A red tulip is used as a symbol of hope and strength, for those living with the disease.
It is also the theme of a small book, with a big heart.
“The Little Parkinson’s Book of Positivity and Joy” was written by Westport Weston Family YMCA member Kathleen Featherston. It was featured on the Michael J. Fox Foundation website, and will be showcased next month at the World Parkinson’s Congress in Phoenix.
It describes her deeply personal, inspiring journey through life with Parkinson’s. It’s one not of despair, but resilience, grace, and a profound appreciation for life’s simplest blessings.
Kathleen Featherston, with her book.
Kathleen’s diagnosis in 2021 changed her life. But instead of retreating into fear and uncertainty, she made a choice to look up.
She laced up boxing gloves — literally — at the Westport Y. Their Parkinson’s program includes boxing, dance and speech classes.
Kathleen discovered that physical movement could be both medicine and metaphor. Each punch thrown, each round survived, was a declaration: “I am still here. I am still fighting. I am still full of joy.”
Kathleen Featherston fights against Parkinson’s.
From that spirit, her book was born. It is not a clinical guide or a sympathy card. Instead, it is “a companion — a tiny book full of enormous light, for anyone who needs a reminder that joy waits in the small moments.”
“The Little Parkinson’s Book of Positivity and Joy” can be purchased on Kathleen’s website, Amazon, The Post (1799 Post Road East) and CoCo & Company in Southport.
All proceeds go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and Parkinson’s Body and Mind — a local non-profit that has partnered with the Westport Y’s Parkinson’s program.
The Y and Parkinson’s Body & Mind are teaming up once again for the Michael J. Fox Unity Walk in New York, April 25.
Contact the Y to join the walk, and raise money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. (Hat tip: Bob Levy)
(“06880” regularly highlights Westporters doing remarkable things. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Back in the day, model trains ran on small tracks above the tables at Dunville’s.
It wasn’t random. The popular restaurant/bar sits a few yards from the Saugatuck train station.
Times change. Dunville’s is now Little Pub. The model trains are gone.
But a sign — “Beware of the Trains” — remains.
It sits above the kitchen door.
It seems — judging by the responses to last week’s Photo Challenge — to be little noticed. Only 3 readers — Richard Stein, Andrew Colabella and Dave Eason — knew the answer.
And many who do notice it may not appreciate why it’s there.
But Richard, Andrew and Dave are townies. IYKYK.
This week’s Photo Challenge may be tough too. But it sure is appropriate for spring.
If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.
(Photo/Scott Smith)
(Every Sunday, “06880” hosts this Photo Challenge. We challenge you too to support your hyper-local blog. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
“Primary Trust” — the next Westport Country Playhouse production, about change, friendship, quiet courage and mai tais — opens April 14.
As always, the Playhouse has planned special several events. They include:
Taste of Tuesday (April 14, 6 p.m.): Season ticket holders enjoy snacks, beverages, and casual pre-show conversation.
PRIDE Night (April 16): A pre-show gathering for the LGBTQ+ community.
Opening Night (April 18): A post-show reception, open to all ticket holders.
Sunday Symposium (April 19, after the 3 p.m. matinee): Panel discussion and Q&A about community, isolation and behavioral health with artistic director Mark Shanahan, Rev. Richard Williams of Pivot Ministries, and a representative of Silver Hill Hospital.
Taste of Tuesday Wine Tasting (April 21): Pre-show sampling of wines from The Grapevine, with snacks.
Together at the Table (April 26, $15): Families and groups enjoy a communal pizza lunch and discussion of the play before the matinee show.
(“06880” is your hyper-local blog — weekdays, weekends and holidays, 24/7/365. If you appreciate our efforts, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Jack Thompson is a junior at Greens Farms Academy. He’s also a member of the Westport Youth Commission.
As the town body solicits membership applications for the 2026-27 school year, Jack reflects on his time on the board.
When I joined the Westport Youth Commission in September of 2024, I could never have imagined how it would impact me in so many ways.
I attended both the general meetings and project meetings each month. However, attendance is where my contribution ended. I would arrive, listen, and leave.
From time to time I would market the commission at my school by making an announcement. In reality though, I really wasn’t very involved.
That, however, changed fast.
In the summer of 2025 I sat down with both Kevin Godburn (director of Westport Youth Services) and Dr. Jill Greenberg (adult member of the WYC) to discuss a new project idea.
With the first selectman post up for election, now was the time to connect students with local politicians. Different ideas were floated. until we settled on a conversation-style event with the 3 candidates.
I would be the leader — guiding, managing and executing the project with the support of my fellow commission members. I went from being an attendee at meetings to leading a fast-paced, all-hands-on-deck project.
I ran the weekly core team Zoom meetings with Jake Shufro, Lee Shufro, Kevin Godburn and Dr. Greenberg, and kept everyone updated on what needed to be taken next.
