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“Can I drink if my parents are with me?” “How old were you when you started drinking?” “If pot is legal, how can it be bad?”
If you’re a Westport parent, your child may ask you those or similar questions. How would you respond?
To help frame your answers, the Westport Prevention Coalition offers “Don’t Wait.” The 52-minute short film helps parents start conversations about substance use.
It’s available free to Westporters throughout March, thanks to a grant. You can watch at home whenever it’s convenient, or join other parents for a virtual group showing. There are follow-up discussions online too.
To watch, click here, then enter promo code PD2022. To register for a group showing and/or follow-up discussion, click here.
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In related news, on Thursday Positive Directions hosted a virtual discussion on “Mindful Drinking: Reimagining Our Alcohol Habits, and How They Impact Our Relationships.”
A panel — including professionals, parents, a recovering alcoholic and a Staples High School student — gave clear, honest accounts of their own experiences with drinking in Westport.
The discussion is online, and available at any time. Click here; then scroll down underneath “How Are You Coping in 2022?” to view.
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Interested in seeing how high the proposed cell tower at 92 Greens Farms Road — 124 feet — really is?
A “balloon display” is scheduled for Monday (February 21) at 7 a.m. It should last around 4 hours.
The tower would be built on a private residence, adjacent to I-95 near Hillspoint Road. (Hat tip: Don Bergmann)
A cell tower been proposed for the property on the left: 92 Greens Farms Road. (Photo courtesy of Google Maps)
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Interested in designing an album cover?
The Westport Library invites artists to submit work to be featured on upcoming vinyl. It will also be sued for digital and print promotions.
Fairfield County painters, illustrators, designers, photographers, collage makers — and all other visual artists — can apply.
The competition is part of the Library’s first-of-its-kind “Verso Records Compilation, Volume 1.” The independent record will feature emerging tri-state musicians in genres from jazz and rock to folk and indie. All tracks are recorded live at the Library’s state-of-the-art Verso Studios.
The Artists Collective of Westport will oversee an independent jury committee. Among them: Neal Smith, a founding member of Alice Cooper.
Along with the honor of designing the cover, the artist chosen will receive $1,000.
12” x 12” artwork should be in TIF, JPEG, PNG or PDF format, with a minimum of 300 dpi. The Library’s art department will add text and crop materials at their discretion.
For more information, click here. The submission deadline is March 25.
Part of the Westport Library’s Verso Studios.
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Sarah Bernhard is coming to the Westport Country Playhouse.
The actress/singer author presents “Sandra Bernhard: An Evening of Comedy and Music” on Sunday, March 12 (8 p.m.). Running time is one hour; no intermission. Explicit language.
Her film credits include “The King of Comedy” with Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis, directed by Martin Scorsese. Television credits include “The Sopranos” and “The Larry Sanders Show.”
Broadway World says, “Sandra Bernhard takes no prisoners and pulls no punches. She will set the place afire with her white-hot intelligence. She is authentic, unapologetically pissed, heartbroken, and of course, hilarious.“
For more information and tickets click here; email boxoffice@westportplayhouse.org, or call the box office: 203-227-4177.
Sandra Bernhard (Photo/Brian Zeigler)
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AWARE is one of my favorite organizations.
The acronym stands for Assisting Women with Actions, Resources and Education. Each year, members partner with a local non-profit. They volunteer with that group, organize an educational event and host a fundraiser.
Their next event is March 1 (WEST, 117 Post Road East, 7 p.m.). WEST owner Kitt Shapiro will talk about her new book, “Eartha & Me: A Daughter’s Love Story in Black and White.” It’s a memoir of growing up with her mother, Eartha Kitt.
AWARE members have been reading the book this week.
This is not a fundraiser — just a fun event with AWARE member Kitt. Plus, she’s offered 20% off merchandise to anyone that night.
PS: I’ll be introducing Kitt. I’m “aware” of what an honor that is!
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Once again, Tyler Hicks has the lead photo on the front page of the New York Times.
The 1988 Staples High School graduate/Pulitzer Prize winner’s shot today shows a
(Photo/Tyler Hicks for the New York Times)
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Last year, COVID forced Suzuki Music Schools’ Connecticut Guitar Festival into cyberspace.
It’s back for a 5th year March 11-13 — both live at the Westport Library, and online (free!).
The event opens with a Kickoff Concert, starring classical and jazz greatsPaul Galbraith, Adam Levin, Adam Del Monte and Leandro Pellegrino.
It continues all weekend with a guitar expo, “GuitART,” and performances and events with Similar Kind, Matt Rae, Rami Vamos, Benjamin Verdery, CGF artistic director and Grammy-nominee Mak Grgic, and many more!
For a full list of events, click here. For an overview of the festival and artists, click here.
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To celebrate its 1-year anniversary, Westport-based FLB Law donated 1,200 cans of soup to the Filling in the Blanks SOUPer Bowl Food Drive. The Norwalk nonprofit provides weekend meals to needy children in Fairfield and Westchester Counties.
Other recent FLB initiatives include packing backpacks with holiday treats, toys and a dental kitfor Filling in the Blanks, and making birthday boxes for the Domestic Violence Crisis Center.
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Amy Schneider knows the kinds of photos I like for our “Westport … Naturally” feature.
So, she asks with a smile, “Did this get to Compo Beach naturally?”
(Photo/Amy Schneider)
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And finally … Beverly Ross died recently in Nashville. She was 87.
You may not know her name. For a while, she was one of the most successful pop and rock songwriters in America — and one of its few females.
Her short career ended when a work relationship with Phil Spector turned sour. She said that he stole a riff they were working on, then turned it into “Spanish Harlem” — which he credited to himself and Jerry Leiber. Click here for a full obituary.
Among her credits:
