloft and held prayer books.  It was just like any other  Sunday, since decades before the United States was born.

But parishioners from 1711 –  even 2001 — may not have recognized every aspect of the service.  Minister Dan England preached from his laptop, while congregants shared smartphones to read their pieces and prayers (from notifications they’d received the day before).

Green’s Farms Church adapted to the times.  The colonial met the technological.  And it will be ever thus, no doubt through Sundays in at least the year 2311.

Maybe they didn’t see the humor at all.

It’s hard to know what anyone was thinking back in 1836, when Evergreen Cemetery was dedicated just a few yards from downtown Westport where cattle grazed, crops grew, and ships sailed up the Saugatuck River.

But then — as now — Westporters died.  And for 175 years, they’ve been buried in the small cemetery on Evergreen Avenue.

Last week, Elwood Betts took me on a tour.  A native Westporter — born 85 years ago in a house on Imperial Avenue — he retired in 1989 after 42 years as General Electric engineer.  He’s got 6 children and plenty of grandchildren, but his “baby” is the cemetery.

As a Saugatuck Church trustee, and overseer of the cemetery, he shepherded through a lengthy restoration project from 2002 to ’04 — and, last year, another clean-up after storms walloped the graves and grass.

Elwood Betts, at the grave of a relative.

Elwood — whose great-grand-uncle, Orin Elwood, lies there — ensures that the final resting place of famous Westporters like Ebenezer Jesup, Samuel Wakeman, Hereward Wake, Herb Baldwin, Ed Mitchell and various Sherwoods, Gorhams, Bradleys, Morehouses, Coleys, Wheelers and Whitneys, remains dignified and serene.

He’s had plenty of help — Rick Benson, Boy Scouts, Kowalsky Brothers and Gault, for example — but without Elwood, Evergreen Cemetery might look the way it did a decade ago.  Dozens of stones were buried or broken.  Monuments had toppled.  Vandals did their share.

With Gene Takahashi — a Korean War hero — Elwood oversaw the removal of brush, overgrown pine trees  and poison ivy; the righting, resurrection and repair of grave markers; the cleaning of marble; repairs to the iron fence railings, and landscaping of the entire area.

He and his crew did everything, it seems, except move the dead to make them more comfortable.

A garden honoring Gene Takahashi sits on grounds the Korean War hero helped renovate.

Since then, 3 new burial grounds have been added — including a crematory area.  For a long time, there was no room for burial in the historic grounds.  Now Westporters can once again rest in peace in Evergreen Cemetery.

On September 25, Saugatuck Congregational Church will hold a commemoration ceremony at the cemetery.  This year marks the 175th anniversary of its founding, and the 150th of the start of the Civil War.  Henry Richards — a 21-year-old who died at Lookout Mountain — is buried there.

On that Sunday, speakers will honor the cemetery.  Coffee will be served.  Westporters will wander through the grounds, gazing at familiar names and thinking back to a time when this downtown cemetery served a far different town.

“We’re praying for a nice day,” Elwood Betts say.

Thanks to him, every day in Evergreen Cemetery is exactly that.

The Broadway blockbuster is this season’s Staples Players Summer Theatre/Westport Continuing Education show.

Following in the tradition of “Rent” and “Les Mis” — previous show-stoppers — the production will be memorable.

And — in keeping with directors David Roth and Kerry Long’s tradition — it will take the familiar play in an unfamiliar direction.

This “Jesus Christ” is set in the late 1960s.  It was a time as tumultuous as Jesus’ own, with social and political tumult up the wazoo.

Clay Singer plays Judas -- reimagined in the 1960s. (Photo/Kerry Long)

“Religious themes aside,” Roth says, “the story remains relevant because of its social commentary on celebrity worship, ultimate betrayal, and the passion and power of the human spirit.”

“The story of Jesus parallels, to some extent, that of Martin Luther King:  preaching love and peace, not violence; loving your fellow man, ideas like that,” Long adds.  “Non-violence was the essence of the flower power movement.”

Costumes and staging reflect the time period.  The show begins with a violent protest that channels Kent State.

“The famous photo of the hippie sticking a flower in a gun barrel was the catalyst” for this production, Roth says.  That image is recreated with Jesus in the opening scene.

Both Roth and Long are too young to remember the ’60s.  Of course, their actors — nearly 50 very talented teenagers from Westport and beyond — are far younger.  They were born in the 1990s.

To prepare, the directors showed them a History Channel documentary about the era.  They also watched parts of “Hair.”

“It’s not exactly total immersion,” Long admits.  “But we’ve talked extensively about the time period, and the parallels between the story of Jesus and his followers, and the tribes of hippies.”

