
Saugatuck River and I-95 bridge (Photo/Jonathan Alloy)

Saugatuck River and I-95 bridge (Photo/Jonathan Alloy)
Comments Off on Pic Of The Day #2569
Posted in Pic of the Day, Saugatuck
AAPI Heritage Month — celebrating Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders — starts this week. AAPI Westport is ready.
Among the events:
Follow on Instagram: @aapiwestport.

=================================================
This is the night for StartUp Westport’s inaugural Innovator of the Year Award.
Westport’s public/private entrepreneurial partnership honors Jimmy Pitaro, CEO of ESPN. He’ll be interviewed by fellow Westporter (and ESPN host) Mike Greenberg.
Tonight’s (Tuesday) event begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance (click here), $30 at the door.

Jimmy Pitaro. (Photo/Joe Faraoni)
==================================================
Next Monday’s Planning & Zoning Commission meeting (May 6, 7 p.m.; Zoom) includes a pre-application to preserve the existing historic building at 125 Riverside Avenue, and also build a new principal building.
During the public session, the P&Z will discuss a proposal by Longshore Hospitality for interior and exterior renovations to the Inn at Longshore.
Click here for the full agenda.

Proposed exterior renovations to the front of the Inn at Longshore.
==================================================
Westport’s coyote problem — highlighted yesterday on “06880” — caught the eye of New York’s Eyewitness News.
Channel 7 reporter Joe Torres came to town. Liz Kaner spotted his van on her street off Roseville Road, asked if he was there to do a coyote story, and told him that her dog had been attacked Wednesday night.
That was the second attack on their road in 2 weeks.
Torres also interviewed Westport Police Lieutenant Eric Woods, and Minette Nelson at Winslow Park.
Click here for the full Eyewitness News story.
Meanwhile, Liz reports: “Snickers sustained 2 abdominal wounds. One was very serious, and required immediate surgery.
“She fared well under the competent and loving care of Schulhof veterinarian Lyndsey Westerfield (who stayed with her well into the night, despite having 2 small children at home).
“Today Snickers seems to have turned the corner. Her wounds are healing nicely, and her disposition is returning back to normal (via the excitable tail wag).”

Screenshot of Liz Kaner, from Eyewitness News.
==================================================
Wakeman Town Farm makes Mother’s Day easy.
Fantastic bouquets — designed by Sarah Shaw Floral — can be ordered through noon on May 7. Pickup is at WTF on Saturday, May 11 (9 to noon). HINT: That’s the day before Mother’s Day.
The cost is $85. The look on your mother’s (or wife’s) face will be priceless.
Also at the Farm:
Click here for more details, and registration information.

Say it with flowers, from Wakeman Town Farm.
================================================
Staples’ Service League of Boys were not the only young people doing good deeds this past weekend.
On Sunday, Troop 36 gave Saugatuck Congregational Church — its chartered organization — a new flag. The previous one, which hung in front of the building, was destroyed by winter storms.
But that’s not all.
After helping out with the church service, Troop 36 members cleaned up the outdoor chapel, adjacent to Winslow Park. It was a troop Eagle project years ago.
Scouts cleared the nearby path, removed trash and debris, replenished mulch and fixed the border. They also removed benches with rotted footings, and will replace them soon.

Troop 36, near the outdoor chapel. From left: Jack Donroe, Calvin Jahansouz, Vishal Puttagunta, Dylan O’Brien, Finn Martens, Kevin O’Brien, Eagle Scout Dylan Kurpiel. Missing: Naveen Podlich.
=================================================
On May 6 (4 p.m., Staples Field), the Wrecker baseball team honors the resilience and strength of people who have triumphed over breast cancer.
The event will recognize individuals who have shown exceptional courage in their battle against breast cancer. The first pitch will be thrown by noted breast oncologist, Westport resident Dr. Richard Zelkowitz.
Attendees — who are encouraged to wear pink — will have opportunities to support the Saugatuck “SurviveOars” Rowing Program, purchase pink items, receive pink giveaways, and engage with the Staples High School baseball community.

