Monthly Archives: November 2021

Pic Of The Day #1682

Posted on November 25, 2021 | 1 comment

Jolantha gives thanks, in Weston (Photo/Hans Wilhelm)

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Roundup: Black Friday, Fire Department Tree, Cribari Bridge Lighting …

Posted on November 25, 2021 | 5 comments

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First Selectwoman Jen Tooker delivers her first Thanksgiving message to Westport:

“I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving, as well as a Happy Hanukkah for those celebrating.

“Westport has much to be thankful for. As we emerge from a global pandemic, we are grateful for our first responders, our town employees and staff, our teachers, colleagues and friends, and the numerous volunteers who gave unselfishly of their time, talents and resources. Most importantly, we are grateful for each other, and how we came together as a community to lift up, to help and to inspire during challenging times. Westporters are truly resilient!

“We are also keenly aware that there are those among us who need additional care and concern, especially during holidays. Theodore Roosevelt said, ‘Let us remember that, as much has been given, much will be expected…and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips and shows itself in deeds.’”

“And so, at this Thanksgiving and for the days to come, I ask that we both reflect and act; to give of ourselves in word and deed; to express our appreciation for all that we do have, and to make simple acts of kindness the norm, not the trend.

“On a personal note, my sincerest hope is that you enjoy your Thanksgiving and upcoming Holidays with friends and families, and that you have the opportunity to be thankful for the simple blessings we all share. Thank you.”

Jen Tooker is thankful to celebrate Thanksgiving with her husband Mo and her father, Bob “Pops” Salmon.

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Just in time for Black Friday, “Finding Westport”‘s Jillian Elder has found local stores offering sales, customer appreciation days and more this weekend.

Click here for her list. If you prefer to shop from home, keep it local! Scroll down on her website for a list of Westport-based Etsy shops.

JL Rocks is one of many local businesses you can find on “Finding Westport.”

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Yesterday morning, the Westport Fire Department helped the Westport Downtown Association put up a Christmas tree at Parker Harding Plaza, across from Starbucks.

Check out the fire extinguisher “present” — and the firefighter’s hat on top!

(Photo/Amy Schneider)

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Al’s Angels’ annual Cribari Bridge lighting ceremony is tomorrow night (Friday, November 26, 4 to 6:30 p.m., Saugatuck Rowing Club).

There’s Santa, cocoa (kids’ and spiked), hot dogs and popcorn. It’s a ticketed event ($20 adults, $10 children — plus an unwrapped toy), with all toys and funds going to (of course) Al’s Angels.

For over 20 years they’ve brought joy to children with life-threatening illnesses (and their families). And for 20 years they’ve kept the Cribari Bridge lit.

Click here for tickets. You can pay at the door too,

Tomorrow’s Cribari Bridge lighting rings in the holiday season. (Photo/January Stewart)

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There’s one more parking space today on Myrtle Avenue.

“Hank the Tank” — the Mercedes sedan that, since summer, sat in front of Town Hall since summer — was trucked away yesterday. He’s been donated to the Fire Department, for use as a training vehicle.

Hank has quite a back story. If you missed it earlier this month on “06880,” click here.

College girls — friends of the owner — say goodbye, moments before Hank the Tank is trucked away. (Photo/Frank Rosen)

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Speaking of cars: Traffic has been terrible lately. It’s the holidays. And a paving project on Riverside Avenue by the Cribari Bridge has funneled traffic onto already jammed streets.

This was the scene Thursday night:

(Photo/Jon Dworkow)

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Today, Westporters give thanks for many things. These “Westport … Naturally” featured creatures give thanks that they’re hanging out on Colony Road, not on someone’s carving board.

(Photo/Tammy Barry)

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And finally … I’m old enough to remember that, for my first couple of years at Burr Farms Elementary School right here in Westport, we opened the day by reciting the Lord’s Prayer (!).

In music class, we also sang “We Gather Together” every Thanksgiving — even after the Supreme Court ruled (8 to 1) that prayer and Bible reading were unconstitutional in public schools.

