CANDLELIGHT CONCERT SET; TICKETS ON SALE DECEMBER 1
We’re a month away from the 86th Candlelight Concert — the Staples High School Music Department’s wonderful, beloved gift to the town.
Mark both the dates (Friday, December 11, 8 p.m.; Saturday, December 12, 3 adn 8 p.m.), and the date and time tickets go on sale at www.wpsarts.org (Tuesday, December 1, 9 a.m.).
More than 200 musicians will offer an inspiring range of choral, orchestral and band works.
They include the processional “Sing We Noel,” “La Morisque,” a Hanukkah overture, Rimsky-Korsakov’s majestic “Procession of the Nobles,” Mozart’s serene “Ave Verum Corpus,” the exuberant Nigerian carol “Betelehemu,” “Jubilate Deo,” self-led ensembles, “The Bells of Christmas,” and the traditional, powerful “Hallelujah Chorus.”
There is no charge for tickets, though donations in support of the music program are welcome.
The Staples Tri-M Music Honor Society runs “CanDelight,” a canned food donation drive to benefit the Homes for Hope food pantry. Collection bins will be in the lobby before each concert.
Candlelight Concert 2025.
NEWEST HOLIDAY SHOPPING STOP: THE LIBRARY
The Westport Library has everything: books, periodicals, reference materials, a Makerspace, state-of-the-art recording studio, art galleries, a stage with a concert piano, and an enormous video screen.
Now, it’s got a Holiday Shop too.
The expanded gift area is on the main level, in the space normally used by the Writing Center.
Items include scarves, hats, gloves, jewelry, candles, wind chimes and artisan-crafted home décor. Writers and list-makers can find journals, notebooks, notepads, sticky notes, sketchbooks, coloring books, pens, markers and watercolors.
Puzzles, games, toys and novelties are available for babies to teens.
The Library Store sources its merchandise from vendors around the world.
Shopping at the Library Store is tax-free — and every purchase supports Library services and programs. To learn more, click here.
A small selection from the Library Holiday Shop.
TAIWAN: WHERE WESTPORT ARTISTS MEET THE WORLD
America could not ask for better international ambassadors than Miggs Burroughs, Eric Chiang and Mark Yurkiw.
The Westport artists are midway through a visit to Taiwan.
Miggs’ “Sings of Compassion” — 30 lenticular photos showing local residents using sign language to recite Emily Dickinson’s poem of the same name — and Mark’s accompanying Braille “prayer wheel” mantra are on display at the Hsinchu City Art Museum. Chiang’s work is also in the exhibit.
“We’ve been covered by the national media, and treated like royalty. A once-in-a-lifetime experience,” reports Miggs.
They met Mayor Ann Kao of Hsinchu City — a metropolis of 476,000 people — and delivered a letter to her from 1st Selectman Kevin Christie of Westport (population 28,000).
From left: Mark Yurkiw, Miggs Burroughs, Mayor Ann Kao, Hsinchu City Art Museum curator Su-Min Yang, Eric Chiang.
it’s no mysterY: “sherlock carol” returns to playhouse stage
One of the Westport Country Playhouse’s newest — but well-loved — traditions returns next month.
“A Sherlock Carol” — playwright/director Mark Shanahan’s holiday mashup of when a grown-up Tiny Tim calls on Sherlock Holmes to investigate the mysterious death of Ebenezer Scrooge, blending mystery and humor — takes the stage for 8 performances. The cast includes members of the original off-Broadway production.
The dates are Saturday, December 12 (6 p.m.), Sunday, December 13 (1 and 6 p.m.), Friday, December 18 (7 p.m.), and Saturday and Sunday, December 19 and 20 (1 and 6 p.m.).
Click here for tickets, and more information.
j-e-t-s! jets jets jets!
An “06880” reader writes: “My 86-year-old husband with Alzheimer’s fell at the beach a couple of days ago, and broke his nose. He was in pain, and there was blood.
“A lovely young woman came over to help. She put her jacket under his head and called 911. He was surrounded by other caring people too.
“I owe the woman many thanks — and a new jacket. She is a Jets fan, and her jacket was olive green. I failed to get her name in the excitement. Can you find out who she is?”
