Nearly 40 years after Hall & Oates did not appear in Westport, Daryl Hall will be here.
That 1985 non-event is the stuff of local legend. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the town, Hall & Oates were signed for a special concert at Longshore.
Except the signing was done by a Westport nanny, who had no connection with the duo. It was, to use the technical term, BS.
Nearly 4,o0o people thronged Longshore, on a beautiful day.
They waited … waited … and waited. No Hall. No Oates. Nothing.
Staples High School student Cary Pierce had a band. They stepped up, saving the day (and kick-starting Cary’s eventual career, as one half of Jackopierce).
Now — in a new millennium — Daryl Hall has been signed for a Levitt Pavilion gala. He will be here August 24.
And there’s more: Todd Rundgren joins, as a special guest.
Levitt member pre-sale begins today at 10 a.m. Public sale starts Friday, at 10 a.m. Click here for all tickets. Click here for sponsorship opportunities.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is sill going strong. Four decades later, we’ll get to see for ourselves.
Hall and Oates, back in the day.
==============================================
More entertainment: Music returns to Church Lane June 2.
Area artists have already been booked, to add to the al fresco enjoyment of restaurants like Spotted Horse and soon-to-open The Blondinit.
The entertainment runs through September 30.
Click here for a full schedule — and a link to donate to the cause.
Music on Church Lane (Photo/Dan Woog)
==================================================
And all that jazz:
Staples High School’s Jazz Ensemble rocked the National Jazz Festival this past weekend in Philadelphia.
They placed 2nd in the top division, with drummer Witt Lindau receiving one of 3 Outstanding Musician medals. .
This is the second time the jazz program at Staples has been recognized nationally in recent years. The Staples High School Jazz Combo received first place in Small Ensemble Live Performance at the 2021 National Jazz Festival.
Congratulations to instructors Phil Giampietro, Gregg Winters, and all the young, award-winning musicians: seniors Jason Capozucca, Jaime Paul, Ana Jahnel, Delaney McGee, Henry Now, Jet Tober and Witt Lindau; juniors Freddie Aldridge, Zach Abramowitz, Deneil Betfarhad, Spencer Geiss, Ethan Walkmark and Matt Weiner; sophomores Sam Rondon, Tommy Linn and Cooper Paul, and freshman Charlie Beckwith.
The Staples High School Jazz Ensemble. Director Phil Giampietro is in the front row, at right.
=================================================
Today’s “What’s Next in Weston” with 1st Selectwoman Sam Nestor covers the plan and timeline for construction of Weston’s first sidewalks. Click below for insights into this town-changing event, courtesy of the Y’s Men of Westport and Weston.
==================================================
Speaking of podcasts: Beth Berger sends along a link.
In it,, former Westporter Blanche Napoleon is interviewed about her friendship with Dan Hartman. In the 1970s she made music with him in his “schoolhouse” studio here.
Blanche was a background singer on some of Dan’s biggest disco hits (“Instant Replay”, “Relight My Fire”, “Love Sensation”). They remained good friends until his death from AIDS in 1993.
“It’s a great piece of Westport musical history,” Beth — who is now friendly with Blanche, her Palm Beach neighbor — writes.
==================================================
The expanded Bruce Museum reopened 3 weeks ago. It showcases community, art, science and education, in a natural light setting.
Yesterday, the Y’s Women enjoyed a fascinating presentation by executive director and CEO Robert Wolstertoff.
The painting, sculpture, mineral and science galleries (the latter featuring penguins past and present) are free on Tuesdays. Free passes to the Bruce (and other museums) are available at the Westport Library.
Robert Wolstertorff at the Y’s Women meeting.
=============================================
Sunday’s rain did not deter Pam Constantikes’ friends.
A crew from Staples High School’s Class of 1981 walked to raise money for research to end pancreatic cancer, in her honor.
They note that contributions can still be made. Click here to help.
Walking for Pat Constantikes (from left): Suzanne Sherman Propp, Patty Kondub, Linda Prestegaard, Ann Wriedt Sisto, Lauren Tarshis, Susan Charlton Wallace, Helen Rauh Glenn.
================================================
A new monthly podcast for the Westport Library’s Verso Studios features 2 familiar faces: Westport Writing Workshop leaders Patricia Dunn and Tessa Smith McGovern.
“Go Ahead, Write Something” is for “writers who want motivation and the deep-down truths about getting published, and how to find joy in writing and sharing your work with the world.”
The podcast launch begins this month. Five episodes are available via traditional podcast aggregators. Among them: Dunn and Smith McGovern’s StoryFest 2023 discussion with bestselling fantasy author Naomi Novik.
==================================================
Raccoons are known for their “bandit eyes.”
So it was appropriate that this one — the subject of today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo — was fishing for dinner the other night behind the police station.
(Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)
==================================================
And finally … for reasons unknown, today is National Telephone Day.
You remember telephones, right? The app you every once in a while use on your “smartphone”?
(“06880” is your hyper-local blog — and donations are tax-deductible. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
The Hall-Oates debacle was one of the happiest wildest times in Westport as rumors swirled through the excited crowd‼️
Ya had to be there 😂🇺🇸
I’m glad I wasn’t.
That Blanche Napoleon podcast is well worth listening to. It was delightful revisiting the 70’s and 80’s through someone who was in the thick of the music and fashion world. Glad I clicked on it!