An accomplished athlete himself, he knows medicine.
And he knows athletes.
He examined Seamus. With 2 hours to go before the finals, he sent Seamus’ dad Terry — a very successful former Staples wrestler himsef (Class of 1979) — off to CVS for a heating pad, extension cord, lidocaine patches and Motrin.
Dr. Lander proceeded to get Seamus ready — physically and mentally — to compete.
Which he did, almost completely pain-free.
Dr. Josh Lander, working his magic with Seamus Brannigan.
“He’s an incredibly generous guy, who absolutely knows what he’s doing. He’s a fan of all Westport sports,” Terry says.
“And Seamus isn’t the only one on the team he’s helped. He opens up his practice off-hours, to work with other kids too.
“Not all heroes wear capes.”
The ending was a wee bit short of storybook. Seamus — a junior — fell in the finals to a senior from Hall-West Hartford, to finish as runner-up.
But he qualified for the state open. The 126-pounder will be back on the mat this weekend, at Hillhouse High in New Haven.
He’ll be joined by fellow Wreckers Gavin Donaldson, Jessiah Jones and Damian Rousseau. The top 6 there advance to the New England tournament, in Providence.
Good luck, Staples. And thanks again, Dr. Lander!
(Unsung Hero is a weekly “06880” feature. To nominate a hero, email 06880blog@gmail.com. To support our work, please click here. Thank you!)
In 2011 — after years of court battles — town officials and neighbors reached an agreement to add lights to the Staples High School football field.
The court-ordered settlement precluded lighting other Westport fields, besides PJ Romano (behind Saugatuck Elementary School), and the Greens Farms Elementary School softball diamond.
The agreement expired a couple of years ago. On Monday — after long negotaitions — the Planning & Zoning Commission approved 5-1 (with 1 abstention) a text amendment to allow lights at other sites.
Each proposal will be reviewed by the P&Z. Among the requirements:
For 25 years, traffic agent Jerry Waldron has been a Westport Police Department staple.
Commuters and residents see him directing traffic at the Route 1 and 33 intersection and by the Cribari Bridge, or patrolling the railroad station and downtown parking lots.
Not bad, for a 90-year-old.
Yesterday, the WPD celebrated Jerry’s milestone birthday, at police headquarters.
Friends, family and officers — current and retired (all younger) — threw him a surprise party.
Jerry was surprised, and grateful.
But he’s not slowing down. He will be back at work tomorrow, directing lunch hour traffic at 1 and 33.
If you see him, wish him a belated “happy birthday.”
Maybe — considering all that traffic — a wave is better than a honk.
Happy 90th, Jerry Waldron!
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In addition to Jerry Waldron’s birthday, this is also Eating Disorder Awareness Week.
In its honor, Lift Wellness Group hosts a hot chocolate pop-up bar today (Wednesday, February 26, 11 a.m.) at their 8 Myrtle Avenue office.
They hope to shine a light on eating disorders, which have the second highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
And, of course, to offer a nice, tasty treat. The public is invited.
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The Compo Beach playground renovation is about to begin.
As “06880” noted yesterday, the Playground Committee has ensured that anyone who bought a fundraising picket during the last rebuild — 19 years ago — can claim it as a souvenir.
Jennifer Seideman offers more good news about the beloved site. She writes:
“While walking at Compo Beach yesterday, I noticed the project has begun. Of course it makes me nostalgic, as my twins were newborns when the last one was installed. We have many fine memories at that playground.
“I saw that the workers were thoughtful enough to gather together some shoes they uncovered while digging up the old playground.
“They created a ‘lost and found’ space on top of a garbage can near the boardwalk. Here is a photo that may help some families with missing shoes.”
“I will look forward to watching the transformation of the playground, seeing many families enjoy it and make it part of their special experiences in Westport as my children did,” she adds.
For 3 weekends next month, Weston’s Lachat Town Farm becomes a Brooklyn restaurant.
That’s the setting for “Seared,” a comedy that brings audiences into a kitchen.
First produced off-Broadway in 2019, the show earned Outer Critics Circle Awards. As garlic and onions sizzle on stage, the play explores conflicts between artistic passion and the pressures of the business world.
“Seared” is produced by Diana Muller, formerly of Play With Your Food lunchtime theater.
Show dates are March 7 through 23: Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m. Click here for tickets, and more information.
Voices Café often attracts interesting artists, from up and down the East Coast.
On April 5, one of them is a homegrown talent.
In fact, very talented.
