…because Shake Shack opens July 20.
It’s the most eagerly anticipated Westport hamburger news since way back in 2010, when Five Guys came to town.
Shake Shack sees Five Guys’ burgers and fries, and raises them with hot dogs, shakes and frozen custard.
Plus beer and wine.
Let the burger battles begin.
Several weeks ago, I heard a rumor that Geiger’s was the next site for a Saugatuck-style commercial/apartment development.
I called the garden center, across the Post Road from Green’s Farms Elementary School. I asked about the plans.
A spokeswoman seemed surprised. Nothing of the sort was contemplated, she said.
Yesterday’s Westport News reports that tonight, the Planning and Zoning Commission discusses exactly that idea.
I blew it. My bad.
Next time use News of the World investigative techniques to get the story right.
Posted in Local business, Organizations, Saugatuck
Christie’s is 85 years young this year.
To celebrate, the country market returns to its (ho ho) roots.
Every Sunday through November, the rustic store on residential Cross Highway hosts a farmer’s market. Like the popular market itself, it’s both funky and fun.
And get this: Christie’s owners John and Renee Hooper don’t charge the farmers or other vendors a cent.
Nor do they ask for any percentage of sales.
“We’re just trying to serve the community,” Renee says.
They’re doing more than trying. They’re succeeding.
A small part of the large bounty at Christie's farmer's market.
This past Sunday, delighted customers — many with young kids — wandered among the dozen or so stalls. Of course there’s the usual fruits and veggies: cucumbers, peas, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, berries, Swiss chard, arugula and more.
It’s all Connecticut grown. The farmer from Smith’s Acres in Niantic says everything is fresh picked: “Last thing last night, or early this morning.” It doesn’t get fresher than that.
But there’s more. One vendor offers beef, pork and salmon. Nothin’ But Foods sells ginger lemon cashew snack bars, and honey-sweetened granola.
There’s honey, goat soaps, maple syrup, hot and cool pickles. Mirabelle — most recently on Main Street — is at Christie’s, selling cheeses out of a mobile unit.
Plus candles and art cards. And a pair of singer/guitar players, Dave Allen and Mark Ehmann, whose soft music lends just the right background to the market.
The duo plays next to Frosty Bear, the ice cream gazebo that gives new meaning to coconut chocolate chip and other amazing flavors.
“Families love this,” Renee says proudly. “And the farmers are thrilled.”
Frank and his olive oils.
“People are so nice,” says Frank, of the Olive Oil Factory. “Everyone is friendly, and the owners are very easy-going.
“There are no hassles. Most places like this have all these silly rules.”
And, Frank adds, “I appreciate that they don’t use plastic bags.”
Back in the day — 1926, to be exact — Christie’s started out as a market for goods grown on the farm surrounding it. It was a true “farmer’s market.”
Today it hosts a 2011 version of that same idea. The goat soap and granola may be new — but if Christie Masiello magically returned to Cross Highway, she’d definitely recognize the place.
And the peas and beans.
(Christie’s farmer’s market hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Coming this fall: harvest goods — and wine.)
Posted in Environment, Local business, Looking back, People, Places
Tagged Christie's Country Store, farmers market, John Hooper, Renee Hooper
A Westport organization has a 1 in 5 shot at winning a much-needed car.
With your help, the odds will improve.
ITNCoastalCT — the 24/7 local transportation service for adults over 60, and the visually impaired — is one of 500 finalists in Toyota’s online program.
“100 Cars for Good” showcases 5 non-profits each day for 100 days, on Toyota’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/toyota).
Just what ITNCoastalCT needs.
Visitors to the page can vote once a day for the organization they feel most deserves a new Toyota Prius. ITNCoastalCT will be highlighted for voting this Friday (July 15).
What could be better than a new car for an organization that delivers rides? Mark this Friday — and the Facebook page — in your calendar today.
And to really leverage your vote, post this on your Facebook page.
We’re in it to win it!
Posted in Organizations
It’s a tradition almost as old as the Westport Library Book Sale itself:
Complaining about the dealers who camp out in line, swarm the tents and scoop up hundreds, even thousands, of books, while You and I just try to find the perfect paperback.
But there’s another side to the story. Don’t judge a book by its cover, say library officials.
The “dealers” — who include second-hand resellers, rare book collectors and non-profit agencies — are an important part of the event. Friends of the Library makes over $100,000 from the book sale. That money pays for a wide variety of programs, special events and collections.
