Monthly Archives: November 2017

Pic Of The Day #220

Posted on November 23, 2017 | 4 comments

Dog day at Compo Beach (Photo/Amy Schneider)

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Posted in Beach, Pic of the Day

Happy Thanksgiving, From “06880” To All

Posted on November 23, 2017 | 18 comments

Stevan Dohanos’ “Thanksgiving” painting drew its inspiration from the red gingerbread house at 55 Long Lots Road.

It’s still standing. And Thanksgiving is still one of Westport’s most cherished holidays.

 

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Posted in Arts, Places, Westport life

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Pic Of The Day #219

Posted on November 22, 2017 | 3 comments

William Cribari Bridge in autumn (Photo/Katherine Bruan)

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Posted in Pic of the Day, Saugatuck, Transportation

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And The Answer Is …

Posted on November 22, 2017 | 3 comments

Today’s New York Times crossword puzzle starts easily.

1 Across:  “Home to Santa’s workshop.” 4 letters. Hmmm…”North Pole” doesn’t fit. So…just “Pole,” right?

Okay. 1 Down: “Affluent Connecticut town.” Also 4 letters.

Wow. I can’t think of any towns that start with “P.” Or even any 4-letter affluent Connecticut towns. Well, maybe Avon…

On to 5 Across, to the immediate right:  “Popular outdoor clothing brand, with ‘The.'” The only one I can think of is “North Face.” But there are only 4 squares. Leave that for later…

I’ll try the next one on the top line. 9 Across:  “Minnesota NHL team from 1967 to 1993.” That’s simple: “North Stars.” But wait — there are only 5 letters. So…just “Stars,” no?

Aha!

Every answer on the top is missing “North.”

Why would that be?

Oh yeah! Because they’re on the top line — in other words, the “North”!

So that must mean, um — the bottom line would be “South.”

Let’s check it out. 67 Across is “Country hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics.” I haven’t paid attention yet, but I’m guessing it’s not South Africa. What about…South Korea?

Yep — there are 5 squares. Bingo!

So back to the top — 1 Down. I’m betting every answer on the left side starts with “West.”

Which would make that “affluent Connecticut town” — the one with only 4 letters, starting with a “P” — “Westport”!

It’s a clever crossword. And I’ll be sure to thank Times puzzle editor Will Shortz for it personally, next February.

You know — when he makes his annual appearance at the Westport Library Crossword Competition!

Will Shortz at the Westport Library, last February.

(Hat tip: David Schwartz)

 

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Posted in Library, Media, People, Totally random

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Downtown Gears Up For The Holidays

Posted on November 22, 2017 | 7 comments

Valet parking, horse and carriage rides, and a Nutcracker Festival.

Those are some upcoming holiday offerings, thanks to the Westport Downtown Merchants Association.

For the 2nd year in a row, valets are available on Black Friday, then every Saturday at the Main Street and Elm intersection, from noon to 6 p.m. It’s $5 car (plus a tip!).

Horse and carriage rides return — thanks in part to the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce — on Saturday, December 16 (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.). Boarding is at Bedford Square. There’s a stop for warm beverages across from Serena & Lily, courtesy of the Westport Historical Society.

The only thing missing is snow. (Photo courtesy of WestportNow.com)

December 16 is also the date for the Connecticut Theater’s Nutcracker Festival (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Christ & Holy Trinity Church’s Branson Hall will be filled with Nutcracker Tea seatings, a Sugar Plum Fairy, and a Snowflake Boutique with local businesses and artisans. There are 2 child-friendly performances of “Land of the Sweets” at the Seabury Center next door. Santa arrives (on a fire truck) at 9 a.m. to kick off the festivities. Click here for tickets.

Meanwhile, merchants are vying for WDMA “Best Holiday Window” prizes in 3 categories: national chains, independent retailers, and restaurants and cafes. (For inspiration, just look across the river at the west bank windows.)

Meanwhile, all of Westport wants to know: What about the lights?

The WDMA planned to buy new ones this year. Unfortunately, bad weather at another holiday event — the Labor Day Blues, Views & BBQ Festival — cut into proceeds. Lights are now in next year’s budget.

But here’s another light story — with a dark side.

A couple of days ago WDMA representatives went out to measure the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge. They left a big box of 48-foot lights on the south side, near the railing.

When they came back, they were gone. It took about 7 minutes for someone to steal Westport’s holiday lights.

Bah, Humbug!

Holiday lights, 2015.

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Posted in Downtown, Local business, Organizations

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Unsung Heroes #24

Posted on November 22, 2017 | 2 comments

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.

All across Westport, families and friends will gather to enjoy this warm, nourishing and traditional American holiday.

Putting on such a celebration is a lot of work. But it’s nothing compared to what goes on at Saugatuck Congregational Church.

For 47 years, the handsome white building near the center of town has hosted a community Thanksgiving feast. (With a little help from Christ & Holy Trinity Church around the corner, after the fire a few years ago.)

It’s a free meal. All are welcome. And hundreds come.

Some are alone. Others prefer the company of a community. No one asks questions. They just gather together, and enjoy the day.

A small part of the Thanksgiving Community Feast.

The turkey-and-all-the-trimmings event goes like clockwork. After nearly half a century, the church has it down pat.

Yet it takes a village to throw a townwide feast.

Over 100 volunteers make it happen. Saugatuck Church members, congregants from every other religious institution, non-believers — all pitch in.

They donate food, decorate the hall, do kitchen prep, set up tables, check in guests, cook, carve, serve, oversee the buffet table, bus tables, wash dishes and (of course) clean up. Three of them play keyboard, drums and sax, just for kicks.

They provide rides to the church for those who can’t drive, and deliver meals to those who are homebound.

They work magic.