Jesus (Johnny Shea) and a soldier (Charlie Greenwald) share an important moment in "Jesus Christ Superstar." (Photo/Kerry Long)

The directors’ enthusiasm is palpable.  Roth grew up listening to the album.  Players performed the show the summer after Long’s senior year at Staples, fueling an “obsession” with it (and the music).

“It’s one of the few cast albums that David and I listen to even if we’re not working on the show,” Long said of her co-director (and husband).

“Jesus Christ Superstar” — which opens this Thursday night, continues Friday night and closes with 2 Saturday performances — is an ensemble piece.  The voices are strong — and they’re backed by Chris Coogan’s incredible band.

“A lot of the kids love the music,” Roth says.  “We’ve been hearing kids with different roles singing other people’s parts.  It’s fun music that sticks in your head.”

And it’s an important show, sure to stick in the heads of everyone who sees it.

(“Jesus Christ Superstar” will be performed at Staples this Thursday, Friday and Saturday — July 28, 29 and 30 — at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, July 30 at 2 p.m.

(Tickets are available online — click here.  Any remaining tickets are sold at the door, 30 minutes before curtain.  For more information, call 203-341-1310.

(Click below to see Matt Van Gessel’s trailer.)

Green’s Farms Congregational celebrates 300 years as both a religious and town institution.

The church actually helped propel the growth of Westport — its founding on June 12, 1711 resulted from Green’s Farms residents’ desire for a church closer than Fairfield Congregational, a far ride on a horse.

Church was not just for the faithful.  Attendance in the colony was mandatory; absentees were fined.

For 300 years — even after churchgoing became voluntary — Green’s Farms Church has thrived.  It’s weathered 2 fires (one set by the British), a 1950 storm that sent the steeple crashing through the building, and the countless changes that transformed Green’s Farms from an agricultural parish to an upscale neighborhood.

Green's Farms Congregational Church (Photo: Meg Barone/Westport News)

According to the wonderfully named Diane Parrish — co-chair of the anniversary committee — for 3 centuries, parishioners have never missed a Sunday meeting.

Today, special music commissioned for the tricentenary will be performed during the 10 a.m. service.

Also this morning — following their 10 a.m. liturgy — members of Christ & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church will celebrate their own milestone:  the ribbon-cutting of an important new addition to the handsome building on the corner of Myrtle Avenue and (of course) Church Lane.

Though compared to Green’s Farms Congregational, Christ & Holy Trinity is a newcomer — it was founded “only” in 1831 — it too plays an important role in both the spiritual lives of its members, and the civic life of our town.

A centerpiece of the Christ & Holy Trinity addition is a state-of-the-art Great Hall.  Featuring vaulted ceilings, wooden beams and an old plank floor, its Gothic architecture and masonry tower matches the stonework of the main church (built in 1863).

The new and old Christ & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church.

Over time — thanks to the welcoming spirit of the church, and its location in the heart of downtown — it will become another great venue for meetings of all kinds.

Two churches.  One looks backward this weekend; the other forward.

And all Westporters offer heartfelt congratulations to both.

Although — if the millennialists are correct — I might have to change my tagline to “Where  Westport meets the next world.”

Then again, after this post I might be writing from the underworld.

The Saugatuck Congregational Church Youth Group.

They spent 2 nights at the Heifer International Learning Center  in Rutland, Massachusetts.  That’s a fancy name for a farm.

The kids held and bottle fed many baby lambs and, um, kids.  Like most Fairfield County youngsters, they learned a lot about other farm animals.

But his was no pet-the-animals, feel-good-about-nature weekend.

Heifer offers sustainable solutions to issues of hunger and poverty. Yet solutions are meaningless without a visceral understanding of problems.  So the youngsters were divided into 2 groups, and spent their time living as citizens of 2 “global villages.”

One was called “Kenya.”  The other was “Guatemala.”

In the simulated villages, the youths experienced the struggles faced by billions every day.  The Westporters had to barter for what little they could afford, with the money they were given.

Before they could eat their rice, vegetable and beans, they had to somehow build a fire to cook their meal.

They slept on concrete floors and wooden slats.

CJ Stephan cradles a sheep.

CJ Stephan expected “a farm type of place — living and working and ding routine farm chores.”  He was surprised at the poverty — and the fact that roosters really do get up early.

Hannah Rose was in the Kenya house, which lacked heat and electricity.  She was surprised to learn that it gets cold  at night in Africa.

She was surprised too at “how long it took to cook the food” — at least an hour for each meal.

“We had to start our own fires before we could cook,” she says.  “Before that we had to go to the ‘market’ with some ‘money.’  But we didn’t have enough, so we had to learn to barter and trade with other villages to get the supplies we needed.”