Dustin Lowman — a 2011 Staples High School graduate, now making his name as a New York-based singer/songwriter — opens for Lucy Kaplansky.
Dustin says: “In the years since leaving Westport, I’ve forged an unconventional path, using the tools that growing up there afforded me.
“The path has been winding — from Vermont to Nashville to Chicago, and lately to Brooklyn — but its ineluctable root is Westport. I think at 32 that I’m too old for the title ‘The Prodigal Son’; nonetheless, returning to Westport to perform is like the most wonderful version of show and tell: showing the people who gave me so much what their gifts have done for me, and telling them the story of what I’ve tried to do with them.”
Click here for tickets about the show at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport, and more information.
Westport’s police station was built in the 1950s — at 1/3 the originally proposed size.
Our fire headquarters dates to the 1970s. It’s too small for modern fire trucks, lacks training space, and has safety deficiencies.
Emergency Medical Services ambulances share bays with large oxygen cannisters. Like police vehicles, they are sometimes trapped on 3 sides by flood waters.
For those reasons — and many more — town officials are exploring a joint Police/Fire/EMS facility. The most appropriate site, they say, is nearly 10 acres, by the current I-95 commuter parking lot on the Sherwood Island Connector.
The public got its first look at the plan — still very early in the concept phase — last night.
A large crowd filled the Senior Center for a presentation by the police and fire chiefs, 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, and a pair of architects.
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Police Chief Foti Koskinas and Fire Chief Nick Marsan, at last night’s meeting. (Photo/Dan Woog)
They provided plenty of information.
And they heard a number of questions.
Expansion of fire headquarters — located on Post Road East next to Terrain, since moving from what is now Emmy Squared on Church Lane half a century ago — has been in the town’s capital plan, Tooker noted.
A new or renovated police station — which relocated to Jesup Road over 70 years ago, after sharing space in what was then Town Hall (now Don Memo and Walrus Alley) — has not been listed in that forecast.
Combining the 3 facilities at one first responders’ site would offer savings in efficiency and scale, Fire Chief Nick Marsan and Police Chief Foti Koskinas noted.
An early drawing for a proposed Police/Fire/EMS facility.
Response times would be enhanced in some cases by leaving the congested downtown area. The new location would also offer speedier access to I-95, both for emergencies on the interstate and to reach Saugatuck Shores.
Relocating the police station would also free up dozens of parking spots downtown.
“No one is forcing anything on anyone,” Koskinas emphasized.
“We understand the challenges. We know there are other big projects ahead, likek schools, bridges and Longshore. We’re not saying where in the queue we want to be. But we want to be in it.”
The point of the meeting, he emphasized, was to initiate a discussion on how tax dollars would be spent to ensure safety for residents, employees and visitors all over town.
An early 1950s plan for a new police station on Jesup Road. The current facility is 1/3 the size of this proposal.
Presenters described a number of areas — for example, the benefits of collaboration between 3 departments, the advantages of on-site training, increasing square footage dedicated to ID needs, and cost savings for land, design and infrastructure — that a shared facility could enhance.
Current police headquarters.
Twice, Koskinas noted, the town has turned down opportunities for land that could be used for first responders.
When the current fire station was built, property was available at a former car dealership just east of Crescent Road. That is now the site of Terrain.
And when State Police Troop G moved from Bridgeport to its site at the Post Road East/Sherwood Island Connector junction, Westport was offered the land for $1. Officials turned it down. Today, it’s Walgreens.
Koskinas explained that the proposed location of a new facility on the Connector — just north of the commuter parking lot entrance — was one of the few spots in Westport large enough for all 3 departments.
The current Fire Department headquarters.
Baron’s South, for example, has topographic, access and zoning issues, while using Winslow Park would present traffic and access issues.
Former RTM member John Suggs said that the Connector site was part of an RTM-designated archaelogical preserve. (Adjacent land was the birthplace of Green’s Farms Church’s West Parish.)
Koskinas promised that a new facility would enhance the now-overgrown area, and honor town history.
Building on that property would require relocation of the commuter lot — perhaps south of I-95, closer to Sherwood Island State Park. That would involve negotiations with the state.
The entrance to the shared facility would be just north of the current I-95 commuter parking lot, on the Sherwood Island Connector.
Greens Farms Association president Art Schoeller cited opposition from neighborhood residents, and asked about noise abatement and noise pollution.
“It is the best spot,” another Greens Farms resident acknowledged.
