Monthly Archives: November 2024

Roundup: Shonda Rhimes, Bill Clinton, RAWW Women …

Posted on November 10, 2024 | 4 comments

While many Westporters relaxed in yesterday’s still-spectacular fall weather, plenty of others volunteered in a variety of ways — all for Homes with Hope.

A well-supported food drive at Stop & Shop helped restock the food pantry, now located at Sasco Creek Village while the Gillespie Center is being renovated.

(From left) Clodagh McAlinden, Pete Wolgast, Katharine Murray, Paris Looney — Homes with Hope and Sunrise Rotary Club volunteers at Stop & Shop.

With the Sunrise Rotary Club, Westport Police Department and Builders Beyond Borders taking the lead, over 350 bags of food and personal hygiene items were donated by shoppers.

Police Chief Foti Koskinas, with Police Department and other volunteers, help restock the Homes with Hope food pantry.

Over at 122 Wilton Road — Homes with Hope’s newest affordable housing site — volunteers from Green’s Farms Church planted tulips and daffodils.

Green’s Farms Church volunteers, at 122 Wilton Road.

Teenagers from Staples Service League of Boys (SLOBs) showed up in force at the Linxweiler House. They did a massive fall clean-up at the HWH property on Post Road East. 

SLOBs clean up at Linxweiler House.

Finally, members of American Institute for Foreign Study’s au pair division in Stamford spent the morning cleaning up leaves at the Bacharach Community — Homes with Hope’s emergency housing for women and children, on Wassell Lane.

AIFS Au Pair in America volunteers, at the Bacharach Community.

“Every team was amazing!” says HWH president and CEO Helen McAlinden. “What an incredible help, on this beautiful fall day.”

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The Westport Library’s Holiday Shop is open.

The annual event — located on the main level, and now spilling into the Writing Center — includes scarves, hats and gloves (many handmade); humorous socks; unique dish towels; notebooks, journals and planners; handmade desert bells and other decorative items like paper lanterns, felt baskets, planters and birdhouses; snow globes; jewelry; festive candles; games; puzzles; toys; art supplies, and novelty items for kids.

Library Store purchases are tax-free. Proceeds support Library services and programs.

Manager Heli Stagg shows off a small part of the Library’s Holiday Shop, in the Writing Center off the main floor. (Photo/Dan Woog)

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Shonda Rhimes is bicoastal.

But the TV producer/screenwriter/Shondaland founder won’t have far to go for her November 22 gig (8 p.m).

The Westport resident will be at the Palace Theater in Stamford, for a chat with Bill Clinton. They’ll chat about his new memoir “Citizen”; his post-presidency life; the 2024 election, and his reflections on the world today.

(The former president has an equally short commute that night. He’ll be coming from nearby Chappaqua, New York.)

Click here for tickets, and more information.

Bill Clinton and Shonda Rhimes

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On Thursday, the Rockin’ Alts Women of Westport — aka RAWW — hosted a happy hour at Romanacci’s.

Thirty professional women in alternative investments — hedge funds, private markets, venture capital and more – attended. The event was sponsored by Westport-based FoundHer, a recruiting firm specializing in placing return-to-work women in the workplace.

Founder Rachel Markus invites women in alternative finance to join RAWW. For more information, email RachelMarkus10@gmail.com.

Local women interested in returning to work in the financial industry can email jsilver@foundherllc.com and rknapp@foundherllc.com.

RAWW and FoundHer members, at Romanacci’s.

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Next up for Club203: bowling!

Westport’s social group for adults with disabilities heads to Nutmeg Bowling in Fairfield on November 21 (6:30 to 8 p.m.).

The social evening includes pizza (and shoes at no extra cost). As always with Club203, MoCA CT provides an art table.

Parents and guardians are welcome to stay at Nutmeg, and enjoy the cash bar.

A year-long Club203 membership is $100, and includes 10 monthly events. Individual events are $20 each. Click here to join — and let the good times “roll.”

