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Yesterday, “06880” reported that Adam Goldberg’s pop-up bagel store — the one behind Cycle Dynamics that draws dozens of devoted customers every Saturday — was entering the Brooklyn Bagelfest contest.
Sure, Westporters love them. But — as the only out-of-state entrant in the bunch — Adam was sure that others had a home borough advantage.
Well whaddayouknow: The boys from the ‘burbs won it all!
Congratulations to Adam. Now all of New York knows whose bagels are the best.
And it ain’t theirs.
Da winners!
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A reader writes:
“At the Y this morning, we were shocked to see a very big wild cat walk by on the paved path outside the fitness center. This is an area used frequently by children and adults. I called 911 because in my experience, coming from California, large wild cats are dangerous. They should not be seen in urban areas alongside humans, as this indicates a lack of fear or illness that is even more dangerous.
The big cat.
Animal control assistant Peter Reid responded by email. He wrote:
“That is a decent-sized bobcat, and he is certainly walking around like he owns the place!
“That YMCA property used to be a summer camp, and was mostly woods. Now they have developed almost all of it, and with reduced cover, animal sightings have increased. We had a bear move through that property on several occasions this past summer.
“I will talk to the YMCA about some signage. I know there was at least one previous sighting earlier this week.
“And I will add that area to my patrol route!”
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October 11 is National Coming Out Day.
To celebrate, Westport Pride is sponsoring a virtual panel discussion. From 7 to 8:30 p.m. that day, an “A team” of LGBTQ area residents will answer “When did you know?” They’ll tell their own personal stories of self-realization, acceptance and coming out.
Panelists include
- John Dodig, former Staples High School principal
- Zac Mathias, Weston High School senior and media influencer
- Samantha Webster, Staples High graduate and former Staples Player
- Luke Foreman, Staples grad and varsity tennis captain
- Jen DeLoyd and Bethany Eppner, Westport parents
- Kayla Iannetta, Staples teacher and founder of the Westport Public Schools’ Pride Coalition
- Brian McGunagle, Westport parent and founder of Westport Pride.
Email westportctpride@gmail.com for a Zoom link.
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Yesterday’s Police Benevolent Association classic car show drew plenty of old-time autos — and throngs of admirers — to the train station.
Among beauties:
(Photo/Sarathi Roy)
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Halloween is all about dressing up. And what better place for a costume than the Westport Country Playhouse.
On the day before the holiday — October 30, noon to 4 p.m. — the historic theater hosts an outdoor family event. On tap: activities for kids, food trucks, a food drive for the community, beer tasting, scavenger hunt, raffle, and a costume parade (dogs welcome!).
Westport Country Playhouse (Photo/Lynn U. Miller)
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One of last month’s Photo Challenges showed “Onyx Perpetual” — the sculpture by Sally Mttikow that stands near the Riverwalk downtown. It’s part of the Westport Public Art Collections.
It was also — as JC Martin’s image showed — overgrown with weeds and brush.
That’s been removed. Passersby can see the artwork as originally intended.
Except for one thing. As Werner Liepolt noted, it is now heavily damaged.
(Photo/Werner Liepolt)
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Spotted on Route 33:
“Maybe the driver works for Campbell’s Soups,” says photographer June Rose Whittaker.
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Today, “Westport … Naturally” heads to Sherwood Island State Park. Here are some pods in the dunes:
(Photo/Elena Naseruddin)
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And finally … in honor of Pop-up Bagels bagging the Brooklyn Bagelfest gold, this nugget says it all:
I lived in Westport for 40 years and during that time I never saw a bobcat, bear, or any other wild animal – with the exception of a few deer – roaming around town. Obviously this has been happening for only one reason – we have taken their space and for what – a bigger McMansion?
Bobcat sightings in Connecticut have been increasing in recent years — but they rarely threaten humans or domestic animals (see https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Fact-Sheets/Bobcat).
In any event, it is difficult to imagine how increased signage will help — I am not aware that the local bobcat population is able to read signs, or would be much inclined to obey them if they could!
The cat in the picture is indeed a bobcat. You can tell because of the short tail that looks like it has been “bobbed”. It’s coat is also mottled, rarely seen in wild cats. Though the picture isn’t clear, it also appears to have the tufted ears seen in bobcats.
Wild cats (also called cougars or mountain lions) are more common in the west and are dangerous to humans. They have tails that are as long as their bodies are. Wild cats coat’s are not mottled. Their ears are not tufted. They are at least twice the size of the cat in the photo.
Bobcat attacks are indeed extremely rare. When you encounter them in the wild, their usual response is to leave the area you (humans) are in.
If your reader would like to help with the CT Bobcat study, sightings can be reported at this link:
https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/775f654283da4b769146cdd3d39d0e1c?portalUrl=https://CTDEEP.maps.arcgis.com
Thanks Dan as always. Your reader/commenter Marla is correct, that CT DEEP does appreciate a record of bobcat (and bear and moose, yes moose) sightings in the state. My buddy Pete Reid is also correct that the Camp Mahackeno site was once fully wooded and it would not be rare for bobcat to pass through. We had a very handsome one trek into our backyard last year for the first time in 48 years, most likely coming from a sip at Sasco Brook. Marla is also correct that bobcats avoid human contact; the reason we see them now (in spring and fall) is that they’re likely migrating to and from their winter abodes. Leave ’em alone and enjoy the view, hopefully they’ll do the same. PS I would leave the cat and small dogs inside at night though
I once saw a license plate with DDDDDDD. It was owned by a Mr. Daddario.
If your first responses to seeing a wild animal are (1) omg I’m sooooo scared! and (2) how do we get rid of it?!?! then you should live somewhere else. I would suggest either moving back to California (I’m guessing the Valley or somewhere equally barren) or to an apartment in downtown Stamford. I wish the recording of this 911 call (!!!) was available. “I’m sorry ma’am, you’re calling about a… cat? At a… YMCA? Is it… holding you at gunpoint or something?”
But seriously, the concept that we should be living in a protected bubble insulated from the ecosystem we are a part of is unreasonable and, in many ways, disgusting. Very emblematic of a certain kind of entitled attitude that sees the natural world as a nice backdrop of instagram photos and little more.
Hi–I live on Cross Brook Lane very near the YMCA. We have seen this bobcat on our street several times. He is recognizable because he is bigger than most bobcats I’ve seen in our area and because his tail is a bit longer than normal. He has run away every time he has seen me or my neighbors. In fact, I was sitting in my lower level back room with the door open and my chickens were out. The bobcat wondered into my backyard, didn’t touch the chickens, saw me, and ran away. Nothing to worry about in my opinion. We are privileged to be surrounded by such beautiful creatures. BTW, Bear 211 was in my backyard too (rest his sweet soul) and never touched my chickens or dog.
In my opinion the Pop Up Bagels are pretty overrated. Nothing wrong with them, but in no way are better than a NYC bagel. Any bagel place in NYC worth it’s salt wouldn’t need to send their bagels to some competition to confirm what they already know…