The things you learn when you’re young stay with you forever. I’ve always associated that hymn with Thanksgiving — and I still know all the words.

In fact, it’s one of only two Thanksgiving songs I know. Last year, I featured Arlo Guthrie. This year … well, let us give thanks, and pray.

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Posted in Downtown, Local business, Saugatuck, Transportation

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Happy Thanksgiving, 2021

Posted on November 25, 2021 | 23 comments

In 1941, The Saturday Evening Post published Westport artist Stevan Dohanos’ Thanksgiving cover.

A few years later Dohanos produced this illustration, titled simply “Thanksgiving.” The house was a red gingerbread, at 55 Long Lots Road.

That home still stands — though it’s been remodeled. Much else has changed in Westport over the years too.

And much has not.

On this Thanksgiving Day 2021, “06880” wishes all our readers — in this zip code, or far away — a happy, healthy and heartfelt holiday.

As we count our blessings, I’ll start with this:

I am truly grateful for each and every reader. You make our community — online and off — one of the liveliest, most robust, most fulfilling and fun — on earth.

Thank you for all you do, for all of us. Enjoy the day.

And — if you haven’t done it yet — get your vaccine, and booster shot!

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Posted in Looking back, Westport life

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Pic Of The Day #1681

Posted on November 24, 2021 | 2 comments

Bill Ryan took this photo the other day from Compo Beach, looking across at Saugatuck Harbor. He was intrigued by the dramatic cloud.

But when he looked closer, he thought: It’s not a cloud at all. It’s a huge turkey, hightailing it out of town until Thanksgiving is over.

Happy Turkey Day to all!

(Photo/Bill Ryan)

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Posted in Beach, Environment, Pic of the Day

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Unsung Heroes #216

Posted on November 24, 2021 | 15 comments

Alert — and grateful — “06880” reader Cia Marion writes:

Early the other morning, we discovered a huge 8-point stag lying in our woods. He appeared to be dead. However, as we cautiously approached, he moved slightly. We realized he was alive, but very incapacitated.

We waited to see if nature would take its course, but it became apparent that this terrified animal was suffering a slow and helpless death.

We left a detailed message with Westport Animal Control. A few minutes later Peter Reid, Westport’s assistant animal control officer, returned our call. He arrived shortly thereafter at our house.

Officer Reid confirmed that the deer could not be saved, so he contacted the Police Department for help. Within minutes, Officer John Margnelli pulled into our driveway, and humanely put the magnificent buck out of its misery.

Peter Reid in 2020, with an injured fawn.

Now the question remained what to do with the 300-pound body. Try to salvage what venison could be saved, or let our neighborhood coyotes and turkey vultures do their unpleasant but essential work as nature’s recyclers?

Fortunately, our neighbor Rob Sweetnam has a hunting friend with a truck. They wrestled this very heavy and unwieldy carcass out of the woods and into the vehicle.

We were very impressed throughout this experience with how competently, compassionately and professionally Officers Reid and Margnelli handled this unfortunate situation. We feel lucky to have such wonderful people working in our town.

And our hats are off to our neighbor Rob and his friend for their quick thinking and Yankee ingenuity in finding a way to remove the deer from the woods, so that some good use could come from its death.

Although the loss of this beautiful creature was quite sad, the response to our need for help was very uplifting. A sincere thank you to everyone involved!

(Do you know an Unsung Hero? Email dwoog@optonline.net)

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Posted in Environment, Police, Unsung Heroes

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CORRECTION: Dueling Tree Lightings Are December 3

Posted on November 24, 2021 | 1 comment

This morning’s Roundup noted that 2 tree lighting ceremonies are December 2. In fact, both the Wakeman Town Farm and Town Hall events are Friday, December 3.

The Town Hall lighting begins at 5 p.m. The Staples High School Orphenians will sing.

The WTF lighting starts at 4:30, and features music, cocoa, cookies and a bonfire.

See you at one — or both!

Wakeman Town Farm tree lighting, in 2019. Last year’s event was canceled, due to COVID.

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Roundup: Dodge-a-Cop, Tree Lighting, Uber Discount …

Posted on November 24, 2021 | 2 comments

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Police officers and Staples High School students battled last night. For 2 hours in the fieldhouse, they hurled objects at each other.

