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The sign at the Stop & Shop entrance says masks are required for entrance.
A young boy was not wearing one. A shopper asked his mother why not.
“Mind your f—- business,” the mother replied.
“This is a public store with a sign in front mandating a mask,” the first shopper said.
“Mind your f—ing business,” the boy’s mom repeated.
It escalated from there, says Jo Ann Miller, who saw the whole thing.
When the mini-drama was over — and the manager said masks were not, in fact, mandate — he was asked, “Why not take down the sign?”
“Good point,” he said.
Two days later, the sign was still there.
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Speaking of shopping: Shop local! In fact, shop Local to Market!
Need a nudge to head to the food/gifts/and more store on Main Street at Parker Harding Plaza? Here’s what they’ve got:
This Saturday (December 11, 1 to 4 p.m.), Sam from Locavore Kitchens will have artisanal shortbread cookies to taste (and buy). Luke Molina — like Sam, from Westport — will play guitar. And there’s a 10% discount all day, in honor of the 4 to 7 p.m. Holiday Stroll.
Next Saturday (December 18, 2 to 5 p.m.), Netown’s Neviana’s winery is on hand for the Market’s first “Sip & Shop.” Plus, Luke Molina returns with his guitar.
The next day (Sunday, December 19, 1 to 4 p.m.) there’s more wines. These are from Stappa Vineyards in Orange. Jim Saxon provides musical entertainment. Santa will show up too, from 12:30 to 2.
Every day through December 17, orders are taken for Michele’s Pies (apple, apple crumb, pecan and chocolate bourbon pecan). Delivery (at Local to Market) is midday December 22.
Oh yeah: Local to Market also sells art, created by members of the Artists Collective of Westport. The current show features works by Nina Bentley, Miggs Burroughs, Louise Cadoux, Lynn Carlson, Susan Fehliinger, Jane Gilman Fleischner, Holly Hawthorn, Amy Kaplan, Julie Leff, Fruma Markowitz, Guy Phillips. Katherine Ross and Lee Walther.
It doesn’t get more local than that!
Art and more at Local to Market.
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Just across the street from Local to Market, George Billis Gallery hosts an opening reception this Saturday (4 to 6:30 p.m.) for their newest exhibition.
Featured artists include Connie Connally. Shivani Dugar, Glen Hacker, Abby Modell and Leslie Lewis Sigler. Click below for a video of Sigler creating her paintings.
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It wasn’t much: an early evening dusting.
But yesterday’s snowfall was just enough to make us realize that winter is pretty much here.
We’ll take scenes like this one (near Compo Beach) any day. From now until late February, anyway.
(Photo/Mona Patel)
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Yesterday’s “06880” Unsung Heroes were FedEx, UPS and other deliverypersons.
Of course, not every delivery goes as planned. Jeanine Esposito sent this photo:
(Photo/Jeanine Esposito)
She writes: “Given the stories of late deliveries and drivers going rogue, we were curious to see this U-Haul truck parked in the Imperial Avenue lot. Its entire contents were spread around the parking lot, including packages marked Zappos, Away, and other retail and online outlets.
“A person sat on the passenger side looking relaxed and texting, but there was no sign of a driver. I’m not sure what’s up, but would love to know if there’s a story there.”
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When Jonathan Greenfield died after an inspiring struggle against ALS, his many friends mourned.
But the multi-talented Westporter lives on.
His wife Iris Netzer Greenfield and her amazing team created a table book, capturing Jonathan’s life in photographs. His photographs.
Among Jonathan’s many accomplishments, he was a documentary-style photographer. His works “bring to life the juxtaposition of darkness and controversy, flecked with humor and surprise.
All proceeds benefit Breathe 4 ALS. The foundation — set up by Jonathan and iris — supports research efforts for genetic ALS, provides Wim Hof breathing method trainings, and leads in ALS activism.
The book comes in platinum, gold, silver and hardcover editions. Click here to order. (NOTE: The site loads slowly. Be patient!)
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Christmas is 2 weeks away. New Year’s follows a week later.
Which means Martin Luther King Day is not far behind.
On Sunday, January 16 (3 p.m.), Dr. King’s life will be celebrated at the Westport Library by Heather McGhee. She’s the author of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together; her TED talk, “Racism Has a Cost for Everone” reached 1 million views in just 2 months.
The free event is co-sponsored by the Library, Westport Country Playhouse, TEAM Westport, Westport/Weston Interfaith Council and the Westport/Weston Interfaith Clergy.
The program also features a recital by the Bridgeport Boys Choir, and a dance performed by the Regional Center for the Arts.
To register for either the in-person event or the livestream, click here.
Heather McGhee
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Congratulations to Westport’s 12-year old karting racer Vivek Kanthan.
He is the 2021 SuperKarts USA SuperNationals XXIV Vice Champion. Vivek competed in the “Super Bowl” of competitive national kart races recently in las Vegas.
This year Vivek moved up a racing category, to the Mini Swift Race category for 10-13-year-olds. He reached speeds up to 70 miles an hour.
Vivek Kanthan
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It’s been a while since we’ve had a good “Westport … Naturally” praying mantis photo.
