In just 3 years, the Westport Parks & Recreation Department “Kickoff to Summer” has become a — well, great kickoff to summer.
This year’s event is May 23 (11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Compo Beach).
In addition to the now-traditional kids’ activities, music, food trucks and raffle, they’ve added helicopter rides, and the unveiling of young artist Luke Bernier’s mural by the concession stan.
Parks & Rec personnel will provide info on programs and other offerings for the upcoming year.
Part of the fun, at last year’s Kickoff to Summer.
==============================================
It’s not easy coming up with a creative, on-brand fundraiser.
For 19 years though, little kids (and their parents) have loved the Westport Weston Co-op Nursery School‘s Touch-a-Truck event.
This year’s edition is May 2 (9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Imperial Avenue parking lot).
As always, it features fire trucks, police cars, ambulances, cranes, dump trucks, buses, big rigs and more.
Kids of all ages can get up close, climb in and on, and pose for photos with their favorite vehicles.
Also on tap: face painting, food trucks, live music, and other family-friendly activities.
NOTE: It can get loud. Children with sensitivity to noise are invited to quiet time (9 to 9:30 a.m.), with no sirens or horns.
Admission is $35 per family; click here for tickets.
===============================================
Question: Where is the newest trivia night in town?
Answer: Emmy Squared.
This Monday (7 p.m.) — and every 2nd Monday after — the pizza-and-more spot in Bedford Square will host a pop culture quiz.
It’s run by Best Trivia Ever. The same group organizes events at the Blind Rhino, and other restaurants.
For more information, click here.
Next question: Will we see you there?
Trivia Night site. Though the action will probably be at the bar.
================================================
Golf and giving back are par for the course on May 4 (Great River Golf Club, Milford).
Chabad of Westport’s annual golf outing includes on-course snacks, lunch, a cocktail/dinner reception, raffles and giveaways, a $25,000 hole-in-one prize — plus an opportunity to meet visiting IDF soldiers.
Proceeds from the event support Israel, local youth services, and Camp Gan Israel.
Non-golfers are welcome. Sponsorships, foursomes and dinner tickets are now available. To register or learn more, click here.
==================================================
Tony Rizza has done it again!
The Westport resident — a University of Connecticut business school graduate, and former Husky soccer player — has donated $1.5 million to the school.
The gift will support the “pursuit of sustained excellence across all of UConn’s athletic programs.”
Rizza — an investment manager — previously contributed $10 million. Those gifts helped revitalize Morrone Stadium, and helped build a state-of-the-art sports performance center.
Tony Rizza
================================================
Yesterday’s brief rain shower produced one of the better rainbows in a while.
This was the view over Cross Highway:
(Photo/Mark Yurkiw)
… and by the Saugatuck River, on Riverside Avenue …
(Photo/Michael Chait)
… and above Clinton Avenue:
(Photo/Jen Rago McCarthy)
Today’s forecast is for clouds, and a high of 62.
Tomorrow: rain, and 52.
Hey, summer was nice while it lasted.
===============================================
The Weston History & Culture Center continues its celebration of America’s 250th birthday next month.
“Sarah Treadwell: Connecticut Mom, American Patriot” opens with a reception May 9 (2 to 4 p.m.).
The exhibit honors a local woman who supported her family’s role during the Revolutionary War, highlighting the often-overlooked contributions of women during the era.
Treadwell’s family lived in North Fairfield, a section of the town that later became Weston, then Easton.
The exhibit explores her life during and after the war, her family and community roles, the pension process for veterans and widows of veterans, and her resilience as a wife and mother.
After the reception, it will be on view every Thursday (1 to 4 p.m.), and the first and last Sunday of each month (1 to 4 p.m.).
Also on view: the new interactive exhibit “Weston at Work,” in the Coley Barn; the exhibit “Local Patriots and Loyalists” in the Visitor’s Center, and guided tours of historic Coley House.
=============================================
OnwardWell Foundation — a therapeutic recovery support non-profit founded by 1992 Staples High School graduate Mark Lassoff last year — does great work.
To do it even more well, they seek donations of gently used furniture to outfit a new meeting room at their Trumbull offices.
The room will host recovery and support groups for families and friends of young men recovering from addiction and mental illness.
The small room can accommodate a small couch or loveseat, and a couple of comfortable chairs. Donations are tax-deductible, and can be picked up.
To donate, or for questions, email mark@onwardwell.com.
==================================================
These flowers, and this cardinal, provide a nice pop — and contrast — of color, for today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature.
==================================================
And finally … in honor of the Westport Weston Co-op Nursery School’s Touch-a-Truck event (story above):
(We are “grateful” for our “06880” readers — and “touched” that some support us with tax-deductible contributions. If that’s your jam, please click here. We thank you!)
