Each Christmas season, the Wreaths Across America program honors fallen servicemembers, and all who serve. Over 2 million volunteers take part, in all 50 states and overseas.
Tomorrow (Saturday, December 14, 11:30 a.m., Assumption Cemetery, Greens Farms Road), Westport joins it. It’s our town’s third year with the project.
Everyone is invited to join VFW Post 399 and American Legion Post 63, their Auxiliaries, Sons of American Legion, and Scouts from Troops 39 and 139.
After a short ceremony, everyone will place a wreath on a veteran’s grave, and thank that veteran for their service.
Then, from 1 to 6 p.m., the community is invited to an Army-Navy football game watch party at the VFW (465 Riverside Avenue).
None of this would happen without Patty Kondub. The popular Westport Family YMCA and Senior Center fitness instructor (and Staples High School girls golf coach) is the local coordinator.
As part of her many other Westport activities, she’s also vice president of the VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399 Auxiliary.
Click here to sponsor a wreath. To designate a wreath for a specific veteran at the Assumption cemetery, email Patty: nortonpk@aol.com.
For Patty, the project is personal. Her father — John Kondub — was a World War II Marine, and VFW Post 399 member. He earned a Purple Heart, for hand-to-hand combat in the Marianas Islands (Saipan).
He is buried at Assumption Greens Farms Cemetery — almost across from the farm where he was born, before I-95 was built.
“There are over 350 veterans buried in this cemetery,” Patty says. “I hope they all get wreaths.”
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We’ve got justices. And peace!
Yesterday morning, a new class of justices of the peace were sworn in at Town Hall.
Another group was sworn in last week. Town Clerk Jeffrey Dunkerton did the honors both times.
Westport’s 60 justices of the peace are evenly split between Democrats, Republicans and independents.
Community volunteers, they officiate weddings, sign affidavits, and perform arcane and archaic tasks like issuing tax warrants.
Justices of the peace serve 4-year terms, and can perform their services across the state.
For more information, and to engage the services of a justice of the peace, click here. (Hat tip: Jonathan Alloy)
Sworn in yesterday as justices of the peace (from left): Robin Weinberg, Christopher Buckley, Nicole Klein, Alma Sarelli, Ifeseyi Gayle, Jonathan Alloy, Denise Nicoletti, Jim Marpe, Jeff Wieser.
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In all his years in New York, Donald Trump never rang the New York Stock Exchange opening bell.
Until yesterday.
The president-elect was there as part of Time magazine’s Person of the Year celebration.
Also there: Dave Briggs.
The Westport TV personality covered the event as a Cheddar Business News anchor.
“It was a madhouse,” Dave reports.
Dave Briggs, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. President-elect Trump, family members and officials stand near a mockup of Time magazine’s Man of the Year cover.
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La Plage closes for a few months on January 2. It’s part of the Inn at Longshore renovation.
Before their hiatus, they offer some holiday specials.
La Plage’s Christmas Eve dinner (4 to 10 p.m.) includes a 3-course prix fixe menu. They’ll be open on Christmas Day too (noon to 7 p.m.).
Prices for both days are $90 per person, $55 for young adults (12 and under), $20 for the kiddy menu.
New Year’s Eve begins with a la carte seating, from 5 to 7 p.m. At 8:30, a gala dinner includes a 5-course tasting menu, with live music by Jay Prince & Friends. The cost is $185 per person.
New Year’s Day brunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Click here for reservations.
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Want to exercise near Fresh Market? No sweat.
Club Sweat recently closed its Westport location, in that Post Road East plaza.
They’ve gone entirely digital. Click here for more information.
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Menna Olvera, former program director for Donna Karan’s Urban Zen Integrative Therapy program, and co-founder of New York’s wellness The Oleon House, is bringing her healing services to Westport.
Menna, her husband Yanni and young son moved here from New York City during COVID. Yanni grew up in Westport.
As a functional medicine health coach, yoga instructor, caregiver coach, palliative caregiver, integrative wellness specialist and Reiki practitioner, Menna crafts tailored to each client’s journey.
Recently, Menna supported a Westport client through the emotional turbulence of divorce and the sale of her home. Combining mindful yoga movements, Reiki energy work and touch therapy, she helped calm and balance the woman’s nervous system, providing strength and resilience.
In addition to private wellness sessions, Menna teaches integrative yoga classes at Studio45 on Main Street.
For more information about Menna’s services, click here.
