The seasons change. And the Westport Farmers’ Market does too.
They’ll usher in the new one with a special Holiday Market on a Tuesday (November 21, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), at the WFM’s winter home: Gilbertie’s Herbs & Garden Center, 7 Sylvan Lane.
Thirty vendors spread throughout 3 greenhouses will offer everything for Thanksgiving (and beyond): turkeys, veggies, breads, appetizers, desserts, even fresh pasta for those so inclined.
The full list:
- Fort Hill Farm
- Cloudy Lane
- Riverbank Farm
- Edgewise
- Oxhollow Farm
- Woodland Farm
- Kent Falls Brewery
- Paul’s Custom Pet Food
- Wave Hill Breads
- Herbaceous Catering
- Farmers & Cooks
- Boxcar Cantina
- Kneads Bakery
- Calf & Clover
- Seacoast Mushrooms
- Sprout Juice
- Badass Bagels
- Ideal Fish
- Sport Hill Farm
- Fatto a Mano
- Herbal Deva
- Bubble & Brew
- Muddy Feet Flower Farm
- Jackie’s Empanadas
- Plantidote
- Nit Noi Provisions
- Ideal Fish
- Stylish Spoon
- Kontoulis
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Club 203 — Westport’s social organization for adults with disabilities — gathered at Earthplace last night for a special monthly event.
Called “Thankful and Grateful,” it was a chance to share a sense of belonging, and the knowledge of mattering in each other’s lives.
Everyone wished each other a joyful Thanksgiving with turkey sandwiches from The Porch at Christie’s, “turkey artwork” with MoCA, and visits from Earthplace’s feathered friends.
“We begin the holiday season with inspiration, and connections to the community,” Club 203 says.
Club 203 celebrates Thanksgiving at Earthplace.
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The 2024 WestportREADS book is …
“The Art Thief.”
Michael Finkel’s true tale of the world’s most prolific art thief — Stéphane Breitwieser, who stole not for money, but for personal treasure and adoration — continues the town’s 22-year tradition of greeting the new year by reading one book together.
Copies of the book are available for borrowing now at the Westport Library. More volumes arrive next month. “The Art Thief” is also available in e-book and audiobook versions.
A variety of “Art Thief”-oriented programs — including discussion groups, art activities and more — begin in January. The capstone event is January 26, when Finkel appears in-person at the Library to deliver the WestportREADS keynote address.
Finkel is a journalist and best-selling memoirist from Utah. A heralded New York Times reporter, he was terminated for compositing quotes in a 2001 story.
Shortly afterward, he discovered that Oregon murderer Christian Longo used “Michael Finkel” as an alias. Finkel reached out to Longo, forging a relationship that served as the basis for “True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa.” It was adapted for a 2015 film, “True Story.”
Finkel’s follow-up, “The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit,” chronicled Christopher Knight, an intentional recluse who lived for 27 years in the woods of Maine with almost no human interaction. He survived by grifting life essentials.
The WestportREADS selection has been widely acclaimed. The New Yorker said: “’The Art Thief,’ like its title character, has confidence, élan, and a great sense of timing. It is propelled by suspense and surprises. … This ultra-lucrative, odds-defying crime streak is wonderfully narrated by Finkel, in a tale whose trajectory is less rise and fall than crazy and crazier.”
For more past WestportREADS selections, and to learn more about the annual event, click here.
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Kings Highway Elementary School modeled kindness this week.
On Monday and Tuesday, students and staff participated in their annual Walk-a-Thon/Read-a-Thon, to raise money for the Westport Department of Human Services Holiday Program. It provides financial assistance for food, shelter, utilities, medical expenses and other needs.
Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders walked around the PJ Romano track for an hour — 90 laps. Principal Tracey Carbone and Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice cheered them on.
Meanwhile, 3rd through 5th graders read in classrooms, collecting funds pledged for their books.
Yesterday, nearly 2 dozen KHS parents worked out for a great cause — Project Purple — at the nearby F45 studio. Over $1,200 was collected for the non-profit that supports patients and raises awareness about pancreatic cancer, in honor of KHS parent George Filopoulos.
Kings Highway Elementary School walk-a-thon.
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Westport Police made 1 custodial arrest between November 8 and 15.
A man was arrested for violation of probation.
Westport Police also issued these citations:
- Traveling unreasonably fast: 9 citation
- Failure to comply with state traffic commission regulations: 4
- Operating a motor vehicle without a license: 3
- Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 3
- Speeding: 1
- Driving unreasonably fast in a school zone: 1
- Following too closely: 1
- Failure to drive in the proper lane: 1
- Failure to obey a stop sign: 1
- Failure to obey traffic control signals: 1
- Occupying a house trailer on a highway: 1
- Failure to carry a license: 1
- Improper use of markers: 1
It’s illegal to be in a house trailer on a highway.
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VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399 has become Westport’s favorite go-to jazz spot, thanks to the weekly Jazz at the Post series.
Last night, the Riverside Avenue venue welcomed a different jazz sound.
The US Air Force Rhythm in Blue jazz ensemble — featuring Westport’s own trumpet virtuoso and arranger Michael P. Mossman — delivered inspiring music that celebrated patriotism, and the essence of the genre.
The performance was both a tribute to veterans and a celebration of Air Force heritage, resonating through the power of music.
Trumpeter Michael Mossman of Westport, with the US Air Force Rhythm in Blue jazz ensemble.
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Claudia Sherwood Servidio captured today’s “Westport … Naturally” image in the fantastic fall light, near the Westport Woman’s Club:
(Photo/Claudia Sherwood Servidio)
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And finally … on this date in 1907, Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory joined to form Oklahoma — admitted to the union as our 46th US state.
(Whether you live here, in Oklahoma or anywhere else, “06880” is “where Westport meets the world.” Please click here to help us keep doing that. Thank you!)
A new addition to the Westport Holiday Farmers’ Market is Fifth State Distillery out of Bridgeport, a new but popular vendor. Wonderful spirits – gin, vodka, whiskeys, liqueurs, and ready-to-drink cocktails. Rob and Bridget are great people too. https://www.fifthstatedistillery.com/