“We’re taking measured risks now,” Koskinas said, referring to Police, Fire and EMS operations.
“Some of the risks are critical. Some are sustainable. But this project touches everyone in town.”
(“06880” will cover this proposed facility all the way to its completion. We do the same for all major Westport news — and all the minor stories too. Please click here to support us. Thank you!)
As freshmen, many Staples High School students try to find their passion.
Sports, arts, writing, community service … 9th graders give them a shot.
Serena Diamond already knows hers.
For over a year she’s recorded data of asteroid occultations, and sent it to NASA.
An asteroid occultation, as you remember from astronomy class, occurs when an asteroid passes between a star and Earth. Light is temporarily blocked, casting a shadow on our planet.
Asteroid occultations enable scientists to determine the size, shape and position of an atsteroid far more precisely than with standard astronomical observations.
The data is especially valuable for space missions involving asteroids — and to warn us of any doomsday scenarios.
Serena Diamond and Joel Barlow High School senior Monica Charnoy, observing an asteroid occultation.
Serena became interested in astronomy years ago, at Long Lots Elementary and Bedford Middle Schools.
The summer after 7th grade, she joined an astrophysics program through the Center for Talented Youth.
Back here — with her interest sparked — she searched for more resources.
She found the Westport Astronomical Society. Housed at the Westport Observatory — the former launch site for Nike missiles on Bayberry Lane — it celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
Westport Observatory, on Bayberry Lane.
The Observatory has become Serena’s home away from home. Odds are high that in its half century of existence, it’s never been home to a freshman girl who observes asteroid occultations.
Serena’s data is analyzed far beyond Westport. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory uses it for a variety of purposes, including assessing risks from potentially hazardous asteroids.
Serena has been inspired by several WAS members, including board members Dan Wright and Dr. Kevin Green, who spearheads the asteroid occultations project.
She started by learning how to open the dome and run the telescope.
Soon, she and a group of fellow young astronomers — including Staples sophomore Jessica Willis — gathered at 3 a.m., to catch the exact moment an asteroid cast its shadow.
Last month Serena joined Green, offering a presentation at the Observatory.
Serena Diamond’s presentation, at the Westport Astronomical Society.
The room was filled with adults — people who have been excited by astronomy far longer than the 14 years Serena has been alive.
Her co-presenters included a Joel Barlow High School senior, and a recent University of Connecticut graduate.
Serena lectured as if she were a Nobel Prize-winning professor. Clearly and confidently, she shared her insights. Audience members learned a lot.
Want to learn too? Click below, for Serena’s lecture (and Green’s, and others’). She begins at the 22:40 mark.
Programs like that — and the opportunity to continue working with high-powered, like-minded astronomers of all ages — fuels Serena’s passion.
She looks forward to raising awareness about asteroid occultations, encouraging other young people to join her at the Westport Observatory, and keeping the planet safe from a random strike.
Serena thinka a lot about asteroids. The average person does not.
But most of us have heard about 2024 YR4 — the asteroid that has a teeny tiny (but nonetheless more than 0%) chance of striking Earth on December 22, 2032.
I could ask NASA, or ChatGPT, about the odds.
But I’d much rather go to a Westport source.
So I asked Serena Diamond.
“Thankfully, very low,” she said.
Whew!
(NOTE: Serena is not just an astronomer. In her spare time she is on the Staples math team, coaches the Bedford Middle School math team, serves as a 9th grade class officer, and sings in the Wreckeapellas. Whew indeed!)
(Hat tip: Anne Nesbitt)
(“06880” is “where Westport meets the world.” And — today — where we meet asteroids, in outer space. If you enjoy our 24/7/365 galactic coverage, please click here to support our work. Thanks!)
An illustration shows asteroid 2024 YR4 narrowly missing Earth and the moon. (Robert Lea, created with Canva, for Space.com.)
Renovation begins soon on the new Compo Beach playground.
In preparation for the work, some items — including pickets from the previous upgrade — have already been removed.
Some of the current pickets …
But don’t worry. The “old” pickets will not be tossed out.
The Compo Beach Playground Committee and Westport’s Parks & Recreation Department realize their importance.
The committee says: “Any pickets will be safely detached, cared for and kept in good condition for pick-up in April. We know how much people care about them. They are a top priority for our dedicated volunteers as we work to expand the fence line.”
To learn more about how to collect “your” picket, click here.
The committee adds, “We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from current and former Westporters as we embark on the next phase of this community project. We are grateful to everyone investing their time and energy into this exciting renovation.”