Menna Olvera
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If you’ve lived in Westport for more than a day or two, you know that deer go pretty much anywhere they please.
These 3, however, recently met their match, at Gray’s Creek.
(Photo/Matt Murray)
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And finally … following up on Dave Briggs’ morning with President-elect Trump yesterday:
(Another day, another Roundup filled with interesting, important and random stuff. If you enjoy our this — or anything else on “06880” — please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
“Madhouse” is an apt description of the next four years. Perhaps “DJT” will ring it again when the country goes to bitcoin? To a worm in horseradish, the world is horseradish.
To add, Trump’s tariffs will ruin an excellent economy within a year and his so-called “isolationist diplomacy” will have us in a war within two years. Buckle your seat belts, unsafe at any speed.
These low information residents don’t even realize that it is THEY who will be paying the “tariffs” at the cash register, not Mexico and not China. The massive new Trump tax is intended to move even more money from the middle class to the new Trump oligarchs.
Get ready for $20 avocados.
the Republican business owners in Westport employ numerous undocumented workers.
Sh!thouse is the last 4‼️ Scooter
Shelter 24%
Auto insurance 58%
Energy 30%
Food 23%
And throw in 10 million illegals, the astonishing corruption and incompetence, Afghanistan and boys in girls sports and the future looks bright.
17 million jobs created, long term infrastructure bill enacted, Dow at record highs, inflation down, unemployment down, wages up, pumping energy at full throttle. The “illegals” are doing jobs no American will do (Reagan gave 11 million “aliens” amnesty), any corruption compared with Trump’s first term is a joke (impeached twice), the clowns who will fill Trump’s cabinet will bring incompetence and corruption to a historical high. As to Afghanistan, much like Vietnam, messy but we got out after 20 years of stupidity. I love you Tom but turn off Fox.
And let’s forget the 34 felonies convict Trump earned, all by himself. And the defamation cases he lost. And the sexual assault cases he lost. And the two impeachments he earned.
Now, boys and girls in elementary school can look at the presidential portraits posted around their homeroom and play a round “which president is a convicted criminal” and couldn’t get a job sweeping the floor.
But let’s not judge a man by the full extent of the crimes he committed, let’s judge him by the content of his character.
Correction: let’s NOT forget the 34 felonies…
Come on man Scooter inflation is slowly coming down from historic highs but still too high and his cabinet is a Mad Magazine cartoon group his and his family’s corruption are beyond treason. Do you ever shop for groceries? Love ya back ‼️💕😎🇺🇸
Sir Thomas: Actually the President has very little control over the economy. It is really the FED which controls inflation. That said, would you rather have 1990 prices or
2025 wages? JeffXS is down your way, retired playing golf. We may disagree Tom, but you are da man with a quick wit and faster smile. The Dude Abides.
👍🏼👍🏼🇺🇸🇺🇸
Historic is when I had a 14.5% mortgage on the house I bought in September 1977 in Ventnor, NJ. In May of 1978, gambling passed for Atlantic City and overnight my house went up about 70%. There was a two acre piece of property in AC that had a Jeep dealership, and the day before the bill passed, the 2 acres was valued at $250,000. A few days after the bill passed, the owners turned down a 15 million dollar offer!
And we stood in line for gas of which there was plenty.
Tom, 140 countries have inflation and in comparison, we’re doing well. Will DJT solve inflation in all 140 countries?
Hey Tom. I hear little rfkjr is warming up to ban the polio vaccine. You down wid dat?
Oops… correction.. 179 countries out of 194 have inflation. A few have it over 200%! We’re actually doing quite well in comparison. By the way, Trump in an interview with Time magazine just said solving inflation is going to be harder than initially thought. Trump is a historic con artist! According to Elon Musk, things are going to get very tough for about three years until all our problems are resolved.
Trunp will inflate lies
Are the Veterans in the Old Assumption Cemetery getting wreaths? Let’s not forget about them.
the time to honor veterans is during their lifetime.
I agree Richard but when someone sends me a photo of a wreath on my father’s grave at Arlington each Christmas, it is a very nice feeling. And the gesture in itself is honoring those fallen. Semper Fi!
I understand. It’s a beautiful gesture I support. My point is that time to honor the veterans and anyone we admire is when they are alive. Don’t wait for the passing of an individual to honor them.
We have about 75 extra wreaths after we place the wreaths at Assumption on Greens Farms Road. Volunteers will be placing those extra wreaths on veterans graves in other Westport cemeteries. Thank you, Dan for posting.