While assisting with a tree that fell across Compo Road South yesterday, the Westport Fire Department responded to a house fire nearby.
All occupants were safe, but a pet was killed in the blaze. Residents were unable to return home last night.
House fire on Compo Road South
Utility crews worked late into the night to replace multiple poles on South Compo, damaged by the downed tree.
(Photo/Alex Sherman)
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What do you want — or not want — in the Compo Beach playground renovation project?
All Westporters are invited to an open house this Saturday (January 20, noon to 1:30 p.m., Bedford Middle School cafeteria).
Play by Design, an offshoot of the original playground design company, is leading this project. Lisa Deshano will present the preliminary designs. A Q-and-A session and comments from key committee members follows.
The renovation is the centennial project of the Westport Rotary Club, which constructed the original playground in 1986 and subsequent renovation in 2006. Both were done in conjunction with the Westport Young Woman’s League.
The Compo Beach playground is quiet in winter. Soon — with community input — it will be hopping again. (Photo/Dave Dellinger)
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Clarence Hayes saw this morning’s “06880” post by Scott Smith — about clear-cutting trees before building new, large homes — and immediately thought of Newtown Turnpike.
He sent this photo, calling it “a perfect picture to illustrate mindless cutting for the convenience of a developer.”
(Photo/Clarence Hayes)
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Each year, Milford‘s Foran High School wrestling team chooses a charity to support. This year they selected Rach’s Hope — the non-profit that honors the memory of the 2015 Staples High School graduate who died just before her senior year at Cornell University after a rare reaction to common medication.
Rach’s Hope provides nutritious food, lodging, transportation and encouragement to family members when a child is in intensive care
The Foran wrestlers helped at the annual Walk for Rach’s Hope at Compo Beach in October. They sold t-shirts with the tagline “We Choose Hope,” which they designed.
Last week, they dedicated their home opening match to Rach’s Hope. The gym was filled with supporters.
Team captains eloquently shared the story and mission of Rach’s Hope — and then presented Rachel’s parents, Alan and Lisa, with a $5,000 check.
“The love and support in the gym from spectators and the team were palpable,” says Lisa.
“The wrestlers wore Rach’s Hope singlets with pride. It was an extraordinary event.
“What an incredibly warm group of high school students. They are not only dedicated and empathic to both their sport and our cause, but the effort they put into raising funds for Rach’s Hope was over the top.”
Next up for Rach’s Hope: the 5th annual PJ Gala (FTC in Fairfield). Click here for tickets. Click here to learn more about Rach’s Hope.
The Foran High School wrestling team. The backs of their shirts say, “We Choose Hope.”
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COQODAQ — a new fried chicken “concept” — opened recently in the heart of New York’s Flatiron district. Mayor Eric Adams cut the ribbon, and Busta Rhymes delivered a surprise performance.
The “06880” connection: Staples High School graduate and returned-to-Westport resident Jacqueline Broder Hensel is a partner in Gracious Hospitality Management, which developed COQODAQ.
Romilly Newman (“the Gen-Z Martha Stewart”), Jacqueline Broder Hensel and Busta Rhymes.
Grub Street says they
turned the space that once housed Rocco DiSpirito’s reality-TV restaurant into a glittering room dedicated to the veneration of this humble bird: A series of luminescent golden arches form a nave under which two banks of booths scallop out, and the walls are covered in a dermis of subtly textured golden panels.
“We wanted to create a cathedral of fried chicken,” (award-winning restaurateur Simon) Kim says.
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Westport Writers’ Workshop picked the perfect spot for their 3rd annual Pitch & Publish Conference (March 16): the Westport Library.
The event is aimed at anyone seeking a literary agent, hoping to be educated about the industry at large, or looking to meet and be inspired by authors, agents and editors. T
Keynote speaker Leigh Stein is a fiction writer, poet and memoirist.
The conference begins Friday, March 15 with a welcome party at WWW (25 Sylvan Lane), followed by Saturday’s panels, one-on-one pitches, and a wrap party.
New this year: Each agent will read 5 pages of a writer’s work (in addition to their query letter); a mini “practice your pitch” session, and a catered lunch.
The after-party is at Basso.
Individual tickets for the conference only are $350 each (walk-ins accepted); tickets for the conference plus 2 one-on-one pitches with literary agents are $600 each before February 9, $675 each thereafter. Click here to register, and for more information.
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Longtime Westport resident Nancy Wilder died peacefully on January 6. She was 95.
A 1949 Mt. Holyoke College graduate, she remained active throughout her life keeping alumnae connected with each other, and the school.
Nancy was married to Milo Wilder for over 50 years. They had 2 sons, Sandy and Scott (“Hoover”). Scott died in 2008, after becoming a quadriplegic in 1974. They joyfully cared for him all those years until Milo’s death 2000. She then selflessly cared for him alone for the rest of his life. Sandy now lives in the St. Louis area. Nancy lived in Westport for the last 67 years.
Nancy is survived by her grandchildren and step-grandchildren: Duncan Wilder, Holly Wilder, Katharine Burgdorff Tyler, Lauren Burgdorff Frederick, and Douglas James Burgdorff.
Nancy was very active in her boys’ education, serving on many PTA boards and traveling often to watch their sports events from childhood through college. She was primarily a stay-at-home mom, although she did bookkeping for her husband’s company for many years.
Nancy adored her many golden retrievers and cats, was an active boater with her husband, and played tennis weekly with many good friends for much of her adult life. She loved watching tennis, golf, the New York Yankees and University of Connecticut women’s basketball.
Her (and her family’s) favorite place is Southwest Harbor, Maine. She went there every summer of her life. She met her husband-to-be there, and has ancestors in the region dating to the 1600s. She felt especially grateful that she got to spend all of July and August there last summer. Her favorite activity was visiting with family on the deck, looking out at Norwood Cove, the Causeway Club, and the mountains of Acadia National Park.
Nancy loved to do jigsaw puzzles, read, and visit with family She had a special knack for helping people feel deeply valued and appreciated independent of their age, like a cheerleader of the soul.
She had many friends she kept in touch with. After Scott’s death, many of his friends adopted her as their “second mom.”
A celebration of Nancy’s life will be held March 2 (2 p.m., Saugatuck Congregational Church).
In lieu of flowers, donations in Nancy’s memory can be made to Community Servings, Euphrates Institute or Rumphius Foundation.
Nancy Wilder
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As winter weather finally sets in this week, Pam Docters captured this “Westport … Naturally” image.
It shows the Saugatuck River downtown, looking toward Gorham Island. For the first time in a while: brrrrrr. (With apologies to our friends in Buffalo, where it actually is cold.)
(Photo/Pam Docters)
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And finally … it’s a short hop from COCODAQ (story above) to “06880.” Welcome to Westport (or at least, our hyper-local blog), Busta Rhymes!
(To honor Busta Rhymes’ first appearance in our “06880” pages, please click here. You can donate in honor of anyone else on earth there too. Thank you!)
This may be an Unpopular opinion, but I’d rather the town just fix and replace the broken parts of the playground rather than completely re-do it. The playground’s layout is beautifully done- just because it was designed in the 80s doesn’t mean it is bad. I’d rather save the money and use it towards something else. Seems like an unnecessary expense and project.
Question about the playground. When they redid the playground 15 years ago we purchased a piece of the fence which has my kids names on it. If they take that fence down, I would really want that piece of the fence, we have many wonderful memories at that playground. Who would I contact?
Correction- it’s COQODAQ
Thats an awesome looking playground! Agree with the notion to fix whats broken – have no idea why a whole new one is needed.