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Want to learn more about your old books? Head to Tail Books will be at the Westport Museum for History & Culture November 16 to evaluate vintage books.

Registration is open for 30-minute appointments with Michele Wan, proprietor of the Westport-based specialists in rare and collectible books. She’ll offer informal analyses of hand press-era texts, modern first editions and more (up to 5 items). The fee is $75. To register, click here.

Michele Wan

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Most days, the Westport Library’s youngest patrons hang out in the second floor children’s room.

It’s warm, welcoming, and always fun.

Yesterday morning, kids took over the Trefz Forum. “Miss Sara’s Music Room” filled the big space, with instruments, rhythm — and (of course) fun.

(Photo/Rob Feakins)

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Staples High School Class of 1958 graduate Alan Dolge died on October 25. He was 84.

The Westport native graduated from Franklin & Marshall College. He was a naval aviator for 22 years. After moving from active duty to reserves, he flew for Trans World Airlines. He retired at age 60, after 33 years, in 2000.

After retirement, he served his community as a conservationist, working alongside the Delaware Highlands Conservancy to protect the Poconos. He was also president of his homeowners’ association for 10 years. He helped found the United Way of Pike County, which he served as president.

Alan is survived by his wife of 34 years, Pamela Dolge, his daughters with Carole Dolge, Kelly (James) Smith and Ginger (Paul) Wolford; grandchildren Shannon, Kendall (Connor Mahaffey), Jonathan, Hailey and Joshua; great-granddaughter Juniper; and brothers Chuck and Tracy.

A funeral is set

He will be buried with military honors at 12:30 p.m. on November 18 at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville, Pennsylvania.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Alan’s memory may be made to VALOR Clinic Foundation, which serves veterans.

Alan Dolge

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Jo Ann Miller reminds “06880” readers that today is the 249th birthday of the US Marine Corps.

Her father served proudly for 37 years, reaching the rank of lieutenant general (3 Stars). He was one of only two pilots to fly combat missions in World War II (Midway), Korea and Vietnam.  His wing men included astronaut and Senator John Glenn, and Ted Williams. He was inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame in 2010, with Neil Armstrong.

Semper Fi!

(From Bill Clinton and the US Marine Corps to Shonda Rhimes and our amazing library, “06880” is where Westport meets the world. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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One Roof, Three Generations

Posted on November 10, 2024 | 2 comments

Westport’s demographics are changing.

Since the pandemic, we’ve welcomed scores of young families: men and women in their 30s, with elementary school children, toddlers and infants. Every one of them came from Manhattan or Brooklyn, I think.

New apartments are home to singles, as young as their 20s. Affordable housing units are rented to working men and women previously priced out of the market.

But another group is changing Westport too. Older folks are joining their children and grandchildren — either in the same house, in an accessory dwelling unit on the property, or in their own home or condo close by.

The reasons are many. A desire to be part of grandchildren’s lives — or to help care for them. The healthcare need of elderly parents. Companionship. Loneliness.

Accessory dwelling units are now legal in Westport. They’re an attractive alternative for grandparents who want to live near their children and grandchildren — but not in the same house.

(Of course, it’s not always older parents coming here. Sometimes, children who grew up here return, to be close to their parents. Or because moving back into their parents’ home makes financial sense.)

Our friends at KMS Team at Compass are tracking the trend, which they say is noticeable.

Local statistics are not available. But nationally, the number of multiple generations living in one household — including adults and children over the age of 25, or grandparents living with grandchildren — has quadrupled.

COVID accelerated the moves. Zoom calls with grandchildren did not do the trick, for grandparents. They wanted physical proximity. Sometimes, living in the same house made sense. (The other scenario: buying a home very close by.)

In Westport, one recent sale was to a couple who left 70 years in Michigan behind. When both daughters moved here, they quickly followed suit.