=================================================
Sure, the temperature climbed near 80 yesterday.
But the temperature was only 48 degrees yesterday morning. And the water was even colder.
That does not deter Andy Berman, who swims nearly every morning. He was joined Monday by Representative Town Meeting member Andrew Colabella and Matt Davis.
“It has so many health positives!” Andrew said.
Through chattering teeth.

From left: Matt Davis, Andrew Colabella, Andy Berman.
==================================================
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival draws 400,000 visitors each year, over 10 days, for a musical and culinary all-you-can-consume buffet.
Proceeds fund civic causes (including recovery from Hurricane Katrina), and keep the spirit of the birthplace of jazz alive. Over the years, Jazz Fest expanded to include a greater variety of musicians. This year’s headliners are the Rolling Stones.
Richard Epstein learned about Jazz Fest from friends, and was hooked. The Staples High School graduate has had a dual career — dentist and musician — since moving back to the area in 1976.
He plays bassoon in the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, and sax with the Westport Community Band.
But his “ultimate play time” is his radio program. “Sometimes Classical” blends just about every genre of music imaginable. It airs on WPKN-FM (89.5) for 3 hours, every other Wednesday afternoon.
Epstein introduced himself to WWOZ, Jazz Fest’s official radio station, as a kindred free-form spirit. They were starting to simulcast Jazz Fest, letting other media outlets tap into their live coverage.
WPKN is now in its 4th year of simulcasting parts of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Tune in this weekend (May 3-5) for the final weekend of Jazz Fest ’24. Click here to see WPKN’s Jazz Fest programming.

=================================================
Speaking of jazz: This week’s Jazz at the Post features The Jim Royle Caribbean Jazz Connection. Leader and drummer Bryan Garbe has crossed genres of jazz and Caribbean Latin styles for years.
The Connection features Jim’s former student and steel pan player Bryan Garbe. The acclaimed percussionist grew up in Fairfield.
The band also includes John Mobilio on bass, Greg “The Jazz Rabbi” Wall on saxes, and pianist David Childs.
There are 2 shows at VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399 this Thursday (May 2): 7:30 and 8:45 p.m. Dinner service begins at 7. The music cover is $20 ($15 for veterans and students.)
Reservations are strongly recommended: JazzatthePost@gmail.com.

Jim Royle.
==============================================
Longtime Westport resident Robert McCarthy died Saturday at home, surrounded by family. He was 94.
Bob served in the Navy aboard the USS Zellars, during the Korean conflict. He owned a successful plumbing business for over 60 years, and was known for his “smarts, humor and dedication to his customers.”
He enjoyed his family, golf, the beach and his wife of 68 years Jennie’s homemade manicotti.
Bob coached baseball, and was a member of the VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399, the Knights of Columbus, and the Westport Volunteer Fire Department. He also served on the Church of the Assumption Parish Council.
The Norwalk native was predeceased by his wife, sisters Jean and Mary, and brother Walter.
Bob is survived by his children Kevin (Beth) of Westport, Brian (Lena) of Fairfield, Kathy Sabitsky (Stan) of Milford, and Brennan (Jenny) of Westport; grandchildren Justin, Sarah, Kaitlin, Josh, Matt, Nick, Zach, Jack and Charlie; great-grandchild Maeve, and numerous nieces and nephews.
His family will receive friends on Thursday (May 2, 4 to 7 p.m., Magner Funeral Home, 12 Mott Avenue, Norwalk). A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 3, at Assumption Church. Burial with full military honors will follow at Willowbrook Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Connecticut Hospice or the Tunnels to Towers Foundation.

Bob McCarthy
==================================================
The recent warm weather has brought people — and gulls — downtown.
Pamela Docters snapped today’s “Westport … Naturally” image, by Library Riverwalk.

