The other day, Andrew Colabella put out a social media plea.
The Representative Town Meeting member asked for donations of perennial plants, to spruce up the plaque on Compo Beach Road, opposite Quentin Road.
The site is the burial ground for Colonial patriots, killed in the Battle of Compo Hill as they ambushed British redcoats on their way back to their ships, after marching to an arsenal in Danbury.
Gardener/landscaper Sue Goldman offered 4 hydrangeas and 2 astilbes.RTM member Kristin Mott Purcell provided 2 hostas.
Andrew supplied the mulch, and the volunteer digging and planting.
It looks great — and it’s a wonderful complement to the newly cleaned and shined Minute Man monument, a few yards away.
Check it out the next time you stroll by. Visit the graves too — they’re in the back, by Gray’s Creek.
Compo Beach Road burial ground. (Photo/Andrew Colabella)
PS: Andrew is applying for a grant and funding to locate the exact grave sites. Older photos would help. If you’ve got any, email acolabellartm4@gmail.com.
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A sold-out Levitt Pavilion rocked last night, to the music of Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers.
Bruce Hornsby (Photo/Nathan Greenbaum)
It was a paid-ticket event. But this week — as the Levitt has done for nearly half a century — they’ll sponsor several very cool (and free) shows.
Tonight (Sunday, July 2, 7 p.m.), Eight to the Bar brings their American roots music to the stage.
Celebrate July 4th (Tuesday, 7 p.m.) with the Jacob Jolliff Band, featuring some of the country’s top mandolinists.
Suzi Shelton headlines Wednesday’s Children’s Series (July 5, 7 p.m.).
It’s Americana rock on Thursday (July 6, 7 p.m.), with Chris and Marc Douglas Berardo.
Former Coasters lead singer Early Clover pays tribute to Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, Otis Redding and more on Friday (July 7, 7:30 p.m.).
Internationally known (and Levitt favorites) Aztec Two-Step 2.0 — featuring Westport’s own Rex Fowler and Dodie Pettit — take the stage Saturday (July 8, 7:30 p.m.), for what is always a memorable show.
The week winds up next Sunday (July 9, 7 p.m.) with Charles Taylor & Uptown Swing.
All shows are free, but tickets are required. Click here for tickets, and more information.
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Just one week remains before Westport celebrates our sister city of Lyman, Ukraine with a huge — and free — town-wide party.
Next Sunday (July 9, 1 p.m. to dusk), everyone is invited to the Ukrainian-American Club in Southport (just past the I-95 Exit 19 northbound entrance ramp).
The family-friendly event features food, beer, wine and soft drinks; music from the Mike McGovern Band, and more. It’s a way to thank Westporters for their $252,000 in donations last winter. Funds paid for building supplies, communications equipment, trash and garbage trucks, and hot meals.
But whether you contributed or not: Come celebrate Lyman, and learn more about our friends in that war-torn nation.
There will be opportunities to help too: a raffle, treasure sale, Yankee auction, coffee table book pull, plant sale, “LymanADE” stand and more. Lyman Mayor Alexander Zhuravlov will speak on a big screen.
VIP tickets ($350) include reserved seating, a commemorative gift, open bar, homemade Ukrainian-inspired meal and more.
VIP Plus tickets ($1,000) receive all benefits above, plus signage with your family name or company logo, a message for the Ukrainian people, and a Ukraine flag signed by Mayor Zhuravlov.
To RSVP, purchase VIP tickets and for more information, click here.
See you next Sunday!
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Westport Veterans of Foreign Wars Joseph J. Clinton Post 399 has hosted Red Cross blood drives for 36 straight months. The collections have benefited thousands of people. One donation can save 3 lives.
The most recent event, on Friday, was sponsored by the Goddard School, a few yards away from the VFW on Saugatuck Avenue.
The next drive is July 19. Click here, then search for “vfwwestport” for more information, and to sign up.
At Friday’s VFW blood drive (from left): Phil Delgado, VFW Post 399 quartermaster, sponsor Kristen Bodenstein of Westport Goddard School, 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Frank Veno, VFW Post 399 commander.
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Westport Pride has joined 3 dozen community organizations in Connecticut and New York in condemning Friday’s Supreme Court ruling. By a 6-3 margin, justices sided with a Christian graphic designer who refused to create wedding websites for gay or lesbian couples.
The joint statement says:
“The highest Court set a chilling precedent that entities serving the public can pick and choose who they serve and deny services to queer customers. What’s more, it comes at a time when LGBTQ+ rights are under attack by legislators across the country.
“We, the LGBTQ+ leaders across New York and Connecticut see this decision as a dangerous step on an already roughly paved path towards fascism and the undoing of great gains we’ve made towards equality and justice for all. Freedom of expression should not be used to discriminate, especially against those most marginalized historically.
“We believe that our towns, cities, and country are stronger when we embrace the diversity of our communities and when we can live free from the fear of discrimination or attack.
“We call on all businesses to disavow the Court’s validation of discrimination and pledge to serve LGBTQ+ and all customers. We ask you to stand with us and staunchly against hate in all forms.”
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“Westport … Naturally” often features deer. They are our unofficial town animal.
But we don’t usually highlight albino deer. They’re far rarer than the usual bush- and flower-eating, leap-across-the-road kind.
But Lou and Joan Mall see them regularly, in their yard. Here’s one, from this past week:
(Photo/Joan Mall)
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And finally … before Bruce Hornsby formed the Noisemakers (story above), his band was The Range.
His song “The Way It Is” — a social commentary song about civil rights — reached the #1 spot in 1986.
(From Lyman, Ukraine to the Levitt Pavilion, “06880” keeps you in the loop about all things Westport-related. Please click here to help us keep doing it. Thank you!)
Wonderful work, Andrew! And so very important. Thank you for your public service! BTW, you likely know this, but in case you don’t, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in coordination with the CT State Archaeologist, offers free below ground radar services on a limited basis. Wesport has taken advantage of this program over the years to, among other things, locate unmarked graves in both the Upper and Lower Greens Farms Burying Grounds as well as to confirm the footprint of the West Parish Meeting House which was torched during the Burning of Fairfield.
The deer in this crew are not albino. Rather, they have. Genetic mutation and do not have red eyes. They are beloved and so special💕