They miss their friends and family back home. But they say, “we can be part of every holiday and birthday celebration. We go to our grandkids’ soccer games and ballet recitals. We comfort bruised feelings and scraped knees. Pulling up roots was hard, but definitely the right move for us.

Builders have noticed the trend. Bedrooms with separate exterior access may include kitchenettes. Multiple primary suites are placed on different levels of the home. Back staircases from the main living area lead to secondary quarters. Main floor bedroom suites can include private outdoor space.

Multiple kitchens, or a kitchenette in a grandparents’ wing, are nice — though many families enjoy the shared experience of cooking and eating together. In those cases, multiple prep surfaces come in hand, as do islands that offer some seating.

Our forefathers and foremothers — the men and women who lived here many years ago — would not recognize modern-day homes.

But they would sure feel at “home” with more than 2 generations under one roof.

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Meanwhile, KMS Team at Compass say, statistics show that Westport sales are down in 2024 compared to 2023 — 253, down 12.% — yet median prices continue to climb. At $2.1 million, it’s up 2.8%.

62.5% of inventory is priced over $3 million. There are only 3 properties now active in the under-$1.4 million category.

Weston shows similar trends. The number of sales is down year over year, but there’s an even greater rise in the median sales price: 7.2% to $1.37 million.

The most expensive property currently on sale in Westport is 120-122 Beachside Avenue. The 5-bedroom, 5-bathroom, 11,450-square foot home, on 6.56 acres with 400 feet of direct waterfront, is listed for $27.5 million. The annual tax is $220,050.

(“06880” regularly covers real estate, lifestyle trends, and the achievements of Westporters of all ages. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Pic Of The Day #2762

Posted on November 9, 2024 | Comments Off on Pic Of The Day #2762

Surfing at Compo Beach (Photo/Wendy Levy)

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Roundup: TEA Talk, Gun Safety, Bloodroot …

Posted on November 9, 2024 | 3 comments

Matt Davies — the Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist (and 1985 Staples High School graduate) — headlines this year’s TEA Talk.

The annual Westport Arts Advisory Committee event is always a thoughtful conversation featuring thinkers, educators and artists.

This year’s TEA Talk — set for the Westport Library on Sunday, November 17 (2 p.m.) — explores “Humor in the Arts: When a Ha-ha is a No-no.”

Davies and his fellow panelists (writer/actor/comedian Olivia Levine, satirical fine artist Norm Siegel, and playwright/screenwriter Frederick Stroppel) will discuss the impact of social media on humor and satire; the challenges of balancing humor with respect and inclusivity; the role of irony and absurdity in contemporary art, and the changing nature of audience expectations and reactions.

WAAC co-chair Nancy Diamond moderates the sure-to-be-insightful event. Click here to register.

Matt Davies’ post-election cartoon. (Copyright Newsday)

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Concerned about gun safety?

Staples High School students Aidan Lapatine and Logan Noorily are.

And they’re doing something about it.

They run the Students Demand Action club. Today (Saturday, November 9, noon to 3 p.m.) they’ll give out free gun locks, at the Post Road East/Main Street corner (near Starbucks, across from Fred).

Questions? Want to learn more about gun locks? Email aidanlapatine@gmail.com.

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Any Artists Collective of Westport show is great (and fun).

The next one will is also practical. Over 100 works — in a wide variety of styles, genres and materials — will be shown.

And sold. They make great holiday gifts. And all are 12″ x 12″, making them easy to ship.

The show runs from Thursday, November 21 through Sunday, November 24 (noon to 4 p.m., Sheffer Barn at Westport Country Playhouse). A reception on Wednesday, November 20 (6 to 8 p.m.) is a great chance to meet the artists, and enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres.


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For nearly 50 years, quietly — but fiercely — Bloodroot has raised consciousnesses, fought for women’s rights, and served great food on a side street near the water in Bridgeport.