(Photo/Pamela Docters)
=================================================
And finally … On this day in 1975, Communist forces gained control of Saigon. The Vietnam War formally ended, with the unconditional surrender of South Vietnamese president Dương Văn Minh.
(“06880” — your hyper-local blog — relies on readers like you. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Plenty of Westport high school students want to work.
Plenty of Westporters want to hire them, for everything from retail and restaurant roles to babysitting, dog walking and moving furniture.
But until now, the best ways for job-seekers and job-providers to connect was either old-fashioned (signs in store windows, flyers on utility poles) or semi-new (parents posting for their kids on Facebook).
Now there’s a better way. The Westport Youth Commission has launched an employment platform, specifically for high school students.
Youth Commission member Jake Shufro came up with the project. The Staples High sophomore worked with fellow members, and Westport business leaders to make it work.
He researched community job banks, and tested a variety of options. The best one, he thinks, is QuadJobs.
It has a student and employer review process. It’s well organized, requiring specific information to make postings.
In addition, Shufro says, “it encourages a diverse range of students to sign up for job opportunities. And it takes a community-based approach to local employment.”
Students can download the app, using their school-based email account. After completing a parent consent form, they create a personalized job profile.
QuadJobs vets employers — both businesses and babysitter-types — to make sure jobs are legitimate and safe. Potential employers can click here for the website.
Businesses pay $100 a year for unlimited posts. They can use the code “westportbiz” to get 50% off.
Household employers pay $10 for a one-time post, for $50 a year for unlimited posts. A free post is available using the code “Free10”; use “gowestport” for a 50% discount for unlimited posts.
Ten percent of all proceeds are donated back to community organizations.

Supporting the Westport Youth Commission’s Student Job Bank are (from left): RTM representative and former Youth Commission member Andrew Collabella, youth services program director Kevin Godburn, Youth Commission president Cabry Lueker, members Tucker Mays and Jake Shufro, 2nd selectwoman Andrea Moore, and RTM member and Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce president Matthew Mandell.
(“06880” covers Westport’s youth, its business scene and much more. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Comments Off on New Job Bank Links Employers With Students
Posted in Local business, Teenagers
Tagged Jake Shufro, Westport Youth Commission
Representative Town Meeting members met at Jesup Green yesterday afternoon. The “field trip” was a chance to inspect the area being proposed as part of a new parking plan.
RTMers were joined by 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Public Works director Pete Ratkiewich, tree warden Ben Sykas, other elected officials and members of the public.

RTM members and others on Jesup Green yesterday. Under a tentative plan, the trees on the far left would be removed. The pine tree in the middle of the photo would be impacted by regrading, and parking nearby. A stake (green and pink) in the center shows an area along Jesup Road where cars might park.
Wooden stakes in the ground delineated a possible plan.

Stakes and white lines show the extent to which new parking could be developed at the top of Jesup Green.
Nothing is definite, however. Next week, the RTM will discuss a request for a $630,000 appropriation rom the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for an actual design of the redevelopment of both Jesup Green and the Imperial Avenue lot.
Funds would be used for design only. The RTM would then have the option of approving or rejecting the design.

RTM members and others stand in an area of Jesup Green that could be part of the new parking plan. (Photo/Andrew Colabella)
Another RTM field trip to Jesup Green has been scheduled for Wednesday.

This view — looking north — shows a possibility for Jesup Green redevelopment. The area to the right of the white lines and stakes, at the top of the green, would be used for parking.
Posted in Downtown, Local politics, Transportation

Compo Beach moon shadow (Photo/Jim Hood)
In the wake of several recent coyote attacks on dogs in Westport, the Police Department offers this advice to protect pets:

Coyotes are increasingly on the prowl. (Photo/Richard Gabor)
Coyotes are now found throughout North America. They are an adaptable and opportunistic canid. Statistically, they pose very little risk to humans. There have been only 2 recorded fatal attacks by coyotes on humans in the last 100 years in North America. But they do pose a risk to our pets.
Resources include:
For further information, call Westport Animal Control: 203-341-6011.
If you drove around Westport last weekend, you may have noticed an unusual number of high school boys weeding, planting, mulching, painting, cleaning and picking up garbage.
What a bunch of SLOBs.
That’s the great acronym for Staples’ Service League Of Boys. One of the most popular clubs at the high school, it’s a way for boys — and their parents — to join together in community service.
From Friday to Sunday — during the group’s annual Service Weekend — SLOBs and their parents contributed hundreds of hours of work to our town, at 20 different venues and events.
Service Weekend began Friday afternoon. Members packed supplies to donate to the Wilbur Cross School.
It also marked the beginning of SLOBs’ relationship with the Y’s Men of Westport and Weston, and Jim Marpe’s philanthropy team.

