Yesterday — after years of fundraising and preparation — VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399 began dredging its 50-year-old marina.
The Saugatuck River project will restore the 34-slip marina, a task required every 20 years to maintain its functionality and safety.
The initial phase began with Post members dismantling the existing marina, in preparation for the digging to start next week.
“We’re very excited and relieved that we are finally moving forward,” says Post 399 quartermaster Phil Delgado.
“With growing local membership and more visiting veterans taking advantage of our offerings, we realized this project was essential to ensuring our financial future.
“We will create a space where veterans, their friends and the community can enjoy the fantastic views of the Saugatuck River.”
Dock work on the Saugatuck.
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Restaurant Week begins today.
The Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce’s annual event runs through Sunday, October 13. Yes, that’s 2 weeks. I guess “Restaurant Fortnight” sounds too confusing, in this video game age.
One of the 20 restaurants — Rizzuto’s — has added something special to its prix fixe menu.
Owner Bill Rizzuto has planned a “throwback menu” to the days the Riverside Avenue spot was Manero’s. (It was later several other restaurants, including John Harvard’s and Conte’s.)
It features a buttery garlic bread basket, prime rib, and (of course) Manero’s beloved gorgonzola salad with each main course dish.
They’ll also serve “dividend martinis and Manhattans.”
For a full list of all participating restaurants, with links to their menus, click here.
PS: This week marks Rizzuto’s 15th anniversary here. Congrats!
Rizzuto’s
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There’s a special guest at this Friday’s Sunrise Rotary Club meeting.
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker will share her administration’s priorities, and offer updates.
The event, at Green’s Farms Church, starts at 7 a.m., with coffee, bagels and muffins. The meeting begins at 7:30, with Tooker starting around 8.
At its regular meeting on Friday, October 4, 2024, the Westport Sunrise Rotary Club will have as its speaker Westport First Selectwoman Jen Tooker. She will share her administration’s priorities and provide an update on all the great things that are happening in Westport. There will be time for Q&A.
The public is invited,witht RSVPs requested: info@WestportSunriseRotary.org.
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Many Staples High School sports teams run car wash fundraisers.
All are high-energy. They almost always attract a few interesting vehicles.
Yesterday’s boys soccer squad car wash, at Christ & Holy Trinity Church, drew a very interesting one.
(Photo/Dan Woog)
The Westport Fire Department stopped by, after answering a call for a possible gas leak at nearby Church Lane.
No, the boys did not wash the truck. Firefighters take care of that on their own.
They are very smart men and women.
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Thomas Jendrock spotted this sign, at Sherwood Island State Park:
He calls it ambiguous.
Agreed.
“The red slash is through the person and the dog,” Thomas notes.
“Does that mean people are banned (doggie’s pets), or doggies are banned (people’s pets)?” Or both?
But the red slash does not look official. Maybe someone is trying to suggest that the sign itself should be banned?
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And so it begins.
One of the first trees to turn this fall — and the subject of today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature — is this one on Peaceful Lane, off Whitney Street:
(Photo/Molly Alger)
There are thousands more to come.
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And finally … today is Broadway Musicals Day.
There are so many to choose from. But let’s go with one song, from one musical, with a Westport connection: 2003 Staples High School graduate Justin Paul’s “Dear Evan Hansen”):
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The VFW is one of VERY few in the country that are located directly on the water and have a launch/dock.
This dredging is vital to the VFW because it provides an income to support the cause, but also, at least a handful and more spots will open up because it was too shallow to dock.
So exciting to see this!!!
I would interpret that “No pets allowed” sign to mean you can bring any sort of animal or insect you wish – just so long as you personally don’t consider it a “pet”. I once had huge red tailed boa constrictor that had a regrettable habitat of trying to eat me whenever it got the chance. I did not consider the snake a “pet” per se. More like a liability. So there you have it. Load up the dairy cows and set them to grazing at Sherwood Island State Park.
Tooker will speak this Friday at the Rotary Club. I hope someone will ask Tooker who she is supporting for president abd the reasons why Do 06880 families want to know how Tooker feels about abortion ? 06880 economy runs on the back of immigrants. When you want up and down Hillspikt road and Buena Vista road and marvel at the construction projects and valiant workers who make these projects happen think about who is doing the work. Listen to the workers speak and in what language. Obseve the food trucks that stop by the work sites During 06880 reareraunt week observe who the waiters. and cooks are. Who are the dishwashers? I would like to hear Tooker speak on the 06880 labor economy and how it relates to massive deportation threats by the racist in chief. The best time you enter a nail massage or get a massage perhaps think about the labor that is v performing these functions. At our local salons and massage/ reflexology services. What would happen to 06880 labor market if massive deportations took place. I would like Tooker to address these issues. thank you Dan for providing an outlet to many issues.
You really are a crazy liberal. Get a life man.
Look at what a disgrace your party is. Get out of your all white liberal bubble called Westport and see how Americans are suffering.
Just because people don’t agree with you and your parties Marxist socialist views.
The story on the VFW dredging efforts should remind all that our Town has not accomplished anything with respect to the dredging of the Saugatuck River. Discussions and efforts have been ongoing, but nothing occurs. I think the matter has been going on now for over 20 years, maybe more. To me, this is another example of lots of words but no results.
Great news regarding VFW dredging. Mr. Bergmann is correct, the Saugatuck River dredging has been 20 year saga. I seem to remember that the permitting process was begun in 2005?…Bill Rizzuto might be the hardest working restauranteur in town..
In 2003 I had the pleasure of taking a cruise up the Mississippi River on the Delta Queen. The first night, I and a few thousand mosquitos sat on the front deck looking at the wide river, while everyone else was partaking in the evenings entertainment. The next morning, the “riverlorian” Toots Molloy explained that only a small part of the river was dredged–to 45 feet south of Baton Rouge to allow for ocean going vessels and only to 9 feet north, which is why the old steamboats and modern tugs are all flat-bottomed. The next night, instead of seeing a wide river, I only saw the narrow dredged channel, marked by lights at night –“right, red, return” meaning the red lights are on the right side as you head towards the Gulf. I kept seeing barge trains of 7×7 barges being pushed by two tugs coming at us and wondered how we could pass in the narrow channel. It gave me a whole new perspective, supplemented by my rereading Mark Twain’s “Life on the Mississippi.”
How deep is the Saugatuck dredged to and do they have markings for the dredged channel, or do they dredge the entire river? And are there dredged channels in the Long Island Sound? As I recall, the Port Jefferson ferry was not flat bottomed so maybe the Sound is naturally at least 45 feet deep.