Now, the institution — co-founded by longtime Westporter, 89-year-old Selma Miriam — is getting the film treatment it deserves.

“A Culinary Uprising: The Story of Bloodroot” premieres tomorrow (Sunday, November 10, United Congregational Church, 2200 North Avenue, Bridgeport). The 80-minute documentary will screen twice, at 5 and 7 p.m.

Click here for tickets, and more information.

Selma Miriam, during a quiet moment at Bloodroot.

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Speaking of great food: Yesterday’s Roundup story on Wakeman Town Farms’ “Thanksgiving Pies for Good” — the sale benefiting CTFoodShares — did not include a link to purchase the apple, apple crumb, blueberry, blueberry crumb, cherry, cherry crumb and pumpkin delights. (Or the à la mode ice cream that’s also on sale.)

So: Click here to order. The deadline is noon on November 22.

Thanksgiving can’t come soon enough.

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Tomorrow (Sunday, November 10, 1 p.m., Room 210), the Westport Library hosts an “illuminating” event.

The public is invited to use one of their state-of-the-art 3D printers to create solar-powered lanterns for Open Doors, a homeless shelter in Norwalk.

No experience is needed, to help provide lighting solution for unhoused people, improving their safety and well-being during nighttime hours.

Created and designed by Staples High School sophomore Rohan Sareen and senior Shreyas Gorre, the lanterns use lights, wires, batteries and solar panels for sustainable illumination.

Shreyas Gorre and Rohan Sareen, with their solar-powered lanterns.

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Despite the rise of the internet, Consumer Reports continues to be the gold standard for product reviews.

This past week, the Y’s Men of Westport and Weston brought CR experts Ellen Kunes, Barrie Rosen and Jen Shecter to the Westport Library for an inside look at those reviews.

Click below for a video of the informative and engaging presentation.

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A celebration of the life of Lis Comm — the longtime Staples High School English teacher and town-wide director of language arts, who died in August — will be held this Thursday (November 14, 3 p.m., Westport Woman’s Club).

Her husband and fellow Staples educator, Frank Corbo, invites Lis’ many former colleagues, students and parents to the ceremony.

Lis Comm

In addition, a celebration of the life of Dan Szymczak — the 1996 Staples High School graduate who died last week — is set for Sunday, November 17 (3 to 8 p.m., 1920 Bar & Bistro, 2 Wilton Avenue, Norwalk). The public is invited.

Dan Szymczak

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Callie Jo Meehan died peacefully at her Westport home, after a lengthy illness. She was 58.

Raised in the small town of Hazen, North Dakota, Callie took part in nearly every activity available. She enjoyed sports, music, theater and civics, as well as the family farm tradition of butchering and sausage-making each fall.

At Harvard University she participated in cheerleading and softball, and earned a varsity letter playing volleyball.

Following graduation Callie began a career in banking in Minneapolis and Philadelphia. She retired to focus on her family. They moved to Charlotte and Dallas, before settling in Westport in 2005.

She participated in the Junior League of Philadelphia, Charlotte and Dallas, and bible studies. She attended services at Saugatuck Congregational Church.

Callie is survived by her husband John; their children Grace, Claire and Peter; son-in-law Tate Johnson; parents Harvey and Kathy Huber, and sisters Christie Obenauer and Stephanie Huber.

The Meehan family thanks the many friends and caregivers who supported and assisted Callie and her family during her illness.

Callie Meehan

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Westport Human services offers this calendar:

Open Enrollment and Energy Assistance:

Local Programs and Resources:

Westport Human Services links to programs and services:

Donate to the Homes with Hope or Westport Woman’s Club, or contact Westport Human Services for food resources.

Connecticut has a shortage of foster families. Click here to learn more.

Questions? Contact Westport Human Services 203-341-1050 or humansrv@westportct.gov

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This might be the first time a gingko tree has been featured in “Westport … Naturally.”