Without the dealers’ bulk purchases, there’s no way the Friends would reach 6 figures. In fact, they account for nearly 50 percent of total sales.
All is calm before the Westport Library book sale. It's a different scene Saturday morning.
The dealers come from all over the East Coast, says Mimi Greenlee, the longtime and indefatigable book sale chair. Some own stores; others sell on the internet.
They come to 3 big Connecticut sales: Westport, Pequot in Southport, and CH Booth in Newtown. Ours is particularly attractive, Mimi says, because of the high quality of books. “They know the type of community Westport is — and the great type of donations we receive.”
But the dealers are not always attractive to “regular” book sale-goers. There were 450 people waiting outside when the tent flaps opened last year. Many were dealers. They race through on Day One — and keep coming, especially on half-price Mondays and everything-free Tuesdays.
Greenlee knows the dealers don’t have a 5-star reputation. “Some people think they get in the way, block the aisles and just take as many books as they can.”
That’s why, she says, there are rules against “scooping of shelves.”
That’s also why the book sale has staked out a special area in the back of the tents, where dealers can go through the piles of books they picked up on their first pass. Volunteers restock those unwanted books quickly.
“Dealers are very important to our sale,” Greenlee emphasizes. “But we also work hard to manage them, so they don’t impact you and me.”
And, she notes: “If you go to a used bookstore, or shop on Amazon for a low price, where do you think those books came from?”
In fact, she adds, “what they do is no different from what the library book sale does. Both of us collect used books, and resell them.”
Oh, yeah: Not all the dealers are in it for themselves. Some of those guys (and gals) with the biggest boxes represent non-profits. They send what they’ve collected to Africa, Asia, Russia — and prisons here in the US.
Over 17 years, the Westport Library book sale has exploded. It started as a tiny indoors event. Then there was one small tent outside. Now there are 5 tents on Jesup Green — and overflow in the McManus Room.
The book sale starts this Saturday (July 16, 9 a.m.), and runs through Tuesday.
Don’t worry. There’s enough for everyone.
And if you happen to be looking for a special volume, and can’t find it — hey, there’s always used book stores, and the internet.
(Ever wanted to see a YouTube video of the book sale? Click below.)
LaurelRock crews made great progress this week on Westport’s new Gateway Gardens, on the east side of the Post Road bridge.
Installation of decorative granite posts, paving stones and new plantings should be completed by Friday — just in time for the weekend’s Fine Arts Festival.
LaurelRock — founded in Westport as Dickson DeMarche Landscape Architects — is donating the $35,000 gardens to celebrate the company’s 35th anniversary.
A dedication ceremony is set for this Sunday (July 17, 1 p.m.).
Posted in Arts, Downtown, Local business
Tagged Gateway Gardens, LaurelRock, Westport Fine Arts Festival
It’s nothing like the opening scene in “American Graffiti.”
Mark Milosky and his 1962 Buick Skylark.
This is Westport, Connecticut after all — not Modesto, California.
It’s 2011, not 1962.
And gas costs $4.28 a gallon, not 28¢.
But the cars are the same. Chevy Impalas. Buick Skylarks. Even Edsels.
They’re on display here every Thursday, from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Fresh Market parking lot.
That’s not always good. Drivers passing by on the Post Road are so amazed at these vintage autos, they might stop short and slam into the Range Rover in front of them.
A 1930 Model A. "Bob" from Fairfield swapped a 1951 Ford for it. "It made it to Foxwoods," he says proudly.
The “Summer Cruise” — which runs through October 20 — is sponsored by the Connecticut Seaport Car Club.
The 100-plus members own and restore vintage autos, street rods, trucks, customs, stock originals and antiques.
They host holiday parties and other social events. They also donate funds to local charities like the Connecticut Burns Care Foundation, and collect shoes for earthquake victims in Haiti.
“We’re just a lot of friendly people who like to get together and have a good time,” says club president Mark Milosky. Members come from all over Connecticut.
So why choose to cruise here?
“There’s not a lot to do in Westport,” says Milosky. (He lives in Southport, not exactly The Most Happenin’ Place on the Planet.)
Whatever.
A 1967 Jeep. "You don't drive it," the owner says. "You aim it."
The oldest car in the club is a 1907 Fiat. The newest are Camaros and Mustangs. “Basically, any car you can think of” is represented, Milosky says.