I learned a great deal from the mentorship of Lee Shufro and Dr. Greenberg. Each meeting I improved and kept everyone on track, ensuring that the day’s agenda was covered. In the end, all our hard work paid off. The event was a tremendous success.
Jack Thompson (left), with fellow Youth Commission member Jake Shufro at the first selectman candidate’s forum.
One lesson among many I have learned is that it’s crucial to jump in from the start. I wish I had gotten involved in projects earlier.
Ultimately, though, I was able to participate in a very meaningful way. If there’s one thing people can take away from my journey on the Youth Commission, it is that any student who joins has the ability and opportunity to make a true, lasting impact.
Applications for the 2026-2027 school year are open; just click here. The deadline is May 1.
(“06880” regularly highlights Westport’s teenagers, and their accomplishments. If you enjoy coverage like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
As Earth Day (April 22) nears, Sustainable Westport asks: “Can you imagine what our planet could look like if we got it right?”
They answer their own question: “Less congestion and cleaner air, with communities that are more interconnected because towns are walkable and bikeable. Shorelines and waterways that are free from discarded plastic and waste. Native trees and plants supporting pollinators and clean water supporting vibrant ecosystems for generations to come.
“It’s a hopeful vision, and one that feels entirely possible when communities come together starting first with small, meaningful changes.
“At the heart of this vision is a simple, powerful truth: We are all guardians of this planet. This stewardship isn’t reserved for scientists or policymakers; it is a responsibility carried by every one of us. Each person in our community holds a vital piece of the puzzle, and the picture of a sustainable Westport is only possible when all of us are present and engaged.
During Earth Month, Sustainable Westport is re-emphasizing their commitment to reducing single-use plastic. They ask residents to watch an important video (click here) — and then participate and lead, by sharing the message, encouraging neighbors, and turning individual efforts into a community movement.
Also upcoming: a screening of “Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics.”
The documentary explores the alarming spread of microplastics throughout our planet — and our bodies.
The event — following a sold-out showing at SXSW — is Thursday (April 9, 6:30 p.m., Greens Farms Academy). A panel discussion follows the screening.
The Board of Finance’s next “office hours” — open times at which residents can chat with a member about questions or concerns — are Thursday, April 16.
There are 2 sessions — 10 to 11 a.m., and 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. — at the Westport Library’s Room 213.
The events have proved popular, with a broad range of Westporters asking an equally broad range of questions.
Speaking to 175 Y’s Men of Westport and Weston at Saugatuck Congregational Church on Thursday, Dr. Kenneth Pollack said that the war with Iran has become a grinding war of attrition with no easy exit for the United States.
A former CIA analyst and National Security Council official, Pollack is now vice president for policy at the Middle East Institute. He warned that forced regime change in Tehran is a dangerous gamble, and said Washington has “run out of good options,” leaving only bad choices as it struggles to end the conflict, reopen vital oil shipping lanes, and find a strategy President Trump can use to ease domestic economic pain while pressuring Iran’s hard‑line leadership to back down.
Looking ahead, Pollack said much of the world’s economic fate now hinges on whether the U.S. is willing to do the politically difficult work needed to pry open the Strait of Hormuz and blunt Iran’s regional influence. That could mean inserting limited ground forces to secure shipping lanes and potentially striking at Iranian allies such as Hezbollah, steps he called militarily feasible but politically fraught.
Until then, he warned, shortages of oil, liquefied natural gas and critical materials like fertilizers and helium will deepen, increasing the risk of a global recession and leaving Iran’s hard‑liners in position to keep exploiting their “chokehold” on the world economy.
Y’s Men member Peter Pollack (left) introduces his son, Dr. Kenneth M. Pollack. (Photo/Ted Horowitz)
Karen Schlansky — an abstract painter working in acrylic, oil, pastel and mixed media — is this month’s guest exhibitor. The local artist is displaying paintings from her recent “Books” series.
A reception is set for April 23 (6 p.m.). All work is available for purchase.
Karen Schlansky, with her work.
=================================================
Speaking of art: As the nation’s 250th birthday nears, the Weston Commission for the Arts seeks submissions that explore America’s past, present and future.
The “Weston Celebrates America 250” exhibit (July 3 to 31) will complement July 4th activities like a patriotic tailgating contest, bell ringing ceremony, old- fashioned family sports/field day and picnic, and fireworks.
Also planned during the month-long exhibit: art classes for children and adults, and a meet the artists reception July. Click here for details.
=================================================
This Thursday (April 9, 7 p.m.), MoCA\CT celebrates National Poetry Month bt transforming its galleries into a performance space.
Norwalk-based spoken word artist Sahmra Sawyer (Supreme Divinity) will perform original poetry inspired by “Art, Jazz + the Blues” — the museum’s current exhibit — while live jazz plays in the background.
As the performance unfolds, Bridgeport artist Lauren Clayton will create a large-scale painting — translating spoken word and sound into a visual work in real time.