It’s all good.

The event was Dodge-a-Cop. The annual dodgeball tournament is a fundraiser for Toys for Tots — and a great way to get police and teenagers working together. Each student team included at least one officer.

Dodge-a-Cop was organized by the Westport Youth Commission and Staples’ Teen Awareness Group.

There were no arrests.

Westport Police Chief Foti Koskinas (2nd from right) and RTM member Andrew Colabella (far right) joined in the fun. (Photo courtesy of Westport Police Department)

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Dueling tree lighting ceremonies!

Both the town of Westport, and Wakeman Town Farm, will do the honors on Friday, December 3.

The Town Hall event begins at 5 p.m. The Staples High School Orphenians will sing.

The WTF lighting starts at 4:30, and features music, cocoa, cookies and a bonfire.

If there are any other tree lightings that day, please let us know.

The Town Hall tree, in 2018. (Photo/Dan Woog)

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Speaking of the holiday season: What a time for parties, celebrations and fun!

Not time for drinking and driving afterward, though.

Smart imbibers know that one way to avoid arrest — or worse — is to call Uber. Now — thanks to the Connecticut Department of Transportation Office of Highway Safety — you can get a $10 discount off that potentially life-saving ride.

And it’s available every day from now through January 14, between 5 p.m. and 4 a.m. The discount code is: SaveTheNightCT.

Put that code in your phone now. It may be harder to find when you need it the most.

This program comes thanks to a grant from the Governors Highway Safety Association, in partnership with Uber. Connecticut is one of only 5 states to receive the funds.

For more information, click here.

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Anaiza Morales moved to Westport only 2 months ago, from New Jersey. But it didn’t take her long to get involved in her Westfair neighborhood.

Impressed by how much fun everyone had on Halloween, last Sunday she organized a chili crawl/cook-off.

Anaiza met new neighbors, and their college-age kids and mothers in for the holiday weekend. They shared food and stories, while walking around the neighborhood (in perfect weather).

It was a blast. And people who did not have a chili recipe brought dessert.

The competition was close. Only .6 of a point separated the top cooks (as calculated by a young engineer). The winner: Wendy, with Brazilian feijoada.

Enjoying the chili (and warm weather) in the Westfair neighborhood.

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MoCA Westport’s current exhibition – “When Caged Birds Sing” — features 8 life-size sculptures by the late Westport artist Ann Weiner. They represent women’s rights activists who survived abuse because of their gender, yet still advocate for the rights of others at risk.

In conjunction with this important exhibit, MoCA hosts 3 human rights experts for a panel discussion at 6 p.m. on December 2:

  • Claudia King, from Connecticut’s Human Anti-trafficking Response Team
  • Cadence Pentheny, coordinator, community and corporate learning, LGBTQ+ Training Institute, Triangle Community Center
  • Jamie Rubin, Southwest regional manager, Connecticut Commission on Human Rights & Opportunities.

The event is free, but pre-registration is required (click here). Attendees who arrive early can grab a beverage at Bar MoCA. Guests can stay after the event to watch a documentary associated with the exhibition.

Part of MoCA’s “Caged Bird” exhibition.

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A memorial service for Julie Belaga — the former state representative, regional EPA administrator and Export-Import Bank director who died Friday — is set for December 19 (10 a.m., Westport Library). All of Julie’s friends and admirers are welcome.

Julie Belaga

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Two days ago, our Roundup featured 2 intriguing photos. Both showed a fancy women’s shoe, abandoned at Compo Beach. In one shot, it lay on the ground; in the other, it was perched on a railing.

That shoe sure gets around. Here’s a third image:

(Photo/Indrani Basu)

It sure gets around. If you see it on the cannons — or anywhere else — let us know.

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“Westport … Naturally” celebrates Turkey Day with, of course …

Dogwood Lane buck. (Photo/Eric Roth)

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And finally … 5o years ago today, hijacker DB Cooper parachuted from a Northwest Orient Airlines plane over the Pacific Northwest, with $200,000 in ransom money. He has never been found.