He owns a ’62 Skylark, a ’66 Mustang, and 2 Edsels. “Those are very rare,” he says of the automobile that has become a synonym for epic fail. “They’re head turners.”
The Connecticut Seaport Car Club welcomes all owners, restorers, enthusiasts — and gawkers. It’s easy to see why.
In a parking lot usually filled with generic vehicles — how many times have you been unable to find even your own car? — these classic cars stand out.
Even Especially the Edsel.
Posted in Looking back, Organizations, People
Tagged "American Graffiti", Connecticut Seaport Car Club, Edsel, Mark Milosky
The owner of this all-electric Tesla Roadster snagged a great license plate:
I guess the letters “FU” were already taken.
When you or I watch “Billy Elliot” we marvel at the dancing, the energy, the predictable but uplifting story line.
Gina Rattan watches actors’ entrances and exits. She listens to decibel levels.
And she does it in rehearsals and performances, night after night, week after week after week.
Gina is “Billy Elliot”‘s resident director. She’s responsible for maintaining the Broadway show’s consistency. She keeps it true to its original creative vision. She trains new cast members.
And — because there are 4 Billy Elliots — she spends much of her time handling a quartet of 11-year-old boys.
The Westport native loves every minute of it.
Gina Rattan
Her road to Broadway began with Staples Players. She assistant directed main stages, One Acts and studios. Director David Roth gives his students plenty of responsibility, and Gina reveled in the opportunity to learn all about theater, develop strong bonds and produce great shows.
After graduating in 2004, she earned a BFA in directing at the University of Michigan. Like Staples, it combines a superb theater program with strong academics. Gina studied every aspect of performing, from a worldly perspective.
She moved to the Old Globe in San Diego, working on Shakespeare and musicals. She got jobs in New York, and with “Little House on the Prairie: The Musical.” Last winter she returned to Staples, helping Roth with the One-Act Festival.
In May — just a couple of weeks after interviewing for it — she started her “Billy Elliot” gig. It’s her best, most intriguing — and demanding — job so far.
It was a baptism by fire. Gina learned the show — the timing, tempo, blocking, cues and “emotional temperature” that spell the difference between success and failure — at the same time she critiqued it.
It’s a huge undertaking. There are 51 cast members, and the staging is complex. Fortunately, Gina says, “I’m not responsible for the dancing.” Two resident choreographers handle that task.
She’s got enough on her hands. The 4 Billys — each boy does 2 shows a week — must deliver consistent performances, though all are different people.
The Billys respond well. “They’re terrific kids,” Gina says. “They’ve become a pack. And everyone once in a while one of them says something that makes me think ‘Wow, you really are 11!”
The demands on the boys are intense. Besides continuous rehearsals — 10 blocks from the Imperial Theatre — the 4 Billys juggle tutoring, physical therapy, strength training and acrobatics.
“They run all over the place,” Gina notes. “I have to look at the big picture, and make sure it all fits together.”
The rest of the cast and crew have been great too. They share their knowledge of “the life of the piece” — something Gina missed by not being there from Day One.
“Collaborating with colleagues, working with kids, learning how it all fits together — that’s what makes this such an amazing show,” she adds.
Every day, Gina adds to her skill set. Whatever she does next, her experience as resident director has given her career a major boost.
So what’s next?
“I have no idea,” Gina says. “My contract is for a year. Right now, I just know I have rehearsal in 20 minutes. And a long day ahead!”
Posted in Arts, Children, Entertainment, People, Staples HS
Tagged Billy Elliot, David Roth, Gina Rattan, Staples Players
Just 4 months after his abduction in Libya made international headlines, Tyler Hicks is back in Africa.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times photographer spent some time in his hometown of Westport after his release in March. He was among 4 journalists captured, including fellow Westport native Lynsey Addario.
Returning to work, his 1st assignment was Mexico.
Now he’s back overseas. Today’s Times carries 4 compelling photos — the 1st ever from the newly created nation of South Sudan.
All carry Tyler Hicks’ photo credit.
Jubilation reigns in the capital of Juba, as South Sudan gains independence. (Photo by Tyler Hicks/New York Times)
As the sun shone through the trees, independence came to South Sudan. (Photo by Tyler Hicks/New York Times)
South Sudan president Salva Kiir's trademark is a black cowboy hat, a gift from former President George W. Bush. (Photo by Tyler Hicks/New York Times)
The new nation of South Sudan is led by former guerilla fighters and commanders. (Photo by Tyler Hicks/New York Times)
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