You can find this beauty near Rive Bistro.

(Photo/Judith Katz)

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And finally … today is one of the most important days in world history.

On November 9, 1961, the Beatles met Brian Epstein after a performance at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, England. He soon became their manager.

(Today is just another day in our “06880” life. But you can make it special, by clicking here to support Westport’s hyper-local blog. Thank you!)

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Online Art Gallery #239

Posted on November 9, 2024 | 1 comment

There’s always something new in our online art gallery.

This week: a couple of new mediums.

But no matter what style or subject you choose — and whether you’re a first-timer or old-timer — we welcome your submissions. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, digital, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage, needlepoint — we want whatever you’ve got.

Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions. Everyone is invited to contribute.

Email a jpeg to 06880blog@gmail.com. And remember: Please include the medium you’re working in — art lovers want to know.

Untitled (Lawrence Weisman)

“Dear, I Love You More Than All the Red Leaves on all the Japanese Maple Trees in the Whole World!” (Mike Hibbard)

Untitled — eastern side of the Fairfield mill pond — watercolor (Kathleen Burke)

“Squash & Squalls” — oil on linen (Werner Liepolt)

“A Bench with a View” (Fred Cantor)

“The Queen Mary” — Carl Addison Swanson says, “It took 2 cranes $10,000 to move this from next door when Joey Karmonsky (Staples High School Class of 1941) died.”

Untitled (Duane Cohen)

“Boat Contrasts” — a 61-foot Army Q boat built in 1918 by Luders Marine in Stamford, and an inflatable Zodiac runabout (Peter Barlow)

“Homes” — wood (Tom Feeley)

“Bright Light” — impasto acrylic gold leaf (Dorothy Robertshaw)

“Time’s Up” — digital compounding (Tom Doran)

Acrylic dot art mandala (Faith Vicinanza)

“Is it Pop Art or Kindergarten/Refrigerator Art?” — watercolor (Steve Stein)

“They’re Almost Gone!” (Karen Weingarten)

 

(Entrance is free to our online art gallery. But please consider a donation! Just click here — and thank you!)

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“Man Rising” In Redding

Posted on November 9, 2024 | 3 comments

Among the most illustrious of Westport’s many famed artists was James Earle Fraser.

He was a sculptor who designed the buffalo nickel, the “End of the Trail” sculpture of a Native American slumped over a tired horse, and the Theodore Roosevelt statue at the Museum of Natural History.

His wife Laura Gardin Fraser was also an internationally known sculptor. She designed the Congressional Medal of Honor, featuring Charles Lindbergh’s likeness.

Matthias Alfen may not be as big a name. But his sculptures are huge.

Take “Man Rising.” for example. The bronze work — a Janus-like figure with a message of resilience and optimism — has been commissioned to be enlarged by collector Michael Marocco.

Created from 60 separate pieces in a Florida foundry, it’s being moved north. When it’s installed in Morocco’s sculpture garden in Redding, it will be the largest new figure of its kind in decades in the state.

One part of “Man Rising …” 

Alfen came to Westport by way of Bavaria, New York (where he received a Jackson Polloc-Krasner Foundation grant to study), and Norwalk (where he lived, had a studio and taught at Silvermine). He now lives in Westport.

Art was always in his blood. His grandfather, father, mother and brother are photographers. He chose a different medium.

The physical aspect of sculpting appealed to him. He found early success — the German government bought an abstract piece when he was 22 — but then he gravitated to human figures.

“Man Rising” is one — on a much-larger-than-human scale. The 2 sides are fused. One side shows a man who is beaten down. The other side shows him rising up.

… and the other. 

“You either submit or fight back,” Alfen explains. “It’s like where are now. We can be beaten down by technology, AI, loneliness, polarization. But it is a timely message to get back up.”

In a world that is “going insane,” the sculptor says, “art is an antidote against craziness. It brings people together. Art talks about the human condition. That can be very positive, especially for young people.”