This was Kate Koster’s 2nd trip to Heifer.  Last year, she expected the houses would only “represent” what poverty could be like.  The reality was much starker.

“About 90% of the houses don’t have an obvious bed,” she reports.  “In many, you had to sleep on the floor.   There is no heat, and some are only tiny with 1 room.”

She admits, “We didn’t have to endure living in it like real people in those countries would have to.”

Kate learned that “we do not need everything we have.”  She has a better sense of poverty — and realizes it exists in places she did not think of, like “Kentucky, Poland and Peru.”  Now, she has “a different view on the world” — and how she can help.

CJ realizes that there is plenty of need around the globe — not just in the aftermath of natural disasters.

“There are many ways to help them too,” he says.  “It may seem weird to donate an animal to help a village, but it really provides a lot of things that are useful to keep them going.”

Or not.

Tomorrow (Sunday, March 20, 4 p.m. at St. Luke’s), the Interfaith Council of Westport and Weston is sponsoring a lecture called “Full Court Peace.”

It’s more than a gimmicky name.

Michael Evans

Westonite Michael Evans — the 28-year-old founder of Full Court Peace — will talk about how his organization uses basketball as a means of diplomacy in war-torn parts of the world.

Evans knows both hoops and kumbaya.

He played pro basketball in Belfast — about as far from, say, the Utah Jazz as you can get.  But despite the violence plaguing that city — or maybe because of it — Evans formed the first half-Catholic, half-Protestant boys high school basketball team there.

The success of the Belfast Blazers — which traveled to, among other places, less-rough Weston — inspired him to explore what sports could accomplish in places like Cuba and Mexico.

Evans has met the Dalai Lama, as well as youth in paramilitary organizations and senior members of the IRA.  In Havana he had to elude government officials, while in drug war-torn Ciudad Juarez he traveled in bulletproof cars, with armed guards.

Evans is now studying at Harvard University, in a program involved the Graduate School of Education, Kennedy School of Government and the business school.  Life in Cambridge — on and off the court — is less rough than before.

The Interfaith Council encourages parents to bring their children — especially those interested in sports — on Sunday.  Refreshments will follow Evans’ talk.

Which, presumably, will be “yo mama”-free.

For 2 years she has tried to get donations of artwork from the estate of internationally known watercolorists Frederic Whitaker and his wife, Eileen Monaghan Whitaker.  They lived in Norwalk from the mid-1940s to the early ’60s, and were close friends of Linda’s parents, Hardie and Doppy Gramatky.  (Hardie wrote and illustrated Little Toot.)

It took a while, but last month 2 dramatic watercolors arrived.

Frederic Whitaker's "Church in Weston."

Fred’s career spanned 70 years, and nearly 2000 paintings.  Westport received his “Church in Weston, Connecticut,” created in 1950.  The church was Norfield Congregational — and not much has changed in 60 years.

Eileen’s painting — “Granadinos” — is “so colorful that schoolchildren will love it,” Linda says.  Westport schools are dickering over which will get the artwork.

It’s fitting that “06880″ marks the Whitaker work coming to Westport — because today is the 120th anniversary of Fred’s birth.

Happy birthday, Fred (and happy 100th to Eileen, later this year).  Welcome home!

Eileen Monaghan Whitaker's "Granadinos."

Her obituary lists the dates and accomplishments of her life:

• She moved here in 1953 with her husband Fred.
• In the mid-’50s she founded the Westport Madrigal Singers and Unitarian Church choir.  She served on the board of the Connecticut Alliance for Music, and was very involved in their annual Young Artists Competition.
• In 1998 she was honored with Westport’s Arts Heritage Award.

But facts are only one part of someone’s life.  Memories mean much more.

Joy Kimball Overstreet — one of Jeanne’s 3 daughters — sent these thoughts along:

Jeanne Kimball at 95.

“Mom adored Fred (and was adored by him) from the time they met at 17 at a Unitarian church camp, till the day he died 63 years later.  His return from work was the highlight of her day.  She changed into ‘something nice’ just for him.  While dinner (and we kids) waited, they retreated into the living room for cocktails together.”

After he retired, if he wanted to sail for the weekend she put aside her own plans, packed food, and “happily poked around the Sound with him on his tiny boat.”  They slept in sleeping bags alongside the centerboard.

She managed most of Fred’s care during 2 years of cancer treatments.  After he died in 1994 she took on more singing students, and kept up her garden.  She loved arranging fresh flowers and greens, and putting up fruits and vegetables.

Her students cherished their time with her.  Her vocal coaching style was direct.  For her, singing was communication.  She was a vocal coach practically to her last breath.  Two days before she sank into unconsciousness,  when her nephews sang her carols, she weakly waved her hand.

