Roundup: Bloodroot, Take Back Connecticut, Westport Literature Prize …

For nearly 50 years, Bloodroot has served delicious vegan food — spiced with healthy amounts of feminist ideology, and a side helping of social justice-type books — in a funky, you’ve-got-to-know-it-to-get-there spot on Bridgeport’s Black Rock Harbor.

Co-founder and longtime Westporter Selma Miriam died in February, 2 weeks short of 90.

But Bloodroot lives on. It’s gotten plenty of national attention. (Just the other day, it was mentioned on Brian Lehrer’s WNYC show as a restaurant well worth taking a detour to.)

Now it’s the focus of a feature documentary.

“A Culinary Uprising: The Story of Bloodroot” debuts Sunday (June 22) at the 38th Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festival in Hartford.

Miriam saw the video in November, and loved it. Click here or below for the trailer. (Hat tip: Sal Liccione)

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On the other end of the political spectrum: This bus — part of the “Take Back Connecticut” tour — drew plenty of attention, as it drove through Westport yesterday.

Here’s one view, in front of Splash car wash. Images include the flag raising at Iwo Jima, Martin Luther King, Donald Trump after the assassination attempt, and — oddly — John F. Kennedy, just before he was killed in Dallas.

(Photo/Chris Tait)

Here’s another image, from Main Street:

(Photo/Sal Liccione)

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When the world shut down 5 years ago during COVID, VFW Post 399 sponsored a blood drive.

They had one the next month. And the month after that …

On June 27 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), the VFW reaches a milestone: their 60th month in a row collecting blood.

In those 5 years, they’ve welcomed over 2,700 donors. And impacted countless more lives.

This month’s Red Cross blood drive is sponsored by the VFW’s neighbor, the Goddard School.

Donors are encouraged to schedule appointments in advance. Click on www.RedCrossBlood.org; use the sponsor code VFWWESTPORT. Or call 800-733-2767.

Give blood here!

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The Levitt Pavilion hosts 4 free shows, from tonight through Sunday.

  • Thursday (today): Juneteenth special: Leon Tumbo and Sug Daniels
  • Friday: Dogs in a Pile
  • Saturday: Theo Kanel with Katie Lynn Sharbough
  • Sunday: The always-popular Frank Mastrone & Friends.

Click here for details about artists, start times, more — and how to reserve your free tickets.

Tonight: Leon Tumbo and Sug Daniels.

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After a 5-year hiatus, the Westport Parks & Recreation Department men’s basketball summer league returns to Compo Beach, on Monday nights.

All Westport and Weston residents are eligible to sign up. The deadline is June 27th. Click here to register, and for more information.

Hoop dreams. (Photo/JD Dworkow)

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“The Edge of Water” by Olufunke Grace Bankole, “O Sinners” by Nicole Cuffy and “Rabbit Moon” by Jennifer Haigh are finalists for the 2025 Westport Prize for Literature.

It is awarded annually, to honor an original work of literary fiction that is both relevant and timeless.

This year’s winner will be honored at The Westport Library on November 6. The conversation with the winning author will be moderated by The Yale Review editor Meghan O’Rourke.

This is the third year for the $10,000 prize. The first grant went novelist Zadie Smith for “The Fraud.” The 2024 recipient was Alejandro Puyana, for his debut novel, “Freedom is a Feast.”

Submissions for the 2025 prize were read and vetted by nearly 50 volunteer readers. The best-reviewed manuscripts advance to the jury, which will select the winner.

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Westporter Soha Ellaithy led a group of Fairfield County mothers, who raised over $30,000 to support the Leonard Education Organization (LE•O).

The non-profit provides college tuition assistance and job placement services to under-resourced students from around the world.

Raising funds, for a great cause.

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Yesterday’s morning fog kept the crowds down at Sherwood Island State Park.

But — as today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo shows — the geese sure didn’t mind.

(Photo/Pamela Docters)

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And finally … in honor of Juneteenth:

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15 responses to “Roundup: Bloodroot, Take Back Connecticut, Westport Literature Prize …

  1. I saw the logical conservative bus in Westport and googled it. No website came up for logicalconservative.com (except a Facebook page) but one did pop up for logicalconservative.org and that site is a pro Trump site. It listed its sources with links so I clicked on a few links (canadafreepress.com) which had a lot of misinformation on it. Beware.

  2. Richard Fogel

    how ironic to see Trumps picture in front of the car wash

  3. Linda Montecalvo

    How appropriate to see the orange man’s photo on a bus – reminiscent of the scam attorneys wanting you to call them after your catastrophic auto accident!!!

  4. Russell Gontar

    Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

    Amaze yourself and your friends when you read all about the amazing adventures of “logical conservative” (not sure if that’s .com or .org, shaken or stirred) founder Jim Hoft!

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gateway_Pundit

    Psst: Tom. Starting repeating “TDS!” now.

    • Pass‼️🇺🇸

    • Ryan Heemeyer

      I’m not on team Red or team Blue but I’m just tired of how every conversation turns into a lazy dismissal based on which “side” someone thinks you’re on. You dropped a Wikipedia link like that’s a mic drop, but all it shows is how quick people are to write off anything that doesn’t fit their narrative. You mock Gateway Pundit, fine, but would you ever apply that same level of scrutiny to MSNBC, CNN, or The Washington Post? Doubt it.

  5. Ciara webster

    Main Street was their main target. The bus spent most of its day taking up 3 parking spots.
    Finally customers eating on a Main Street patio called the Westport PD, who moved the bus swiftly along.
    I believe they have headed north on their mission.
    Hope they aren’t coming back.

  6. Dermot Meuchner

    MSM is utterly corrupt. If you get your information there you’re an ill informed citizen. Been that way for decades.

  7. TDS = Trump Definitely Stinks