Many things make the Westport Fine Arts Festival special.
Besides the wide variety of art and artists — and the friendly vibe all along Main Street — there is the Saturday night artists’ reception.
After a long day of chatting up customers (and just-lookers), dozens of painters, photographers, sculptors, jewelers, ceramists and woodworkers gather at Christ & Holy Trinity’s Branson Hall a few yards away.
They relax, over good food (and an open bar).
There are a couple of brief speeches thanking the Westport Downtown Association organizers. Then come the awards.
This year’s “Best in Show” winner was GM Webb of Baltimore. A sculptor working with wire, his selection was roundly applauded by his fellow artists.
Click here to see some of his work. Better yet, head down to Main Street today, to see it in person — and all his fellow artists’ too.
The Fine Arts Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
GM Webb, with his “Best in Show” ribbon. (Photo/Dan Woog)
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The Fine Arts Festival is in its 51st year.
The Parks & Recreation Department’s Summer Kickoff party at Compo Beach is in its first.
But it too was a huge success yesterday.
A couple of hundred families enjoyed activities like touch-a-truck, face painting, an obstacle course, and activities run by Longshore Sailing School, and golf and tennis instructors.
Plus (of course) food trucks.
Westport Police, Fire Department, EMS and Public Works were involved too.
Congratulations to all, for the start of a great new tradition.
Selectwomen Andrea Moore and Jen Tooker, Parks & Recreation interim director Rick Giunta and operations manager Carm Roda join Parks & Rec employees at the Compo Beach Kickoff.
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There was even more going on yesterday than the Fine Arts Festival and Compo Summer Kickoff.
The Levitt Pavilion hosted 3 bands — Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Andy Frasco & The UN, and Dogs in a Pile — in an hours-long festival.
Just like Main Street and the beach, the place was packed.
Just one more example of why, if you left town for the holiday weekend — well, you missed a lot of fun.
Levitt Pavilion 3-band festival. (Photo/Alex Sherman)
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One of the unfortunate consequences of the gas-powered leaf blower ban that went into effect May 15 has been harassment of landscapers.
“06880” has heard of several instances in which Westporters have screamed at employees using the blowers, demanding they stop, then growing even angrier when the men do not know why they’re being yelled at. Some do not even speak English.
Landscapers work for their employers. Their employers work for homeowners.
It’s unfair to blame men who are simply doing the job they’re instructed to do.
It’s also the easy way out.
Talk to the homeowner. Call the landscape company owner.
And to report a violation, email ckelly@westportct.gov, or write: Conservation Department, 110 Myrtle Avenue, Westport, CT 06880.
These are not the people to yell at.
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The Staples boys lacrosse team did it for the first time: winning the FCIAC (league) championship, in dramatic fashion. (Click here to read the stirring story.)
And Charlie Scott has done it again.
The Staples High School senior has produced another spectacular highlight reel of Thursday’s huge win.
It’s the latest in his year-long series of great videos. And it may be his best yet.
Click below to see:
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Last night’s perfect holiday weather brought the first big outdoor dining crowd of spring to Church Lane.
Tables outside Spotted Horse, The Blondinit and Pink Sumo were all filled. It was a hint of many more such nights to come.
Today is predicted to be cloudy. As for Memorial Day … uh oh.
Dining al fresco at Spotted Horse. (Photo/Dan Woog)
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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo features blue-eyed grass, growing at the base of a spicebush. Both plants are native to our region, says photographer Melissa Chang.
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And finally … Sally Ride was born on this day in 1951. She was the first American female astronaut, the youngest American astronaut to have flown in space (32 years old), and the first astronaut known to be LGBT. She died of pancreatic cancer in 2012, age 61.
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(As Westport heads into summer, “06880” is your place to find out what’s happening, where and when. Plus what just happened. Please support our work, by clicking here to contribute. Thanks!)
Leafblowers- Don’t yell, don’t argue, but do explain.
I’ve had the occasion to explain to landscapers using leafblowers about the new rule. The are often dumbfounded, incredulous, but listen. They do their work in many towns without rules and think I’m pulling their leg, or think I’m making up the rule. Simply ask who is in charge, if they are not there ask to call their boss so you can speak to the manager. Remember you are not harassing your neighbor, you are there to make things better for all of us.