29 Markle CT will provide an “elevated take on soul food.”
A wayward son moves home to care for his mother, and discovers chaos he never knew he needed.
That’s the premise behind “Sorry for Laughing.” The new solo play by Evan Zes, about caring for his mother during COVID, is part of the Westport Country Playhouse’s New Works Initiative. celebrating new works and new playwrights.
Westport’s first “pickleball ambassador,” Tom Lowrie, sent this along, with Easter and Passover greetings from himself and his successor, current ambassador Brandon Osterhout.
We don’t know who’s who in the photo, but it doesn’t matter. Enjoy the weekend!
Happy Easter! Welcome to the start of the baseball season! It’s spring!
Those are some of the themes in today’s online art gallery.
Along with, as always, other works that are harder to categorize, but sure to delight, provoke and inspire all who wander through.
As always, we invite you to be part of next week’s exhibition. No matter your age; the style or subject you choose — and whether you’re a first-timer or old-timer — we welcome your submissions. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, mixed media, digital, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage, needlepoint — we want whatever you’ve got.
Just email a JPG to 06880blog@gmail.com. And please include the medium you’re working in.
“Longshore Marina” (Patricia McMahon; Available for purchase; click here)
“Old Mill Plein Air” (Werner Liepolt)
“Stacked for the Season” (Nancy Breakstone; Available for purchase; click here)
“Sea Shell From Compo” (John Maloney)
“Auntie’s Patch of Heaven” — acrylic on canvas, 20 x 24 (Gert; Available for purchase; click here)
“Watercolor is a Swim in the Unknown: Jean Burman” (Duane Cohen; Available for purchase; click here)
Untitled (Tom Doran — Available for purchase; click here)
“A Hot Wheels Pizza” — wall art (Eric Bosch)
“The Kindness Project” (Owen Wang, age 13 — One River Art student)
In Your Easter bonnet – Gown, and Sparkling Necklace – You’ll Be the Grandest Lady in the Easter Parade! (Mike Hibbard)
“The Saddest Day in Baseball History — Remembering Lou Gehrig, the Iron Horse” — watercolor (Steve Stein)
“My Friend Kelso” (Lawrence Weisman)
“Presidential Portrait” (Mark Yurkiw; Available for purchase; click here)
(Entrance is free to our online art gallery –as it has been for 6 years. But please consider an anniversary donation! Just click here — and thank you!)
As the Planning & Zoning Commission discusses a text amendment that would modify the definition of “special needs individuals,” to serve a wider range of people (click here and here) — while also addressing off-site affordable housing — Westport’s Commission on People with Disabilities offers their insights:
One question currently under review by the Planning & Zoning Commission deserves clear attention: how we define and support residents with disabilities.
Text Amendment #864, now before the P&Z, offers an important opportunity to expand the definition of “developmental disability” for special needs housing.
The current state definition framework — limited to individuals with an IQ below 70 and onset before age 18 — excludes many residents who face real barriers to appropriate housing.
136 Riverside Avenue now houses adults with disabilities. It is off-site affordable housing, part of the Richmondville Mill project.
The Commission on People with Disabilities strongly supports aligning the definition of “Special Needs Individuals” with federal law (42 U.S.C. §15002) rather than the more restrictive Connecticut standard.
The broader federal definition better reflects the range of disabilities that affect activities of daily living, and would help close existing gaps in access to special needs housing.
We support allowing off-site affordable housing within the Inclusionary Housing Overlay District — with clear standards.
We urge the Planning & Zoning Commission to allow off-site special needs housing only when it is clearly demonstrated to be superior to an on-site option — such as through better access to transportation, closer proximity to services, or design features like shared community spaces that more effectively support residents’ needs.
All proposals will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to ensure they promote inclusion, community integration, and compliance with applicable regulations.
Off-site, deed-restricted special needs housing can also deliver an increased number of smaller, efficiency-style units, creating opportunities for shared spaces and supportive services, and generating more moratorium points than comparable on-site options.
3 George Street (above), off Maple Avenue South, could be used as a group home. The developer of an apartment project on Post Road East says that an expanded definition of “special needs individuals” would help expand access to a group home like this.
While on-site housing offers the benefits of integration, thoughtfully planned off-site housing can better meet the needs of individuals with disabilities by enabling more coordinated access to services, supports, and amenities.
Westport has an opportunity to take a thoughtful, balanced approach — expanding housing while maintaining strong zoning principles. The goal is not to work around the rules, but to make them work better for everyone.
(“06880″‘s Opinion pages are open to all. Send submissions to 06880blog@gmail.com. To support this blog, please click here.)
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
GET THE “06880” APP
The “06880” app (search for it on the Apple or Android store) is the easiest way to get “06880.” Choose notifications: whenever a new post is published, or once or twice a day. Click here for details.
From time to time I would market the commission at my school by making an announcement. In reality though, I really wasn’t very involved.