“Not ‘happy new YEAR,’” she whispered.  “It’s ‘happy NEW year.’  Emphasize what’s most important.”

“Her ambitions were modest,” Joy said.  “She was content to be a homemaker and ‘hobbyist’ musician.  Still, the upcoming concert had to be the best it could, and enough tickets needed to be sold to pay the director’s small salary.

“Now and then there would be talk of making the Madrigals professional, with concert tours and a recording contract, but she was perfectly happy staying local and amateur.”

Jeanne Kimball at 84, making flower arrangements for her granddaughter's wedding.

A few years ago, in failing health, she moved into an addition built onto her daughter Holly and son-in-law Barry Tashian’s home in Nashville.  (Both have enjoyed long and successful careers as professional musicians.)

Almost to the end, she chopped carrots and celery.  She did daily vocal warmups at the piano.  Family, neighbors, visitors, the dog — “whoever was around” — participated.

“She never let go of her manners, her sense of humor and her delight in the wonders of being alive,” Joy said.  “She always expressed interest in visitors’ lives and asked appropriate questions, even when the answers mystified her and were instantly forgotten.”

Despite a drastic decline in her thinking abilities, she remained “cheerful, grateful and happy to be wherever she was.”

And thousands of Westporters — touched by her music teaching, promotion or playing — remain grateful and happy to have had Jeanne Kimball in their lives.

(A memorial service will be held Sat., April 2 at Westport’s Unitarian Church.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Unitarian Church, 10 Lyons Plains Rd., Westport CT 06880, or the Unitarian Universalist Association, 25 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02108.  Condolences and remembrances can be emailed to Faith Lyons: faith1943@verizon.net.)

Westport is not “other places.”

For WestportREADS — the 8th annual event in which individuals, families and organizations read, discuss and share the same book — Westport Library director Maxine Bleiweis and her staff have created a series of lectures, movies, music and more that is a local, literary version of Mardi Gras.

The analogy is apt.  Zeitoun — the 2011 WestportREADS book — is a riveting tale that leaves no inch of New Orleans unexplored.

Dave Eggers — a young, cool and very insightful writer — describes the true tale of Syrian-American Abdulrahman Zeitoun, his American wife Kathy, and their 4 children, as they are buffeted by 2 of America’s toughest challenges:  the war on terror, and Hurricane Katrina.

The library says:  “Told with eloquence and compassion, Zeitoun is an inspiring story of one family’s unthinkable struggle with wind, water, and forces beyond.”

With its themes of heroism, chaos, tolerance and stereotypes, Zeitoun practically begs to be read — and responded to.  The library has devised many ways to do that.

But, in typical WestportREADS fashion, plenty more thought-provoking programming builds upon the book’s base.

• Tomorrow (Wed., Jan 5, 7:30 p.m.) Dr. James Hansen — arguably America’s leading climatologist — will discuss the hurricane’s relationship with climate change.
• On Thursday (Jan. 6, 7:30 p.m.), New Orleans author Tom Piazza talks about the culture and uncertain future of this great city.
• This Sunday (Jan. 9, 1:30 p.m.), the movie “My Name is Khan” follows an autistic Muslim man from India who — following 9/11 and a personal tragedy — embarks on an inspiring journey to prove his loyalty.
• Next week (Wed., Jan. 12, 7:30 p.m.) 3 intriguing women — a Muslim, a Christian and a Jew — discuss how their search for understanding led them to found The Faith Club.
• Later (Thurs., Jan. 19, 7:30 p.m.) Columbia University provost Dr. Claude Steele tackles the topic of stereotypes, and their effect on everyone.
• “Zeitoun Monologues” — original staged readings by New Orleans playwright Rob Florence, with casting assembled by Westport’s Carole Schweid — is set for Sat., Jan. 29 (7:30 p.m.).
• Throughout the month there are book discussions — some led by the library, others not.
• And — if all this jawing and thinking tires you out — get ready for Friday, Feb. 11 (8 p.m.).  A big party features live jazz, and New Orleans cuisine.  It’s a fundraiser for both the library and the Zeitoun Foundation.

“When WestportREADS happens, so do connections,” Bleiweis says.

“People meet their neighbors.  And they talk about things they otherwise don’t.”

New Orleans has plenty of stereotypes — good and bad.  So do Muslims.

And so does Westport.

WestportREADS offers an opportunity to burrow beneath the surface of those stereotypes.

And read a great book, too.

(For more information on WestportREADS, click here or call 203-291-4800.  There are 2 companion books for children: Two Bobbies (about a cat and dog left behind during Katrina) for the youngest readers, and Ninth Ward (about a girl and her grandmother in the hurricane) for upper elementary and some middle school readers.)