My first encounter was with a monstrous riding-leafblowing machine that if it had wings could fly and the roar rivaled the departure of a jet at the airport, flagging the machine on one side were two with hand held gas blowers. I tell you you couldn’t imagine how deafening this 3 person army was working all together. Thank you Westport RTM for restoring my summers.
PS- after one other encounter, the worker simply took out a electric blower he had in the truck- mission accomplished!
Good morning Westport. The fine arts festival was wonderful. I’m thinking of going back again today. I bought our cousin a beautiful print of wild horses. Thinking about some other great pieces I saw! An underlying theme that was really beautiful to see was love. Lots of pieces with the theme of love or the word love.
On the gas leaf blowing subject, I agree that the landscapers are not the people to be yelling at. I do understand the frustration though for those who are following the ordinance, to see the entitled people who choose not to. The town is partially to blame as I see it because they have not sent a bulk mailing or email explaining this ordinance. Whatever your feeling is about the ordinance, it is a town ordinance now. If you don’t like it, you can try to appeal it. That’s how our town government works for everyone.
My husband and I knew nothing about it until Dan wrote about it in this blog. I’m happy about it because I live next to people who completely go over the top with leaf blowers and use them a few times a week with an army of leaf blowers; three at once and they’re quite close to us. If people were reasonable, and had consideration for their neighbors, the ordinance wouldn’t have to exist. Clearly, there was a demand from enough residents complaining to their town reps. Unfortunately, this ordinance so far is using the honor system with no financial consequences for people breaking it. That is the obviously the only incentive for some people to follow rules.
We have not been able to sit outside in the spring, summer and fall months on weekdays or weekends peacefully or been able to enjoy a meal or have conversation with friends on our property outside for years because of an unreasonable and obsessive use of blowers which contributes to pollution both atmospheric and noise, and significantly degrades the quality of life in our home and in our town.
When I experience gas powered leaf blowers, I tell the workers of the new rule, first asking who speaks English. They thank me and tell me they will speak to their bosses. I also ring the bell of the homeowner or if no one is home and I have an e mail address, I send a note to the owner. I have had only positive, thoughtful reactions, though one worker told me he was aware of the rule but the landscape owner told him to ignore it because there was minimal enforcement. The new regulation appears to be going well.
Don Bergmann
While there have been many who have pointed out the dangers of passing toothless legislation like our leaf blower ordinance, it is nonetheless a town ordinance and people are entitled to the peace and healthy environment it promises.
While homeowners who employ landscaping services should alert those they employ, clearly, many don’t.
Landscaping does not require licensing in Connecticut, however landscapers are required to register as contractors doing home improvement with the CT Department of Consumer Protection.
I suggest that anyone being harmed by leaf blower noise and pollution file a complaint with the Department of Consumer Protection…
https://portal.ct.gov/dcp/complaint-center/consumers—complaint-center
Maybe our RTM can also step up with a more robust information campaign.
Big shout out to Carmen Roda, Rick Giunta, Barbara Vornkhal, Jaime Boone, Brittany Franko, Mike Giunta, Max Robbins and the entire Guest Services crew for an amazing season opener event.
Carmen Roda has been imagining and planning and with these amazing hardworking people with progressive and great new leadership who share the same vision to promote and share Westport with all made it a huge success.
I barely recognized anyone there and it was all new families and visitors from other towns.
AMAZING 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
speaking of loud noise it’s not just leaf blowers. There are incredibly loud obnoxious cars all over town. There are loud motorcycles and helicopters There are large bulldozers breaking ledge and rock all over town.
how bout power washers ?
I support environmental legislation. The leaf blower ordinance is an embarrassment to the Town. Is it about noise or pollution? If it’s about noise, there are LOTS of noisy things in town. Why just leaf blowers? If it’s about pollution, the amount of pollution from a leaf blower is miniscule. My point is that focusing on leaf blowers make no substantive impact on either noise or pollution.
Furthermore, regardless of who is violating the ordinance, the sole “punishment” is that the property owner (not the person violating the ordinance) is sent some literature in the mail.
Here’s the actual ordinance:
https://library.municode.com/ct/westport/ordinances/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=1202376
If the RTM wants to address noise and/or pollution, create legislation that addresses noise or pollution so that it has a measurable, meaningful impact.