Art is “like an orchid,” he continues. “It may not seem essential, but it is.”

InSitu — collector Marocco’s 24-acre sculpture garden is part of 300 protected acres of rock ledges, forest, grasslands and streams, where nature and art meet.

He has worked with designers, craftsmen and plantsmen to combine achitecture, horticulture and sculpture, in 27 garden rooms.

Getting “Man Rising” there will not be easy. The foundry work was done in the hot sun, by Cubans.

“They’re incredible craftspeople,” Alfen notes. “They’ve had great experience in Cuba, keeping their cars from the 1950s and ’60s alive.”

The work has been be cut into pieces, to fit underneath bridges on the long journey from Florida.

Once installed in Redding, it’s back to work for Alfen, in his studio in the Cranbury section of Norwalk, just over the Westport line.

He works in a large barn. It’s a couple of miles, and a century after, James Earle and Laura Gardin Fraser, put Westport on the world sculpting map.

With works like these, we may be there again.

(“06880” is “where Westport meets the world” — including Redding, and the rest of the arts universe. If you enjoy our work, please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)

 

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Pic Of The Day #2761

Posted on November 8, 2024 | 1 comment

It’s November 8. But our remarkably warm weather continues. As happens nearly every evening, dogs and their humans gathered at dusk today, at Compo Beach. (Photo/Ed Simek)

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Friday Flashback #424

Posted on November 8, 2024 | 2 comments

The Class of 1988 is long gone from Staples High School.

Those guys and girls are in their mid-50s now. They’re well into their careers. Many look forward to retiring; some already may have.

Their kids are mostly in high school or college. One or two of those ’88 grads might be grandparents.

They are so different, you’d think, from high school students today.

They took notes in notebooks, not on laptops. They used payphones, not cellphones. Their 1-story school was divided into 9 “buildings”; Staples today is 3 stories, with elevators.

Yet a look at a recently unearthed “video yearbook” from 1988 shows how little has really changed.

Hairstyles and clothes are not wildly different. The gym and auditorium have hardly been touched. Laddie Lawrence is still coaching.

And high school kids celebrate Homecoming, strut through the halls and flirt the same way in 2024 as in 1988.

Once upon a time, people buried time capsules so that future generations could see how they lived.

Now we’ve got video evidence of it.

Complete with a soundtrack that does not sound out of place, nearly 4 decades later.

(Friday Flashback is one of “06880”‘s many regular features. If you enjoy this — or anything else on our website — please consider a tax-deductible contribution. Just click here. Thank you!)

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Roundup: Fire Warning, Pies & Pizza, Martha Stewart …

Posted on November 8, 2024 | 16 comments

A “Red Flag” warning is in effect through 6 p.m. tonight. It’s issued during dangerous fire conditions due to strong winds, low humidity and warm temperatures.

Any fire may spread quickly, and possibly out of control.

The Westport Fire Department says that outdoor fires are prohibited; cigarettes should be disposed of responsibility, and the public should call 911 immediately in the case of fire.

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AP has called the Pennsylvania Senate race for David McCormick.

The Republican ousted 3-term incumbent Democrat Bob Casey, after a campaign in which McCormick’s residency was scrutinized.

The former Bridgewater CEO — born and raised near Pittsburgh — owns a home on Beachside Avenue. Critics claimed that is where he spent most of his time, including during the early days of the campaign.

This year’s contest was the second most expensive race in the country.

Senator-elect David McCormick

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Like many Westporters, Carl Addison Swanson has noticed the 16 new signs (with blinking lights) (and other features) on Cross Highway, between North Avenue and Bayberry Lane.

It’s part of the town’s Safety Action Plan.

Carl says, “I can understand some emphasis for kids going over to the Porch sometimes for a burger.

“But North is far more traveled by children than Cross. Why the focus on Cross? That is what a $25,000 study will get you.