SLOBs and Y’s men, working together.
The weekend tended Sunday evening, with a clean-up of the town’s soccer fields.
Other highlights included:

SLOBs, at ABC’s Glendarcy House.
Staples students have busy schedules. They play sports and music; they’re in Players and clubs. They have tons of homework. Advanced Placement tests are looming. Fortnite beckons.
But there they were this past weekend: proudly wearing their SLOBs shirts, hard at work, making our town look better and contributing to our sense of community.
(You can follow Staples’ Service League of Boys’ Instagram: @shsslobs.)

Saugatuck Elementary School Fun Day.

Athletic fields cleanup.

Minute Man 5K.

With the Westport Downtown Association.
(“06880” appreciates all that our teenagers do for Westport. We also appreciate all the readers who support this hyper-local blog. Please click here to help. Thank you!)
This is non-profit gala season.
Nearly every night, local organizations host fundraisers. There’s catered food and auctions. Special guests offer inspiring speeches.
All are worthwhile. The amount of good works, and the number of generous Westporters, is impressive.
Even so, A Better Chance of Westport‘s Dream Event stands out.
The 22-year-old program — which brings academically gifted and highly motivated young men of color to Westport, where they live together and attend Staples High School — is one of our town’s shining jewels.

The 2023-24 ABC scholars.
The Dream Event is a chance not only to raise much-needed funds, but to celebrate ABC’s scholars, their families, and the community volunteers who make the program run, as host parents, drivers, tutors and more.
As always, Saturday’s event at the Westport Library was a powerful demonstration of the impact A Better Chance has on these wonderfully dynamic, creative and brilliant young men.
It is an equally powerful demonstration of what Westport gains from them.
The speeches by president Eric Freeman, encee Jay Norris, host parents and others were ringing endorsements of ABC.

A Better Chance of Westport president Eric Freeman introduces emcee Jay Norris (photo on the large screen).
But the words from the scholars themselves were especially noteworthy.
2016 Staples alum Christopher Morales described his path in the world since graduating from Cornell University.

Christopher Morales
Staples senior Nile Jean spoke with insight, warmth and humor about his journey from an ambivalent 9th grader to a soon-t0-be-graduate, who made the rocky adjustment, then thrived, in a very different town and school.

Nile Jean
Nile’s mother’s Nedra Stewart’s loving, passionate words brought the crowd to tears. From an early age, she wanted the program for her son (“I stalked ABC,” she said). Her pride in him was evident.

Nile Jean’s mother, Nedra Stewart. (All photos/Jerri Graham Photography)
And the large crowd was proud that she had entrusted her son to ABC, and to our community.
We will watch him soar, as so many other ABC alumni have done. We are a better community for having them in our midst.
(To learn more about A Better Chance of Westport — including how to volunteer and offer support — click here.)

==================================================
The other day, “06880” noted the pavement-grading activity to the right of the northbound entrance at I-95 Exit 18.
The property near the Sherwood Island Connector is a “reuse stockpile area.” It is a hub for storing dirt and gravel salvaged from the Norwalk WALK railroad bridge site, allowing the contractor to minimize waste and disposal.
Alert and environmentally conscious reader Scott Smith adds: “It’s amazing that the town can spend 10 years or more debating new parking downtown or elsewhere, but the state can throw down a couple of acres of asphalt just like that.”
He is also amazed by “how much land in Westport is heavily used by the state Department of Transptoration and Metro-North, from the takeover of the commuter parking lot further down the Connector to all the action at exit 17.
“It looks like we’ll be a construction zone for years more.”