Note that this is an issue that will solve itself WITHOUT any legislation. As gas powered yard equipment declines in popularity, within five or so years, virtually all equipment by homeowners and property managers will go electric, thus achieving the same result.
Finally, if the RTM wants to accelerate the move to electric yard equipment, how about offering financial incentives for people to move to electric yard equipment?
Rich white liberal westporters are nasty ass human beings. To speak to anyone about a leaf blower shows how awful they really are.
The me me me town. It’s only getting worse. I would use my blower just to piss them off!!
Good thing you moved away. Sad you feel compelled to slash at the town you left. Says a lot about you.
There is no penalty, the so called ordinance is really just a “suggestion.” If someone has a “problem” with a neighbor using a gas leaf blower or his maintenance company…file a complaint with the Conservation Department of Westport, and they will send of out a nice paper booklet ( waste of paper and added Pollution to environment) to home owner.
I voted against the Leaf Blower ordinance and will vote against against it again if it comes before the RTM with someone trying to “slip in a fee” for any use of gas leaf blowers.
The ordinance has proven what many of us were afraid of, neighbor v neighbor. People are now taking it upon themselves to police thy neighbor. Is this what we want in our community?
Let technology catch up to provide professional landscapers with proper technology that doesn’t break the bank, and these gas blowers will be a thing of the past soon enough.
So the citizens you claim to represent and the government decisions you’re sworn to uphold deserve to be flouted if you don’t agree with them? Haven’t I heard this discordant tune before somewhere?
Werner, the best way to get an effective ordinance is for the state of CT to pass legislation. This is not a good piece of legislation on the local level. NO Teeth. The Police have zero to do with it.
95% of the landscapers would’ve been happy with ZERO work on Sundays and done at 1:00 pm of Saturdays.
Neighbor v Neighbor is not a good a thing. We have some work to do.
If in fact the a majority of 36 RTM members actually vote to put some teeth into this, my position would be, it’s the law.
Now if we had a “noise ordinance” we could cover weekend construction, refuse, blowers both gas and electric, etc…
Exclusion and Inclusion is a very interesting road to go down in any community on this topic
Good. Thank you.
So when do you stop the noise and stop the pollution? (And that includes town use.)
There is talk about a “noise ordinance” which I think is not a bad idea. Years ago there was never construction going on all day Saturdays.
Then again, we never had all this travel sports nonsense which is the rave of the country, and gouging families one child at a time!
It’s been so much nicer being outside this week; my hours in the garden have been delightful for a change! I did hear some gas blowers over the back fence yesterday (it’s Weston there), but mostly my neighborhood is so much more peaceful. I did have to mention to my neighbors’ landscapers, as well as mine, that the ordinance was now in effect, and they were cool. The guy doing my yard said he’d bring electric blowers next week. (I’d told his boss about the ordinance twice — once when it passed, once when it was about to take effect — so I guess they’re prepared…maybe waiting to see if homeowners want to play along?)
Shortcomings notwithstanding, it’s definitely a better quality of life with the gas powered blower ordinance in effect. No question.
And to those that are concerned about the lack of an enforcement mechanism, that’s fair – as far as it goes. But if you knew the scope and nature of the stuff that was done by elected officials who shall not be named to tank this effort you would be shocked that anything passed at all.
As a sidebar, I had to laugh last week turning into the Transfer Station: Just past the pithy “Don’t Blow It!” sign advising all and sundry about the above referenced ordinance was – wait for it – a town employee diligently transferring dust from the pavement to the air with a gas powered leaf blower. Of course the town famously exempted itself from its own ordinance because, apparently, environmental leadership is for losers.
Whatever. It’s still a win on balance and I remain grateful to those who endured enough crap to choke a horse and got it done. Thank. You.
I’ve pretty much pulled back (at Dan’s request) from commenting on this blog but the question remains unasked: Has anyone tried cutting their own grass, preferably with a John Kerry approved electric mower and using a mulching blade on the mower? It does such a thorough job of pulverizing anything it touches that leaf blowers are unnecessary. The pulverized clippings return nutrients to the soil rendering fertilizer treatments as redundant as a Jen Tooker Foti op. You’ll save lots of money that you can contribute to the financial viability of 06880.