Chuck Greenlee, acting Y’s Men Gardening chair, writes:
“Wednesday afternoon at the very popular Westport Community Garden, our our Ys Men Gardening group noticed an unusual flying insect. JP Montillier got an eerily good photo.
“It was our newest American insect invasive scourge: the lanternfly.”
Click here for more information on lanternflies.
Lanternfly (Photo/JP Montillier)
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Speaking of the less-wonderful side of nature:
Dave Wilson sent a photo of a dead tree on New Creek Road, near the Greens Farms Station and Beachside Avenue.
(Photo/Dave Wilson)
It’s dangerous. Dave says that a few requests have been made over the years to remove it.
He thinks it may have been tagged this week.
Fingers crossed …
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Nômade — the new restaurant replacing Tavern on Main — has had a few previews, before opening officially next week.
The previously dark interior has been reimagined, much more brightly. (The fireplace remains — but it’s now white). The patio is filled with tables, and a large bar. Wicker baskets hang from the ceiling.
The eclectic menu ranges from burgers and steaks to octopus, clams and ravioli.
The Nomade patio, overlooking Main Street. (Photo/Dan Woog)
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Tickets are going fast for tonight’s (Friday) Levitt Pavilion show — the inaugural one, launching Hiss Golden Messenger and Aiofe O’Donovan’s “Turn Tail in the Milky Way” tour. (Next stops: Chautauqua, and the Philadelphia Folk Festival.)
And kids’ tickets (12 and under) are free.
Both bands are part of the Levitt’s “Stars on Tour” event.
The show starts at 7 p.m. tonight. Doors open at 6; the Walrus Alley food truck will be there. Click here for tickets, and more information.
Tonight’s “Stars on Tour” folk double-header follows the free one last night. Intergenerational greatness was on stage, as Clueless (with School of Rock stars Ethan Walmark, Anais Preller, Jake Greenwald; Zach Rogers, Francesco Perrouna and Witt Lindau teamed up with perennial favorite the Mill River Band.
Dancing to the Mill River Band last night at the Levitt Pavilion, under a super moon.
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Yesterday was the first of the 3-day Heida Hermanns International Piano Competition.
The international event includes master classes by finalists at the Westport Public Library, and performances at MoCA Westport.
Today’s (Friday) events include a lecture by educator and musician Clipper Erickson, plus more master classes at the Library, and performances at MoCA. The competition concludes with an awards ceremony at MoCA on Saturday, (August 13).
Click here for tickets for all events, both in-person and virtual, and more information.
Heida Hermanns finalist Artem Kuznetsov leads a master class at the Westport Library. (Photo/Feria Sewell)
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Speaking of music: Me2/Orchestra is the only one in the world created by and for people living with mental illness. R
It was created by Ronald Braunstein. On a trajectory to becoming a leading conductor, he made his diagnosis of bipolar disorder public and was shunned by the classical music community.
He vowed to erase the mental health stigma. one concert at a time. The film “Orchestrating Change” follows Braunstein and several musicians for 2 years, capturing their setbacks and accomplishments.
The film ends in triumph for Braunstein, who thought he might never conduct again — and for the musicians and audience, whose perspective on mental illness is forever changed.
The Westport Library will show “Orchestrating Change” on September 13 (7 p.m.). Executive producers/directors Margie Friedman and Barbara Multer-Wellin, and several people featured in the film, will be on hand for a talkback after the screening. Click here for more details.
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The Staples High School football program was inspired yesterday by a visit from a combat wounded Army veteran, Intelligence Sergeant Quincy Lopez.
He cheered on the athletes, as they did a Marine Corps “Murph workout.” It’s a fundraiser for both Westport football and Catch a Lift, the program that helps wounded vets.
Sgt. Lopez spoke of being part of something “bigger than yourself.” He added:
“You are as strong as your strongest link, and as weak as your weakest link. If you guide your decisions by what makes the team better, that in turn makes you better.
“We will soon approach another anniversary of 9/11. The darkest of hours and ultimate tragedy was followed by the greatest period of camaraderie and unity. Incredible gains can happen when everybody works together. Keep this in mind as you persevere for whatever you do and aim to achieve.”
Staples football players listen intently. (Photo courtesy of Adam Vengrow)
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Colorful seacoast mushrooms at the Westport Farmers’ Market make today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo particularly colorful.
(Photo/Mike Hibbard)
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And finally … on this day in 1966, John Lennon apologized for saying that “the Beatles are more popular than Jesus.”
You’re supposed to kill the Lantern flies and “report your finding to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) at ReportSLF@ct.gov. ”
Highly invasive and destructive.
A little bit more about Nomade! Pietro and I enjoyed a lovely evening at Nomade this past Tuesday! We were greeted by our beloved friend and manager of Nomade Patrick. It was a magical evening! First the new design and build still allows the roots of Tavern on Main to shine through, many wonderful memories are held close in my heart in that space and we look forward to enjoying dining on Main Street again! Second the staff was welcoming and polished during this casual relaxed evening. The menu tastings were on point, perfectly cooked with exceptionally sourced ingredients. But the true icing on the cake was seeing so many good friends from the restaurant business. It was like a reunion! Our blessings to Ciara and Patrick to a long and fruitful future for Nomade!
The “Murph” workout is a CrossFit ‘WOD’ honoring US Navy SEAL LT Michael Murphy who was killed in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005. His story is chronicled in the book and movie “Lone Survivor” by his fellow teammate Marcus Luttrell.
This is the workout:
1 mile Run
100 Pull-Ups
200 Push-Ups
300 Air Squats
1 mile Run
*With a 20 lb Vest or Body Armor
There’s a worrisome tree at the corner of So Compo and Route 1- in the corner of that parking lot- beautiful tree with many precariously hanging dead branches. Do we have a tree warden who inspects this type of danger? A pedestrian hit by a fallen branch would be a goner….cars too!
Please see my comment below
Susan – we do have an excellent Tree Warden who started his tenure in January of this year; his name is Ben Sykas, he works within the Public Works department, and is an ISA certified arborist. However, he can only request trees be trimmed or removed if they’re within the town right-of-way. If the tree you mentioned is on private property and not in the ROW, it’s the landowner’s responsibility to remove any potential hazards. To be sure, you can email Ben at: treewarden@westportct.gov.