Recent discussions about a possible fenced-in dog run at Winslow Park (or elsewhere), plus a debate over dogs in stores and restaurants, have Westporters barking about canine safety.
Cat Malkin — a local animal communicator, pet loss grief counselor and animal Reiki teacher/practitioner — has created a “Guide to Staying Safe Around Dogs.”
It’s free, and filled with practical tips to help children, adults and families better understand dogs, respect boundaries, and feel safer around them. Click here to download.
You can also click here for here blog post: “Staying Safe Around Dogs.”
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Speaking of safety: An increasing number of Westporters are alarmed at the increasing number of electronic bikes, being driven recklessly and thoughtlessly all around town.
An “06880” reader sends this photo from the Post Road near ASF …
… and writes: “Technically, I think this is legal.
“But it feels like an episode of ‘Lost in Space,’ where something’s bound to go wrong. I am very concerned about the safety issues presented by this.”
We’re glad the young riders are wearing helmets. And they are riding single file.
But we hope they’ve been properly instructed — and reminded, over and over — about the rules of the road.
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Harvest Fest is one of Westport’s best parties ever.
Wakeman Town Farm’s biggest fundraiser (and food & wine) event of the year includes tons of seasonal fare from local farmers and chefs, wine and signature cocktails, live music, an auction with culinary and travel experiences, and much more.
It’s the closest thing our town has to an old-fashioned barn-raising party. And proceeds help WTF provide education to folks of all ages, incomes and abilities.
This year’s event is September 26. Tickets go on sale Monday (August 17) at http://www.wakemantownfarm.org. Get ready — they always sell out fast!
Harvest Fest scenes.
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Looking for a fun kids’ activity for this fall — and far beyond?
Westport Scout Troops 39/139 invite students in grades 5-12 (and their families) to Compo Beach on Thursday, September 3.
From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., they’ll make pizzas with their camping ovens. They’ll have a fire pit (with s’mores!). Scouts and leaders will answer questions, and share experiences.
The troops note, “We’re organization. Almost all of our Scouts do other activities — sports of all kinds, Staples Players, music and more. Scouts can choose to do some or all of our activities they find most interesting, and that fit with their schedules.”
The civic and outdoor-oriented troops’ 2026-27 calendar includes:
- Hiking in the Adirondacks, and part of the Appalachian Trail
- Biking the Rail Trail in Trumbull
- Haunted Lake Compounce
- Sleeping on a battleship
- Visiting the Eastern State Penitentiary
- Winter cabin camping
- Skiing
- Weekend campout on Block Island
- Helping with Lobster Fest, veterans’ grave flags and wreaths, myTeam Triumph
- And more!
Questions? Interested, but can’t be there? Email Troop39westport@gmail.com.
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An upstairs leak damaged the Westport Book Shop Thursday night.
The popular Jesup Road store lost its entire vinyl section, along with some furniture and books. But an extraordinary morning effort by staff, neighbors and volunteers helped clear the damage.
They opened at their regular time. Last night, they hosted a reception for guest artist Gregg Ziebell.
While full restoration of the music section and damaged areas will take a few weeks, the non-profit bookstore is open to all. They offer a massive “thank you!” to all who jumped in to help.
Westport Book Shop clean-up.
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We’ve got one more photo of this week’s solar eclipse.
This is from Stratford-upon-Avon, England, where Diane Lowman — Westport’s first poet laureate, and a prominent Shakespeare scholar — observed the phenomenon.
As the Bard said in “King Lear”: “These late eclipses in the sun and moon portend no good to us.”
(Photo/Diane Lowman)
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Financial Times reports that Goldman Sachs is buying NEOS. The deal is worth up to $2.3 billion, and is expected to close early next year.
NEOS — based in Westport — is an asset management/ETF firm. Its SEC filings showed about $14.7 billions in assets under management as of last September. Click here for the full FT story.
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Our “Westport … Naturally” photo series includes natural phenomena of all kinds.
Including this 70-foot tree near Cross Highway and North Avenue. It was burned and flayed by lightning last weekend. Huge shards landed up to 30 feet away, and buried themselves into the ground.
(Photo/Jonathan Rosenoer)
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And finally … in honor of Diane Lowman, and everyone else in Europe was saw much more than we did (story above):
(From safety to fundraisers, “06880” has Westport covered. If you enjoy our daily Roundups — or any other feature on our hyper-local blog — please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
There is a difference between Ebikes (bicycles) and eMoto.
E-Bikes: Governed by a three-class system under Connecticut Department of Transportation guidelines. Class 1 and 2 max out at 20 mph (pedal-assist or throttle); Class 3 maxes out at 28 mph (pedal-assist only).
E-Motos (Electric Motos/Dirt Bikes): Vehicles lacking operable pedals with power output starting above 750 watts. Under Connecticut law, vehicles without pedals and with motors from 750W to 3,500W are classified as motor-driven cycles, while anything exceeding 3,500W is classified as a motorcycle.
These photos feature both, which are handled separately under the law.
Riding two abreast is actually legal – CT Gen Stat § 14-286b. (2025)
Persons riding bicycles, electric bicycles or electric scooters upon a roadway shall not ride more than two abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles, electric bicycles or electric scooters. Persons riding two abreast, as provided in this subsection, shall not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic, and, on a laned roadway, shall ride within a single lane.
In the guide to safety around dogs, although I see that it states that dog owners are among the target audience, I don’t see the caution: “Owners, don’t allow your dog to approach strangers unless the person initiates the contact.” Too many dog owners operate by the Book of the Month Club plan, putting the onus on others to decline being up close with their dog: You get it unless you say no.