The Westport Garden Club’s “most red white and blue” floral arrangement ever is their gift to the town, for America’s 250th birthday.
Created by members Janice Yost and Andrea Cross, the beautiful and festive flowers are watched over by Westport’s iconic patriot: the Minute Man!
Hooray for the red white and blue!
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Compo will never be as crowded as it is for the fireworks.
But don’t count out today.
Between the actual July 4th holiday and the heat, Westport’s flagship beach will see plenty of action.
By 8:30 this morning, South Beach — the area with grills and tables — was already nearly full.
(Photo/Karen Como)
Remember: Unlike the fireworks, there is no reserving spots. You can’t put your stuff down on a picnic table, then head home for a few hours and expect it to be yours when you return.
Play fair! Think of others! It says “No Reserving Tables” right there ON the tables!
Meanwhile, today’s temperature is expected to be a little better than yesterday, with a high of “only” 94.
Tomorrow, it drops to 79.
And on Monday — are you sitting down? — the high is forecast to be just a frigid 79.
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Listen up!
Just in time for America’s birthday, the Westport Library’s Verso Studios has produced a song tribute: “Hey Hey Hey Happy 250th Birthday USA.”
The uplifting, non-political tune’s lyrics, music and vibe were all created by Verso Studios advisory board member Les Dinkin. He worked with studio producer Travis Bell to polish the song, through dozens of iterations.
They used Verso’s free media resources, including AI toolkits. Click here to listen.
The cover of the Library’s semiquincentennial record.
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Pete Ratkiewich’s long tenure as Public Works director was supposed to end yesterday.
But the job is 24/7/365. In his final hours, he had to deal with an important issue: Both transfer station compactors went down, with electrical problems.
That could have been disastrous. The July 4 holiday weekend brings major trash.
The situation was so dire, one refuse company emailed its customers that because the town could not work on repairs until Monday — and did not know how long it would take — that the company would not pick up trash on Monday, and would adjust its schedule accordingly.
No worries!
At 6:55 a.m. today, Ratkiewich emailed “06880”: “We did have to close early yesterday. We were able to get one compactor working again by the end of the day, so we will be open again on Monday.”
That’s one more reason to thank you for your service, Pete. Thanks too to everyone at Public Works.
Now everyone can go back to celebrating America’s birthday.
And making trash. (Hat tip: Seth Schachter)
Back in action! (Photo/David Meth)
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It’s bad enough that FIFA has stripped stadiums of the names of all corporations that are not official World Cup sponsors.
MetLife is (through the finals there July 19) “New York New Jersey Stadium.” Levi’s is “San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.” Gillette is “Boston Stadium” — though it’s 30 miles from Foxboro.
But that pales in comparison to the new sign on the old Carvel.
It was quite a change 15 months ago, when the local owner balked at the cost of company-mandated renovations, and removed the decades-old logo.
But the new sign is even more generic than those on the World Cup venues.
(Photo/Jonathan Alloy)
Even AI would be embarrassed to produce something like that.
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Diverse programming at the Westport Country Playhouse continues this fall.
Illusionist Michael Grandinetti brings his music/comedy — and of course magic — to the historic stage September 4 (8 p.m.).
He involves the audience in his levitation, teleportation and mind reading feats. Click here for tickets, and more information.
On September 24 (7 p.m.), Ailey II Dance comes to town.
That’s the famed troupe’s “next generation” of talent, brimming with Ailey’s trademark passion and creativity. Click here for tickets, and more information.
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It’s been 3 years.
But this season, the Staples Football Wall of Fame welcomes new members.
The Gridiron Club is seeking nominations for the prestigious honor. The deadline is July 31. The ceremony takes place September 10, at halftime of the home opener against Westhill.
To be considered, players must have graduated at least 10 years ago. Areas of distinction include on-field excellence, post-high school athletic achievement, program impact and legacy, current program involvement, and character and integrity.
Coaches, staff or community members who significantly impacted the Wreckers’ success and culture can also be nominated.
To make nominations, or for more information, email Gridiron Club board member Doug Pardon: DP@brigadecapital.com.
Staples Football Wall of Fame.
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The state Department of Transportation plans to replace traffic signals at dozens of intersections, from Norwalk to West Haven.
One Westport location is on the list: Post Road East, at Maple Avenue North and South.
A public information session is set for July 14 (6 p.m.). Click here for details.
Post Road East/Maple Avenue light. (Photo courtesy of Google Street View)
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“Westport … Naturally” honors July 4th with the closest “natural” red, white and blue photo we could find. Hey, we tried!
(Photo/Marina Drasnin)
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And finally … there are so many patriotic songs we could pick from.
This — from Phil Ochs — is one of my favorites.
And its words are as insightful and important as they were 60 years ago.
(America draws its strength from its people. “06880” relies on our readers. If you value local media, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Perhaps the Ice Cream stand formerly known as Carvel in Westport should take a page from the ex-Carvel in Ridgefield, now known as Flobee’s and doing a bang-up job. https://www.flobees.com/about-us