I can sure try! If anyone knows who the good Samaritan Jets fan is, please email 06880blog@gmail.com. I’ll pass your contact info on to the grateful woman.
ONE RIVER ART STUDENTS NOW IN COLLECTION
OneRiver Art School’s students are taking their show on the road.
Several dozen Westport youngsters and teenagers’ work is on display in the “Nature in Art” exhibit at SoNo Collection’s Magnificent Room.
Prints are for sale online — meaning they are now professional artists.
Proceeds support conservation efforts at the Beardsley Zoo. Click here for more information — and to purchase.
One River Art show, at SoNo Collection.
MOLD ALERT
One of the after-effects of our September 13 rain bomb was mold.
Westport homeowners are now hiring for that work themselves. According to Cadence de Noto runs Verified Remediation, a Westport company that helps homeowners check mold remediation companies before hiring.
She says that with a new state law that took effect October 1, mold remediation now falls under Connecticut’s home improvement contractor registration.
A company must be certified by IICRC or NORMI, the 2 programs listed by the Department of Consumer Protection.
Any contractor doing mold remediation in Connecticut must follow the industry standard, ANSI/IICRC S520.
Cadence says that before hiring, ask for the company’s home improvement registration number, look it up at elicense.ct.gov, and ask which mold certification it holds. For more information, click here.
Mold remediation
FRIDAY FLASHBACK FOLLOW-UP: THE STAPLES LINTEL
Yesterday’s Friday Flashback featured the original 1884 Staples High School on Riverside Avenue — with a nod to its lintel.
Jacques Voris — descended from a long line of Westporters, on the Mills side of his family — fills in some details. He says: “In 1884 the master workman who built the original Staples was Charles Mills. One of his work crew was his son, Charles E. Mills
“When the lintel was reinstalled at Staples it was done by Homer B. Mills, son of Charles E Mills. Furthermore, William Mills, son of Homer, recycled some of the bricks from the original Staples to build his chimney.”
Here is photo of Homer installing the lintel on North Avenue, more than a decade after the school moved there in 1958. The lintel was later moved again, and now sits near the tennis courts at the school’s main entrance.
(Photo courtesy of Jacques Voris)
OBITUARY: BILLY WAKEMAN
William died November 7 in Norwalk Hospital, surrounded by his family and friends.
The longtime Westporter was a hot rodder and gifted craftsman.
Billy was happiest in his shop, surrounded by tools, projects and good friends, with 1970s music playing in the background.
His obituary says, “He could fix just about anything, and was always willing to lend a hand. Whether it was a stubborn engine, a complicated project or a friend in need, Billy was there with a smile, a solution, and his unforgettable laugh.”
Billy and his wife Michelle shared a passion for anything that went fast or walked on four legs. Together, they found joy in hot rods, animals, the open road,
and spending time together.
His obituary adds, “More than the cars he built or the things he fixed, Billy will be remembered for his friendships, generosity, and kindness. His shop was more than a workspace; it was a gathering place for stories, laughter, music, and the people he loved. Billy lived life with his hands, his heart, and his foot occasionally a little heavy on the gas.
Billy was predeceased by his father, Irving Wakeman of Westport, and his mother, Joan Beaudry. He is survived by his wife Michelle Wakeman of Westport; his daughter Adrienne of Middletown; sons Billy Jr. of Bethel and Christopher of Florida, and brother Kevin of Bethel.
The family will receive friends in the Harding Funeral Home on November 19 (4 to 7 p.m.). Condolences may be left online at http://www.hardingfuneral.com.
Billy Wakeman
“WESTPORT … NATURALLy” & SONG OF THE DAY
Marina Drasnin has lived in Westport for a year and a half. She left her longtime California home after the wildfires.
She quickly grew to love her new hometown. And she has a photographer’s eye for its beauty. She sends along this collage of recent fall scenes, for our daily “Westport … Naturally” feature.
(Photos/Marina Drasnin)
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And finally … in honor of the good Samaritan wearing a New York Jets jacket (story above):
(Something’s coming! And we hope it’s a donation to “06880.” We rely on reader support — so thank you for clicking here, and helping us keep these Roundups, and everything else, coming.)
