The word is out: The VFW is Westport’s new hot place for entertainment.
From tribute bands to comedy, the club on at the Riverside/Saugatuck avenue fork — with a killer view of the Saugatuck River — is a great spot to chill with friends, have a drink and some bar food, and do it all without breaking the bank.
This Saturday (June 27; 6:30 p.m. doors, 7:30 p.m.) you can do it with a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer.
Mark Naftalin — the Paul Butterfield Blues Band’s keyboardist, and a longtime Westport resident — plays piano.
And he’s bringing along some A-list friends.
Connecticut Blue Hall of Famer Paul Gabriel (guitar and vocals), Connecticut Blues Challenge winner Mark Zaretsky (harmonica and vocals), bassist Paul Opalach, drummer Nick Longo and special guest Washboard Slim (washboard and vocals) will rock the house.
It’s just $20 — cash at the door.
The VFW asks for a 1-drink minimum — “even if it’s only a soda.”
A small price to pay, to hear some legit Hall of Fame sounds.
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Speaking of music: Walrus Alley celebrated both Father’s Day and the first day of summer yesterday, with live music outside.
(Photo/Susan Garment)
The alley was there long before the restaurant. But it’s a great place for a show.
Then again, so is Church Lane, Bedford Square, Jesup Green … just about any place downtown.
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A yacht anchored near the Compo Beach shore — just a few yards beyond the buoy — has gotten Westporters wondering: Who owns it? And: Why is it there?
(Photo/Amy Schneider)
This is hardly the first yacht to attract attention.
In the 1960s — when he was wooing Westporter Mia Farrow — Frank Sinatra moored offshore.
Eric Clapton was rumored to have dropped anchor there twice, in 2009 and 2010.
In 2021, Rosehearty — Rupert Murdoch’s former 185-foot vessel, which he sold to a Westporter — drew admiring glances (and a few lucky visitors from the mainland).
We’re not sure who owns this yacht. But we hope they enjoy their visit.
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Speaking of yachts: How about this beauty?
Jamie Walsh spotted it yesterday, leaving Ned Dimes Marina.
(Photo/Jamie Walsh)
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How did you spend Father’s Day?
This guy showed up without an invitation on Porter Lane, off Bayberry Lane:
(Photo/Bruce Porter)
And yes — that is a screen door separating the guest from the rest of the house.
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Speaking of animals: Longtime “06880” reader Anne Guglielmoni recently published a children’s picture book. The Curious Life of Vader: How it Began features a true story.
And it happened at the Fairfield Center train station.
That’s where, a while ago, Anne stumbled across a tiny, helpless black kitten. She rescued him, brought him home, and namied him Vader.
She wrote and illustrated his journey as a simple story for her 2 young nieces. Seeing the excitement on their faces every single time they turned the pages and saw the cat sparked her to share the message of compassion, kindness and courage with other children.
Click here to read more about — and order — “The Curious Life of Vader.”
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Karl Mergenthaler sends along today’s “Westport … Naturally” images — and the back story:
“My wife and I have been startled a few times this summer by an unexpected guest: a bobcat.
“It looks like a 20-pound tabby cat skulking across our backyard. Our neighbor Liz figured out what it’s doing: Her shed has become the nursery room for 3 kittens.
Female bobcat …
“Although I’ve spent most of my life in and around Westport, I’ve never personally seen a bobcat. Deer (of course), foxes, coyotes, hawks … but this is my first bobcat sighting.
“Apparently, the local bobcat population has exploded. There are now an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 bobcats in Connecticut.
“Are they dangerous? It doesn’t seem so.
“My cursory Internet research suggests that bobcats rarely attack people. I’m pretty sure I’d rather not find out what it would do if it felt threatened, though.
“Bobcats don’t celebrate Father’s Day, apparently. Bobcat fathers do not stay with their babies. Bobcat mothers are single parents and raise their kittens entirely on their own. Male bobcats are solitary animals, and hit the road immediately after mating.”
… and kittens, hanging around the shed. (Photos/Liz Archibald)
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And finally … oops! We missed our Father’s Day song yesterday.
Here it is, a day late:
(Unsure how to celebrate Father’s Day? The first day of summer? Or anything else? Consider a donation to “06880” — your hyper-local blog. Just click here. And thank you!)
Credit must be given to the Westport Joseph J. Clinton VFW Post 399 for their creativity in adapting to changing times. Nationwide VFW’s are struggling to survive and recruit new members while retaining current members and facing inevitable losses due to attrition.
Younger generations of veterans have different interests and for many the stereotype of a smoke filled bar with crusty old guys drinking and swapping war stories is not enticing. Also some veterans from earlier wars for some reason have been less than welcoming to those who served in more recent campaigns and to women service members. This is not a recipe for a VFW post to grow and continue operating into the future.
I might be mistaken but it’s hard for me to believe that Westport has a large population of veterans. I know I was one of the few from my Staples class who made a career out of the military. For the Clinton Post to open their doors to the public for special events like these (and others Dan highlights here regularly) is a brilliant idea. Whomever is booking these various acts looks to be doing a great job catering to a variety of tastes in music, comedy and other types of entertainment and it is obviously working.
Finally, there is a lot of discussion about the so-called “military-civilian” divide where many citizens don’t know any active duty or veterans. Only about 6% of Americans have served in the military and about 1% are on active duty now so. From personal experience I know civilians often have misconceptions about veterans and the military in general from movies and social media. What better way to bridge the gap then give the general public opportunities to rub elbows with veterans in a casual, fun setting? Nice work Post 399 and a big salute!
Westport has around 623 veterans, roughly 3.1% of the population over 18.
A little known fact- during the Viet War almost all young physicians in their internships and residency training were drafted into US selective service. Some went to full duty and some to the reserves. Some were sent overseas and many served in the US.
We were assigned to the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. We were stationed in Vietnam, Japan, Germany and in the US serving in prisons, on Indian Reservations and at the NIH and the NCDC.
We served at the rank of captain, Lt commander, Commander and Major depending on our level of training and branch of service.
Now- many of us are retired physicians in our late 70’s and 80’s. Many of us are members of Westport’s Y’s Men.