The Westport Library’s children’s section bursts with great materials.
Now it’s even fuller. They’ve added 379 new books and audiobooks to their digital collection.
Among the authors: Kwame Alexander, Dhonielle Clayton, Beverly Cleary, Suzanne Collins, Kate DiCamillo, Sarah J. Maas, Rick Riordan, Lemony Snicket, Jasmine Warga and Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Oh yeah: Westport’s own Tommy Greenwald is in there too.
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WPKN-FM (89.5 in Bridgeport) — called by the New Yorker “the greatest radio station in the world” — will air the complete original recording of the 1969 Woodstock festival next month.
Not the double album released as the “Woodstock” movie soundtrack.
Not some outtakes, added later.
The entire concert. Complete musical performances by every band — all 32 sets, from Richie Havens, Joan Baez, the Who, Sly & the Family Stone, Johnny Winter, Ten Years After, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Santana, Joe Cocker, Canned Heat, The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Jimi Hendrix and more.
Every stage announcement. The entire 4-day affair, 55 years after it happened.
The show runs August 15-18, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
What makes this “06880”-worthy is the Jim Motavalli connection. WPKN’s publicity director — a 1970 Staples High School graduate — was at Woodstock.
He drove to Max Yasgur’s farm with his twin brother John (also a longtime WPKN DJ) in their first car, a 1962 Chevy Nova convertible.
Jim Motavalli recalls: “I had a wonderful time. I was 17. People always ask me about the music, but a big part of what made it special was the tribal gathering, Woodstock Nation if you will. Just being there was exciting, though the music wasn’t half bad.”
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The Westport Artists Collective’s opening reception at the Ethan Allen Design Center was packed, earlier this month.
There should be a great crowd too, at the closing party (August 1, 5 to 7 p.m., Fresh Market shopping plaza opposite Mitchells).
Ten members’ works are displayed through several room settings, on the walls and easels. The public is invited.
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Set your alarm. (Or program your device.)
“Loving” — the 1970 film about a successful illustrator, his mistress and alcohol — will air on TCM this Friday (July 26), at 12:15 a.m.
It’s of interested to “06880” readers for 3 reasons. The film was based on “Brooks Wilson Ltd.,” a novel by Westporter John McDermott.
It was filmed in part here, at the Saugatuck train station, Greens Farms Elementary School, Main Street, and a private home on 27 Long Lots Road.
And it starred George Segal and Eva Marie Saint (a Westport Country Playhouse regular). Local residents Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward appeared as extras. Westporter Diana Douglas also had a role.
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Westport resident Peggy Lovro — a native of China, and a Mandarin teacher at Brien McMahon High School’s Center for Global Studies in Norwalk — was the guest speaker at the Westport Rotary Club’s Tuesday meeting.
She discussed the benefits of international study tour programs for cross-cultural learning. CGS — a magnet school focused on languages — attracts students from throughout Fairfield County.
Peggy Lovro
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This may not be where you and I — or even many birds — would perch.
But there’s no place like home, for these Cockenoe Island residents.
Carl McNair snapped today’s “Westport … Naturally” image.
(Photo/Carl McNair)
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And finally … Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the last surviving member of the legendary Four Tops, died Monday in Detroit. He was 88, and suffered from heart failure.
The group — founded in the 1950s and active through the 2000s — achieved its greatest fame with a string of ’60s Motown hits. Fakir’s tenor blended well with lead singer Levi Stubbs’ baritone.
There are way too many great Four Tops songs to include here. These are just some of my favorites. (Click here for a full obituary.)
(I can’t help myself: I’ve got to ask readers to click here to support “06880.” Thank you, sugar pie honey bunch.)
Four Tops! Ultimate 1960s Westport. So sad they are all gone now. I so miss those simple times. Transistor radios on Compo Beach and Four Tops coming through thr ear phones. This world is crazy and we need a bit of those times back.
Thanks for the heads up on the Loving airing.
McDermott and his wife were close friends of my in-laws, Mary and P D Eastman. They met while they all worked at Disney, before coming to Westport. My husband, Tony (Staples 1960), and I were also close.
McDermott had many talents. He was an in-betweener at Disney’s, an illustrator for magazine articles and book covers, (Tony was a model for one) and wrote at least three other books – Mother’s Day, and The Rat Factory as J R Ryan (Ryan was his mother’s maiden name, if I recall correctly), and Joe Hill as John McDermott. He also made several war reenactment movies – Cornfield and Belleau Wood are two I remember. I was at the filming of Belleau Wood on a field in Weston in the summer of 1964. P D and Tony were in these movies, along with Howard Munce, Tom Shoemaker, Tony’s friend, comic artist Kim Deitch, and many others. McDermott’s basement on Sturges Highway was filled with authentic Civil/WW II gear.
I gave photos and 16 mm film from these movies to the Historical Society several years ago, before it changed leadership.
Thanks for the songs Dan🎶🎼🎵
Near the beginning of “Loving”, it shows George Segal walking the halls of Greens Farms Elementary School to the auditorium where The Nutcracker was being performed. I was in 2nd grade and one of the candy canes on the stage. “Loving” was rated R so when it came out so I was too young to see it. Fast forward to 2016 when Dan wrote an article in 06880. Thank you to Fred Cantor who posted a YouTube link where I was able to watch the movie for the first time. I look forward to watching it again this Friday!
I think i recall the Grateful Dead’s performance being so bad they didn’t want it included on the album, so for those deadheads excited about this opportunity to hear it, brace yourselves.