… and a few more.
Many names of previous picket donors are familiar. Those “kids” are now in their 20s and 30s.
For them — and anyone else buying a new picket (click here for details) — perhaps they’ll pick it up in 2045 — when the playground is ready for yet another remodel.
(To learn more about the Compo Playground Renovation, including volunteer opportunities, click here.)
Residents interested in learning more about a new public safety complex are invited to tonight’s charrette (Tuesday, 7 p.m., Senior Center). An architectural presentation will be followed by feedback opportunities.
The project is now in the conceptual and feasibility stage.
Fire Chief Nicholas Marsan, who also serves as the town’s emergency management director, says, “This would be more than just a building; it’s a commitment to the people of Westport.
“Modernizing our facilities will enhance our ability to respond quickly and efficiently in times of emergency. A new complex will also allow for better coordination of resources and planning, ensuring that our community is well-prepared for any situation. We look forward to hearing from our community, and working together to bring this vision to life.”
Police Chief Foti Koskinas adds, “This much-needed facility will greatly benefit our community. Housing Police, Fire and EMS under one roof fosters better collaboration, faster response times, and more efficient operations. A project of this nature will strengthen public safety, and ensure that we are well-equipped to serve Westport now and into the future.”
Westport life was upended in many ways — large and small — when COVID crashed into town, 5 years ago next month.
One minor casualty was the Great Westport Soup Contest. Begun in early March of 2020, the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce event was halted when the only soup anyone slurped was homemade.
Soon, the Soup Contest returns. On March 3 (noon), 1st Selectwoman Jen tooker will kick off the event, at Calise’s Food Market.
All month long, 16 soup-making spots will compete in 7 categories. Judging will be done online, by soup-loving Westport residents.
And every voter is entered into a drawing to win a free soup, from one of the 7 winners.
The 16 competitors are Basso, Calise’s, Capuli, Gaetano’s, Garelick and Herbs, Gold’s Deli, Joe’s Pizza, Kawa Ni, Little Pub @ Dunville’s, Old Mill Grocery, Organic Market, Rive Bistro, Rizzuto’s, Romanacci, The Whelk and Tutti’s.
The seven categories are: Best Chicken, Beef, Vegetable, Asian, Onion and Matzoh Ball Soup, and Best Chowder. Each place can enter up to 4 categories, but can win no more than 2.
Voting begins March 3, and runs through March 31. Visit the venues, enjoy their offerings, then click here to vote.
The Staples High School boys basketball teams is in the FCIAC finals. The girls camethisclose.
Coach Dave Goldshore’s #2-seeded Wreckers pulled out to a quick lead last night at Wilton High School. They never lost it, en route to a 56-46 win over #3 Fairfield Ludlowe.
Adam Udell and Matty Corrigan paced Staples with 15 points each. Mason Tobias added 11.
The blue-and-whites play for the title tomorrow (Wednesday, February 26, 7:30 p.m., Fairfield University), against to-ranked Ridgefield.
It should be a great game. Less than a week ago — in the final regular season contest — they handed the Tigers their only loss of the regular season, in the Tigers’ gym.
The 2025 Staples boys basketball team.
Also yesterday, coach Tommy Sparks’ #4-seeded girls gave #1 Ridgefield a tough battle, before succumbing 42-38 at Trumbull High.
Chloe Smith paced the Westporters with 13 points. Freya Harvey was close behind, with 12.
The narrow loss came 2 days after Staples pulled off a spectacular comeback, in the FCIAC quarterfinals. Down 19 points in the first half, and 14 at the start of the fourth quarter, they stormed their way to a 4-point victory over #5 St. Joseph.
The FCIAC tournament is a prelude to the state tourney. Both the boys and girls have qualified. Brackets will be announced soon.
Three years ago yesterday, Russia invaded Ukraine.
Within weeks, Westport native Brian Mayer traveled overseas. With a background in logistics, he assessed the situation. He figured out a way to get help to the citizens who needed it most.
Then, with his brother Marshall, he founded Ukraine Aid International.
Since then, UAI has delivered clean water, heating pellets, medical equipment, municipal services, communication devices, trash trucks and more. Its work impacts more than 350,000 Ukrainians a day.
UAI also helped establish “sister cities,” linking American and Ukrainian towns.
The Westport-Lyman relationship was the first. Westporters have donated over $300,000 in direct aid. First Selectwoman Jen Tooker and Police Chief Foti Koskinas are in constant contact with their counterparts.