This shot of Connecticut’s state insect (!) comes courtesy of Jonathan Prager.
(Phoro/Jonathan Prager)
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And finally … Donny Osmond turns 64 years old today. It seems like just yesterday when those were the sweet and innocent, puppy love days.
While I do quite thoughtfully understand about the mask mandate, do you know how many actual employees who work at S&S I see without masks? So, in all fairness, why question only shoppers and not actual employees? Something to think about and not to cause distress to anyone, but mindful enough to impose an honest question?
All employees working at the deli counter at S&S were not wearing masks when I was there a few days ago.
Time for me to start shopping at Wholee Foods!
To twist around the words of an ex-President: “there are bad people on both sides.” Any lady who says “mind your f***ing business” — in front of her child…twice — is not going to be nominated for Mother of the Year! But Ms. Buttinsky, the self-appointed mask policewoman, is equally loathsome. The mask mandate vagaries change so quickly it’s impossible for a store manager to keep changing the signs. Last I heard, in CT, masks WERE required indoors for non-vaccinated people, but of course, no supermarket checks vaccination cards.
The packages were sorted likely for contractor courier delivery. In NYC, you can see an entire truck be emptied onto the sidewalk with people having to walk and jump around and over packages. Then they get picked up by delivery guys on foot or bring them to various buildings in the area. Here I am guessing some vehicles would’ve come to do the last mile delivery.
The rules aren’t hard: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/Coronavirus/Community_Resources/Vaccinations/Print-Materials/Fact-Sheets/COVID_Rules_Vaccinated.pdf
Unvaccinated, indoors, mask.
Vaccinated, indoors, no mask required but advised.
The store can require everyone to mask anyway.
Certain places, masks required.
Localities can require masks.
Stop & Shop (mother ship) requires them at the pharmacy, so maybe that is an old sign, but it could be the manager’s choice.
But if you are looking at the sky…and doing the math with a 2.5-3.5x R(0)…
Hey Jack, “Good for the mother” OR “Good for the mother_ _ _ _ er” ?
Which one do you actually mean? After all, you clearly condone the woman’s disgraceful mouth in front of her kid.
Very classy, both of you.
Yes, it is so amazingly brave for that mother to stand firm against the most basic and simple health measure meant to help protect our most vulnerable populations. Grow up Jack.
Sad commentary on this great country, at this time of super problems, finds mask wearing its political vehicle to display our divisions. 600K dead and what is the issue? Chinese are licking their chop sticks. P.S. The objector was a man who had returned to his car to get a mask once he saw the S&S sign and was going home after a double shift at Bridgeport General.
“Bridgeport General?” No such thing. The two hospitals there are Bridgeport Hospital and St Vincent’s.
Nearly 800,000 dead Americans so far and still counting. Over a thousand more dying every day. A couple of million long hauler Covid cases- left with cardiac, neurologic and collagen vascular problems. Increasing numbers of kids getting sick and hospitalized.
ICUs and hospitals filling up again.
How did a medical infectious disease problem become a political issue? Why would anyone say fuck you – in front of a kid? What would that mom say if her kid said fuck you to a teacher or coach?
This is still a medical issue! Did that woman have her kid vaccinated for measles, german measles, chicken pox, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, HPV virus? Has she been getting flu vaccine, shingles shots, or pneumovax?
How did this one vaccination and wearing a mask in a global pandemic get to be a fuck you moment in front of a Stop and Shop in Westport?
As a physician who has been following the statistics, as a member of a married couple who both had the disease in late February 2020, as a father who had a daughter admitted to a hospital needing CT scans and an angiogram for a subarachnoid bleed due to Covid, as a grandfather whose college granddaughter had the disease and her roommate (a track team member) has cardiac issues that have sidelined her- I cannot understand why everyone isn’t trying to do everything possible before another 800,000 of the unvaccinated and unmasked die!!
Overall mortality so far 1%- over 65 about 5%. 150 million unvaccinated Americans at 1% is another 1.5 million dead.
If you aren’t vaccinated and boosted- wear a mask. If you are vaccinated wear a mask as much as possible to protect those who choose to be unvaccinated and not wear a mask for strictly political reasons.
But whatever you decide to do- don’t say fuck you to anyone in front of your kid!!
What part of my post do you disagree with?
Saying fuck you in front of your kid is okay?
That many more Americans will be dying because of a medical problem being politicized?
Are you just into condescending, and nasty personal attacks on people you don’t know anything about and feel free to disrespect?
If a private business has a sign on the front door requiring masks, the problem is with the individual ignoring the business’s policy (even if that policy is more strict than the government mandate). That should be the long and the short of things to the screamers who complain about freedom.
Not so simple, Chris. We all have the responsibility to avoid unnecessary public confrontations that can potentially lead to violence or at the very least make our fellow citizens feel uncomfortable. Even if one is right about something, that does not make it ok to provoke others. For example, someone who runs a red light is obviously in the wrong. Yet it is extremely foolhardy to follow that driver and then call him out about his unlawful behavior. That is something for the police to do. (Or the store manager, in the case cited above.)