“Reuse stockpile area” at I-95 Exit 18 northbound. (Photo/Scott Smith)
==================================================
Westport’s newest outdoor sculpture will be dedicated May 4 (4 p.m.).
The public is invited to Pasacreta Park (opposite Saugatuck Elementary School) for a ceremony honoring artist Niki Ketchman, and “Passage.”
The work by the longtime Westport resident is a joint initiative with the Westport Arts Advisory Committee, Parks & Recreation Department and Commission, Department of Public Works and the Westport Permanent Art Collections.
“Passage” is on loan for 5 years.

Artist Niki Ketchman (umbrella) supervises the installation of “Passage.”
===============================================
May is Mental Health Month.
TAP Strength invites men — and the people who love them — to a holistic discussion of treatment options.
“Let’s Talk About Men’s Mental Health” (May 15, 6 to 7 p.m., 180 Post Road East) features Jennifer Boyd PA and TAP Strength owner Dr. EJ Zebro.
A $25 donation to benefit the National Alliance on Mental Health is suggested.
To RSVP, email info@tapstrength.com.

==================================================
The Staples Jazz Ensemble headlines “A Night of Jazz.” The May 13 (7 p.m., Westport Library) event features music by Benny Carter, Frank Foster, Dizy Gillespie, Rick Hirsch and Thad Jones — with a world premiere by Dr. Kyle Saulnier.
The free event is part of the Y’s Men of Westport and Weston’s monthly jazz series.

Dizzy Gillespie comes to the Westport Library May 13. Well, the Staples High School Jazz Ensemble will play his music, anyway.
==================================================
Sorelle Gallery’s new floral exhibition is “Awakening.” The opening reception is May 11 (3 to 5 p.m.).
Attendees can explore floral artwork by Kay Flierl, Christine Averill-Green, Linda Bigness, Juniper Briggs, Kelly Rossetti and others; watch a frosting piping demo, and taste cake samples by Harborview Cakes; see a bouquet-building demo and shop flower arrangements by New Petal Flower Market, and enjoy light refreshments (including a specialty floral cocktail).
A percentage of proceeds from partnering organizations and artwork sales will be donated to Earthplace. Click here for more details on the exhibition.

“Awakening,” at Sorelle Gallery.
=================================================
Carl Addison Swanson’s latest “Husk McCormick” series novel — “Sex Trafficking” — is now available on Kindle.
Longtime Westporter and Staples High School graduate Swanson is the best-selling author of 58 novels.
This one focuses on a modern horror: young women who are kidnapped and placed in “modern slavery” for prostitution and other acts.
Swanson’s protagonist Hush McCormick rushes to rescue a Marine buddy’s daughter, who falls victim to a cartel.
Click here to order. Click here for Carl Addison Swanson’s website.

================================================
Speaking of books: The next Westport Book Shop’s Short Story Book Club meeting is May 23 (6 to 7:30 p.m.).
Attendees will discuss 2 selections from Tim O’Brien’s 1990 “The Things They Carried,” his part fiction, part memoir collection of stories about the Vietnam War.
The selections are “On The Rainy River” and “Speaking of Courage.”
Registration is required, by phone (203-349-5141) or email (bookshop@westportbooksaleventures.org.)

=================================================
What could be more natural than a full moon?
Lauren Rothstein captured this once-a-month shot for “Westport … Naturally” a few days ago, at Saugatuck Shores’ Covlee Beach. (Hat tip: Patti Brill)