Click here for full details. Click below for DB Cooper’s song.

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Posted in Arts, Beach, Local politics, Police, Politics, Transportation

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Toys For Tots: Gifts With A Purpose

Posted on November 24, 2021 | Comments Off on Toys For Tots: Gifts With A Purpose

Many organizations conduct holiday toy drives. All are worthy.

But few do it with as tight and clear a focus on their recipients as Norwalk’s Toys for Tots.

The effort — which draws many volunteers from Westport, with several drop-off points here (see list below) — is like many: Folks donate gifts for children who otherwise would not receive them. Last year, they provided over 6,000 toys to nearly 3,300 children in Norwalk, Fairfield and Westport.

But — with help from director Liz Ward — the effort includes an equity, diversity and inclusion initiative.

“We want all children to know that they matter, are included, and are represented, not subliminally and systematically marginalized through the toys, language and packaging on their gifts,” Ward says.

As a female minority from a white Fairfield County family, she adds, “I know all too well what it feels like to grow up in and between multiple races, languages and cultures.”

Last year, Toys for Tots received hundreds of books — all in English. That’s not what is spoken in the homes of many of the gift recipients. Spanish and Haitian Creole are, after English, the 2 most popular languages in Norwalk.

So — to help all children feel proud of who they are, and identify with the gifts they receive, with words they understand — Toys for Tots seeks books in those languages. They look too for gifts with not only white faces on the packages.

Suggestions include board books and soft books for babies, children and those 12 and up; teethers; soft toys; backpacks; puzzles; sensory toys; stomp rockets; blankets; water bottles; electronics (Bluetooth speakers, headphones, chargers); hat, glove and scarf sets; cosmetic bags, and slipper socks.

You get the idea.

Give generously this holiday season. Every gift shows you care. But some show you care not just about a child who receives it, but the child.

Westport drop-off locations include Amis Trattoria, Awesome Toys & Gifts, Barnes & Noble, Honda of Westport, Kindred Spirits, Northwestern Mutual, Performance Physical Therapy, The Residence @ Westport, Richiez Beauty Bar @ Sola Salon, Serendipity Labs, The Toy Post, Via Sforza, W Hair & Color, Webster Bank, William Pitt Sotheby’s and Willows Pediatrics. The drop-off deadline is December 6.

For more information, click here; email norwalk.ct@toysfortots.org; call 203-244-6256, or follow @NorwalkTFT on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and Twitter.

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Pic Of The Day #1680

Posted on November 23, 2021 | 8 comments

With repaving underway near the Cribari Bridge, traffic backed up a looooong way on Riverside Avenue this afternoon. Here’s the scene near Assumption Church. (Photo/Tracy Porosoff)

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Candice Savin Selected, Sworn In As 3rd Selectwoman

Posted on November 23, 2021 | 4 comments

Jen Tooker and Andrea Moore made history last week. They were sworn in as 1st and 2nd selectwomen — the first time 2 females occupied to town’s top spots.

They made history again. As a special meeting of the Board of Selectwomen, they chose Candice Savin as 3rd selectwoman. This marks the 1st time in the town’s 186 years that all 3 members are female.

Savin was quickly sworn in, in the selectwomen’s meeting room, by Town Clerk Jeffrey Dunkerton.

The swearing-in ceremony.

Savin’s route to Town Hall began when she  ran on the Democratic ticket, with 1st selectman candidate Jonathan Steinberg. They lost to the Republican candidates by 69 votes.

Steinberg declined the 3rd selectman’s seat, citing his obligations as Westport’s state representative in Hartford.

Libertarian candidate T.J. Elgin — who received 64 votes — claimed he was then the rightful 3rd selectman, since Savin had run for the 2nd post. He filed a lawsuit in Superior Court, but withdrew it yesterday.

Savin — whose most recent position was Board of Education chair — was endorsed by the Democratic Town Committee last week.

The new 3rd selectwoman told “06880”: “I am so pleased to take on this role, and look forward to working with Jennifer Tooker and Andrea Moore on behalf of our town.”

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