Weston also has a sister city: Siversk. Westonites have helped hundreds of youngsters attend therapy camps.
As Ukraine enters its fourth year of war, UAI continues to raise funds, and deliver aid. Donations continue to be needed. Click here to contribute; click the dropdown menu to select Westport or Weston’s sister city.
Bomb damage in Lyman: July 2024.
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Brian Marsella has been called “a psychedelic Art Tatum.”
The jazz pianist has been on a world tour. But this Thursday (February 27; shows at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m., dinner service at 7, VFW Post 399; $20 music cover, $15 veterans and students; click here for tickets), he brings his talents to “Jazz at the Post.”
Marsella will be joined by bassist Reid Taylor and drummer Brian Floody — who played there last spring — and Greg “The Jazz Rabbi” Wall, the saxophonist and mastermind of the series.
An international project with local impact, it inspires 3rd, 4th and 5th graders to realize their inner strength, while promoting physical activity, and helping grow confidence.
The 10-week program begins in March. There are 2 practices a week, ending with a 5K in May.
Elise Simon will “run” it at Long Lots Elementary School (Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:30 to 8:15 a.m.) Stephanie Tang leads it at Kings Highway (Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 3:45 to 5 p.m.).
Click here to register, and for more details. Click here for more information on the Girls on the Run international movement.
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There’s not a lot of swimming at Burying Hill Beach these days.
Unless you’re a lesser scaup.
Johanna Keyser Rossi spotted this guy (or gal) the other day, for our “Westport … Naturally” feature.
Everything was just ducky.
(Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)
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Roberta Flack — the former schoolteacher who went on to become an iconic soul, jazz and folk singer — died yesterday in New York, of a heart attack. She was 88, and had been diagnosed with ALS.
Click here for the full obituary, of a woman who defined the 1970s.
(As we do every day in our Roundup, “06880” brings you news and information you can use. We are “where Westport meets the world” — and we rely on reader support. Please click here to help. Thanks!)
When audiences fill the auditorium for a Staples Players production, they know they’ll be entertained by a cast of very talented teenagers.
Next month will be no different.
Except that the Players will be joined by men and women far past their teenage years, including 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Police Chief Foti Koskinas, Staples principal Stafford Thomas, Wrecker boys basketball coach Dave Goldshore, Broadway star Kelli O’Hara, former State Senator Will Haskell, several popular teachers … and, um, “06880”‘s own founder and editor Dan Woog (aka me).
Four members of that quasi-illustrious cast will take the stage each night, in Players’ spring production: “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”
Anyone who saw the musical during its long Broadway run knows it is touching, sweet, and laugh-out-loud funny.
Who will win the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee?
And, because the audience participates so directly, each show is different and unique.
Also unique: co-directors David Roth and Kerry Long’s selection of the comedy.
Traditionally, Players’ spring production has been big and showy. This year, they looked for something smaller and lighter.
They’d wanted to do a “Putnam Spelling Bee” — a great ensemble piece — for a while. In 2025, the timing was right.
Still, Players is a large organization. Roth and Long found a way to expand the show for a cast of 25.
Several cast members prepare for the show. (Photos/Kerry Long)
As expected, it’s been “super fun,” Long says. “Every day at rehearsal, I laugh at something new.”
The spontaneity of bringing spellers from the audience — and the improvisation that follows — is part of its charm.
Long admits, “it’s scary for us on stage.” Yet she and Roth are excited to see their actors rise to the challenge.
Also different from most Players’ productions: The actors play characters who are younger than themselves. Usually, their roles are older.
“The characters are larger than life,” Roth says. “They really embrace that.”
“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is less than 2 hours long, including intermission.
The curtain rises Friday, March 7 at 7 p.m. Additional performances are Saturday, March 8 (2 and 7 p.m.), and Sunday, March 9 (2 p.m.). Click here for tickets, and more information.
(“06880” regularly covers Staples Players productions — and everything else going on at our schools, and in our town. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
For over 30 years, Matt Storch has been one of this area’s best known, and most respected, chefs and restaurant owners.
Match in SoNo recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Match Burger Lobster is a Westport favorite for its classic New England menu, while Saugatuck Provisions next door — his newest project — is a whole-animal butcher shop and market.
Matt is also involved in the Copps Island Oyster Shacks, is a “Chopped” champion, and appeared on “Beat Bobby Flay.”
The other day he ducked out of the kitchen, for a chat on the “06880” podcast. Click below for our delicious conversation.
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
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