And, he adds, “in my opinion there should be traffic lights vice stop signs at key stops around town.”

One of 16 signs in the Cross Highway corridor. (Photo/Jo Ann Miller)

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There are plenty of places to get great Thanksgiving pies.

One of them includes a special treat: Every one you buy helps fight hunger.

Wakeman Town Farms’ “Thanksgiving Pies for Good” — a collaboration with Earth Animal’s Mitten Project — benefits CTFoodShares.

This year’s sale features freshly baked 9-inch pies: apple, apple crumb, blueberry, blueberry crumb, cherry, cherry crumb, and pumpkin. All are from Oronoque Farms.

Want something extra (and an extra helping of goodness for others)? Make your order à la mode, with Madagascar vanilla or bourbon brown sugar from Lindsay’s Handmade Ice Cream.

Pies are $20 each; ice cream is $20 per pint. Click here to order. The deadline is noon on November 22.

Pickup is Monday, November 25, 4 to 7 p.m. only at Wakeman Town Farm. Pies that are not picked up will be donated to local food pantries.

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As for that other all-American food — pizza — Riko’s celebrates their arrival in Westport this Saturday (November 9, 2 to 4 p.m.), with a free festival.

The new restaurant — replacing Mystic Market (and before that, Blu Parrot, Jasmine and the Arrow restaurant) on Charles Street, opposite the railroad station parking lot and Luciano Park — will offer a bouncy house, face painting, temporary tattoos, balloon twisting, a photo booth and more.

Plus, of course, free pizzas.

Almost ready. (Photo/Matt Murray)

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Among the capital projects proposed for Westport: repairing the pedestrian bridge to Compo Cove, and the tidal gates there.

Yesterday, nearly half of the Representative Town Meeting took a field trip to the site, accessible only by a pedestrian bridge.

Department of Public Works director Pete Ratkiewich led the excursion. Last night, the appropriation was discussed at a meeting of the RTM’s Finance, Public Works and Environment Committees.

On Tuesday, the full body is the final vote on the $5.58 million request. It was approved unanimously Wednesday night by the Board of Finance.

RTM members on the Compo Cove pedestrian bridge. Moderator Jeff Wieser is at the far left. (Photo/Matt Murray)

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Speaking of the Mill Pond, Larry Hoy sends this photo:

He writes: “A bucolic scene. But is it me, or has the cute little oyster farm at Old Mill turned into a full-blown industrial operation with 9 workers, generators and heavy equipment on several barges, harvesting and cleaning oysters to be sold to restaurants?

“I’m aware of the King’s Grant for the Mill Pond and parts of Long Island Sound here. But does that allow this level of noisy and questionably clean production to be done in what is essentially a residential neighborhood?

“The quiet walks on the Mill Pond bridge aren’t so peaceful and beautiful.”

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“Martha” —  R.J. Cutler’s documentary about the much-admired yet very controversial lifestyle guru/businesswoman/TV personality — is now on Netflix, after a series of film festival screenings.

Dave Briggs watched it, and caught a couple of references to her Westport years.

She calls it “the furthest commuting town from New York.”

As for Turkey Hill — the name she gave her home and garden on the road of the same name — “we had to have (it), to fix it up …. If I hadn’t had Turkey Hill I wouldn’t be me, right now. I would have been somebody else. I just wouldn’t have been Martha Stewart, homemaker.” 

She also discusses her husband’s — and her own — infidelities during their marriage here.

So what does Martha think of “Martha”? Click here.

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The sky’s the limit for the Westport Astronomical Society’s 2025 calendar.