(Photo/Lauren Rothstein)
==================================================
And finally … the upcoming Staples Jazz Ensemble’s concert (story above) brings to mind the great Dizzy Gillespie:
(“06880” kicks off another week of Roundups — and much more. If you enjoy our work, please support us with a tax-deductible contribution. Just click here. Thank you!)
I’ve posted over 17,000 stories on “06880.”
It takes a lot to make my Top 10 Favorites list. But Jay Babina’s is on it.
A year ago, I toured the Westport Tech Museum.
Most people had never heard of it. Unless you’re a family member or friend, you can’t get in.
That’s because it’s in the attic of the teenager’s home.
But there — on shelves and desks, and in display cases — I found an astonishing collection of 500 computers, video games, calculators, cameras, radios and more.
Jay has created a fascinating, educational, fun, nostalgic and very, very cool tour of American technology.
From a Commodore Amiga 1000, Osborne 1, Apple IIe and an original Macintosh, to a 1914 Victrola that still plays, 1910 Edison light bulb that still shines, and a 1905 crank telephone that still rings, Jay has scoured the world (and eBay) to find rare, important, classic, quirky and historic products.
Many of them are famous and now obsolete. Some are long-forgotten failures. All make up our technological timeline.

This wide-angle view captures only part of the Westport Tech Museum. (Photo courtesy of Jay Babina)
For those lucky enough to gain admittance, this may be the greatest attic in America. And Jay is an eager, informative tour guide.
You can read last year’s story here. For an update on what’s new since last May, read on.
One of Jay’s proudest additions is a Sony reel-to-reel tape recorder.
And not just any one. This is the same model that ended Richard Nixon’s presidency, when Watergate discussions were recorded on it.

The type of reel-to-reel tape recorder that brought down a president.
Jay points to the tape on his machine and jokes, “This is the missing 18 1/2 minutes.” (For an 18-year-old, he has a remarkable knowledge of history.)
An original Asteroids machine is enhanced by an actual game token from Arnie’s Place. Jay’s father — who grew up in Monroe — visited the Westport arcade as a youngster. (For whatever reason, he kept the souvenir.)

Asteroids amused countless kids (including Jay’s father) after its 1979 release. It’s playable today, in Jay’s museum. An Arnie’s Place token sits above the center button.
Jay found the first Polaroid camera model — in 1948, it was also the first instant camera in the world — on eBay. It cost him only $40.

He now owns the pay phone used in “Witness.” And not just the type — this is the actual phone used in the filming.
How does he know? Diligent research matched the telephone number shown in small print on it, with that in the movie.
Jay has a NeXT computer — Steve Jobs’ failed company from 1996 — as well as a bit of fabric from the Apple (and NeXT) founder’s turtleneck.

Long after it faded from memories, Jay’s NeXT computer still works.
He’s got a 1992 Motorola “brick” phone (it’s hard to believe people made calls on something like that) and a 1939 View-Master toy (it’s hard to believe people were excited by those stereoscopic images).

A 1939 View-Master. You put the disc (right) in the viewer (left), and saw — wow — a 3D image!
It’s a shame — but understandable — that Jay’s museum is not open to the public.
Fortunately, it is online. Click here to enter; then bookmark it, and return often.
Meanwhile, scroll down for a photographic tour of one of the most intriguing places in Westport — and far beyond.
And one that is on my Top 10 out of 17,000+ favorite “06880” stories ever.
(You can also find the Westport Tech Museum on Facebook; click here. And Instagram; click here.)

Hey, kids! This is how your parents (and grandparents) once connected to the internet: with a Texas Instruments monitor, keyboard — and dial-up phone modem.

A 1992 Motorola cell phone — called a “brick,” for obvious reasons.

A working Palm Pilot fits in Jay Babina’s palm.

Did you “witness” this phone in the movie of that same name?

Jay’s museum is not all about technology. An exhibit on the 1980s includes New Coke (“the biggest product flop in history”), and the much more successful California Raisins and Cabbage Patch Kids. (All photos/Dan Woog, unless noted)
(Westport is filled with intriguing people, doing way cool things. “06880” finds them, and shares them with the world. But we can’t do it without reader support. Please click here to help. Thank you!)

Bridgebrook Marina, Riverside Avenue (Photo/Ed Simek)
Comments Off on Pic Of The Day #2567
Posted in Environment, Local business, Pic of the Day, Saugatuck
Tagged Bridgebrook Marina