A few of the volunteers at a Saugatuck Church Community Thanksgiving Feast.

The name of the holiday is Thanksgiving. Many of the helpers at tomorrow’s feast work behind the scenes. They never hear thanks.

That’s not why they do it, of course. Still, it’s nice to know you’re appreciated.

Which is why all the hundreds of Community Thanksgiving Feast volunteers — past, present and future — are this week’s Unsung Heroes.

Thank you!

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Posted in religion, Unsung Heroes, Westport life

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Everyone’s Welcome At This Turkey Table

Posted on November 22, 2017 | 9 comments

Caissie St. Onge will never forget the day her younger son Lincoln was born. It was the same day the family moved to Westport. While she was in the hospital, friends hauled furniture into her recently purchased home.

Back in Brooklyn, Caissie — a TV industry veteran, who is now co-executive producer of Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live” — usually worked right up to Thanksgiving.

Because it was hard for many young co-workers to get home for the holiday, Caissie and her husband, Matt Debenham, hosted a few for the turkey meal.

Several years ago, they revived that tradition here.

“We live in one of the smallest houses in Westport,” Caissie says. “But we can fit 20 people in our living room.”

Friends loan tables and chairs. This year, for the first time, Caissie and Matt got a tent for the deck.

The living room, ready for guests.

Some guests take the train from New York. Caissie’s son Eli shuttles them back and forth from the station.

Eli is now a freshman at Southern Connecticut State University; Lincoln is sophomore at Staples High. As they grow older, they like the event more. Both are good at talking with adults — though the guests include random children too.

Each year, the number grows. Caissie does not know some of them. “They’re friends of friends of friends,” she says. “Everyone is welcome.”

One newcomer tomorrow will be a woman spending her first Thanksgiving away from her now-grown children.

Thanksgiving can be pressure-filled, Caissie notes. “It can be lonely. Even if you stay home and cook with your family, it can be stressful. So I figured, since I’m cooking, I might as well cook for everybody.”

Clockwise from top left: Eli, Lincoln and Matt Debenham, Caissie St. Onge.

Caissie’s family provides turkey and ham. Some guests bring wine or dessert. It’s all served buffet-style.

In the past, people started coming at 2 p.m. This year they’ve pushed it back to 3.

“We’ve had snafus, like blown fuses and the timing for cooking being wrong,” Caissie says cheerfully.

Many guests stay until 9 or 10.

“It goes by in a flash,” Caissie says. “I wish it could last longer. We really enjoy welcoming people into our home.”

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Posted in People, Westport life

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Pics Of The Day #218

Posted on November 21, 2017 | 10 comments

Don’t mess with these girls.

Police and teenagers threw balls at each other’s heads — and cheered for each other — at tonight’s annual Dodge-a-Cop tournament in the Staples High School fieldhouse.

Sponsored by the Westport Youth Commission, Staples’ Teen Awareness Group, the Westport Police Youth Collaborative and PAL, it’s a chance for a couple of hundred kids and a couple of dozen cops to play dodgeball, eat pizza, win trophies, raise money, and hang out.

Teams came in costume. Police took off their holsters and cuffs. It was a great night for all.

Whether it’s Staples Wrecker blue, or the men (and women) in blue, the message was clear: Blue lives matter.

A typical team — with actual cops on the far left and far right.

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Posted in Pic of the Day, Police, Sports, Staples HS, Teenagers

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“In Wonderful Westport…”

Posted on November 21, 2017 | 19 comments

When technical difficulties prevented a video of 2nd graders singing Westport’s praises from being shown at last night’s swearing-in of town officials, most of the Town Hall audience probably breathed a sigh of relief.

There’s a thin line between cute and cringe-worthy. Very few of the board, commission and RTM members wanted to test it.

But 1st Selectman Jim Marpe had an ace up his sleeve: Suzanne Sherman Propp,  and her Greens Farms Elementary School music students.

The song — which she and the kids wrote, with Cheryl Buck — is catchy and clever. It covers tons of Westport people, places and history. The 2nd graders are not the Vienna Boys’ Choir (for one thing, there are girls), but they carry a tune better than I do.

And the video — produced by Josh Margolis — is first-rate. Newcomers, old-timers and (especially) ex-pats will love the fast-paced photos. (It’s also clever. When the kids sing about famous families and come to “Sherwood,” there’s a shot of the diner.)

So go ahead. Click below. Enjoy the show!

19 Comments

Posted in Children, Education, Entertainment, Local politics

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Historic Homes, Modern Videos

Posted on November 21, 2017 | 3 comments

Westport’s first schoolhouse was built in 1812. With YouTube still 2 centuries in the future, you’d figure kids would have had few distractions, and could pay attention to the teacher.

On the other hand, with 37 students in one class, youngsters probably found other ways to goof off.

That first schoolhouse is now a private home. It — and 6 others — are featured on the Westport Historical Society’s upcoming Holiday House Tour (Sunday, December 10, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.).

The WHS honors the past — but its other foot is planted firmly in the present. So they’ve taken to YouTube to promote this annual fun fundraiser.

The video below offers tidbits about that original schoolhouse. (It’s also the location of what may be Westport’s first swimming pool. Who knew?)

This one shows a Cross Highway home, dating back to 1764. A century and a half later — which is more than a century ago — it was owned by George Hand Wright, a renowned artist and one of the founders of Westport’s “arts colony.”

This quick video only hints at the wonders of “Duck Haven.” It doesn’t show where it is — but we all drive past it often. We see the front from one direction, the back from another. And we all wonder what’s inside.

On December 10, you can explore the interiors of all 3 houses — and 4 more.

They’re all worth touring. It’s a chance to see Westport’s historic past, decorated beautifully for the 2017 holidays.

(Click here for more information, and tickets.)

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Posted in Arts, Looking back, Organizations

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