It’s filled with great photos from amateur astro-photographers Michael Southam, Jasper Southam, Regina Olshan, Carol Quinn, Franco Fellah, Stuart Stakoff, Kurt Zeppetello, Celia Campbell-Mohn, Dana Weisbrot, Carl Lancaster, Phil Harrington, Louis Tancredi, Dr. Steven Labkoff and

The Westport Astronomical Society’s amateur astrophotographers found the best photons again this year with offerings from WAS members Michael Southam, Jasper Southam, Regina Olshan, Carol Quinn, Franco Fellah, Stuart Stakoff, Kurt Zeppetello, Celia Campbell-Mohn, Dana Weisbrot, Carl Lancaster, Phil Harrington, Louis Tancredi, Dr. Steven Labkoff and WAS president Shannon Calvert — plus daily astronomical data.

The cost is $20 for members, $25 for non-members. Shipping is $5 for 1-2 calendars, $10 for 3-5. Email kathy@was-ct.org; include your mailing address, and number of calendars requested. An invoice will be emailed back to you.

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Speaking of the sky: Everyone has heard of Stonehenge. Many have also heard of Manhattanhenge.

But what about Longshorehenge?

John Richers spotted this on the entrance road yesterday, at 4:10 p.m.:

(Photo/John Richers)

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If you’ve been thinking, “Westport is a pretty great town, but what we really need is another nail spa”: Your prayers have been answered.

The oddly named Monday Nail Spa will move into the vacant space next to the Westport Post Office.

Probably not Monday. But soon.

(Photo/Molly Alger)

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STAR Lighting the Way has a new president: Westporter Doree Levy.

At the recent gala, she shared her vision for the future of the non-profit, which empowers people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their families.

Doree — a longtime STAR advocate — pledged to “do everything in my power to ensure that STAR will be there to watch over the young and the old, giving them the care and quality of life they deserve.”

New STAR president Doree Levy and her husband Bob are staunch supporters of the organization. (Photo/Miggs Burroughs)

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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” image is a gorgeous view of Winslow Park.

Photographer Mark Mathias calls it “a two-fer. First, regardless of one’s political leanings, voting for dogs is fun.

“Second, earlier this week the town mowed the big hill. All we need now is a good dumping of snow. An entire crop of kids with sleds will magically appear.”

(Photo/Mark Mathias)

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And finally … in honor of Westport’s favorite lifestyle guru:

(If you like this “taste” of Westport, please click here to support our work.)

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Posted in Beach, Local politics, Longshore, Politics, Restaurants

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Need An Intern? Staples High Program Needs You!

Posted on November 8, 2024 | 2 comments

Staples High School’s Internship Program is a win-win-win.

Every spring, talented and eager seniors leave school 3 weeks before graduation. They spend those final weeks out in the real world.

They work everywhere: retail stores, salons, restaurants, non-profits, medical offices, financial firms, design shops, farms, marketing companies, photography studios, publishers … you name it. If there’s a job to be learned and done, they do it.

(And not just in Westport. Interns head to New York City — even beyond.)

The work and real life experience they gain is invaluable. The energy, creativity — and help — they bring to the workplace is huge. And the internships get them out of high school at a time when senioritis would otherwise kick in (that’s the third “win”).

This is not a 2020 photo. For many years, Staples interns have worked at hospitals, medical clinics and doctors’ offices.

But as hard as they work, the program coordinators work equally hard right now arranging 420 or so internships.

So they’re asking the greater “06880” community: Can you help?

Do you need a senior (or two, or three) for daily onsite (or remote) work? Perhaps you’re beefing up your social media presence. Or looking for research help, design work, web content, data entry. Or hundreds of other tasks.

You can be a small, medium or large size firm– or a single proprietor. Maybe you were an intern once yourself, and want to give back.

Internships begin May 19. Students are expected to work 5 hours a day for 3 weeks, onsite, remotely or in a hybrid model. Program leaders provide guidance and oversight.

If interested, or to learn more, email program directors Jessica Larit and Lauren Goldshore: shsinternship@westportps.org.

These students capped their internship at a local kitchen with a delicious party.

(“06880” is your hyper-local source for interesting information — and news you can use. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Posted in Local business, Staples HS, Teenagers

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