Recent Friday Flashbacks have featured long-lived and well-loved restaurants: Allen’s Clam House and the Clam Box.
Here’s one that was Italian — not seafood — and that closed more recently than those 2 favorites.
But there are enough newcomers in town who never knew it — and enough time (7 years) has (unfortunately) passed for those who did — for it to be the subject of a fond look back.
So, let’s honor …
Mario’s (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)
For the uninitiate, Mario’s was the Railroad Place place. Commuters rolled off the train, and up to its bar. Families went there, to celebrate any occasion worth celebrating.
Servers, busboys, bartenders, cooks — all worked there for decades. And when they stopped working, they came back as customers.
If you never knew Mario’s: You missed a memorable slice of Westport life.
If you did now Mario’s: Click “Comments,” to share your memories.
Dinner was packed, before Mario’s closed.
FUN FACT: Legend has it that the now-famous phrases “March Madness” and “The Road to …” were born at Mario’s.
The story is that CBS had just bought the rights to the NCAA basketball tournament. Announcer — and Weston resident — Brent Musburger and a couple of executives (and Westporters) were sitting at the restaurant, wondering how to market the event.
“This March is going to be madness!” one said. Bingo!
The “road” idea came soon — perhaps one or two drinks later.
Gilbertie’s Herbs & Garden Center’s may be 100 years old. But they’re sure young at heart.
Tomorrow (Saturday, June 4, noon to 5 p.m.), the century-old Sylvan Road South shop/greenhouse hosts a town-wide party.
The highlight is a free concert with reggae artists Mystic Bowie’s Talking Dreads, plus Kalel Wale.
Surrounding the field will be family games and activities, food trucks, vendors and a petting zoo.
“It’s not every day a business turns 100,” says Matthew Mandell, executive director of the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce. “This is going to be quite the party.”
Bring lawn chairs for the show; park along Riverside Avenue, or at Kings Highway or Saugatuck Elementary School.
Staples High School’s High Honors Dinner is always one of the highlights of the year.
Held a couple of weeks before graduation, it’s a celebration of the diversity interests and achievements of the senior class.
Students with GPAs in the top 4% are invited. Each selects one teacher to introduce him or her. They speak for a minute; then the student gives thanks.
Educators last night came from the English, Social Studies, Science, World Language, Drama and Athletic Departments. They lauded their students’ intellectual curiosity, passion and drive, concern for classmates, and senses of humor.
Students, in turn, praised their teachers for their mentorship, accessibility at all hours of the day and night, passion and drive, unique styles, senses of humor, and friendship.
It was a warm, wonderful evening. It affirmed for many educators that “this is why I teach.” And for the parents and friends in the room, it was a fitting reminder that a Westport education takes place in many places, in many ways.
Students honored were Emma Alcyone, Natalie Bandura, Greg Beal, Zach Bishop, Michael Brody, Oliver Clachko, Sabrina Didner, Erin Durkin, Matt Genser, Sasha Maskoff, Aidan Mermagen, Gabriella Messenger, Tessa Moore, Luke Morelli, Chloe Nevas, Emma Nordberg, Talia Perkiins, Finn Popken, Ishan Prasad, Jessica Qi, Ally Schwartz and Julian Weng.
They selected educators Ann Neary, Dominick Messina, Robert Shamberg, Joe Barahona, Will Jones, Suzanne Kammerman, Meghan Scheck, Chi-Ann Lin, Noreen McGoldrick, Sam Goldberg, Chris Fray, Enia Noonan, David Roth, Bethann Camillo, Jack McFarland, David Scrofani andn Brendan Giolitto.
High Honors honoree Aidan Mermagen hears praise from chemistry teacher Will Jones.
Westport’s newest sports rehab and physical therapy service opened this week in Westport.
HSS Sports Rehab — a collaboration between Stamford Health and the Hospital for Special Surgery — has taken over the old Boat Locker space, in the strip mall with Layla’s Falafel and Dunkin’ Donuts.
Therapists at HSS Sports Rehab – Westport treat patients of all ages and all levels of activity, “from weekend warriors to elite athletes.” They’re open weekdays by appointment only. Call 203-276-4763 for an appointment, or fax a physical therapy referral to 203-276-4764.
Two Staples High School teams are in the quarterfinals of their state tournaments. Both games are tomorrow (Saturday, June 4).
The baseball team — ranked #15 in LL (extra large schools) — upset #2 Amity-Woodbridge 8-2 Wednesday. Junior Hiro Wyatt’s grand slam was his third of the season — a school record. Next up: #10 Trumbull (2 p.m., away.)
The 14-2 Staples boys lacrosse team hosts Fairfield Ludlowe at 3 p.m.
Congratulations too to Jesse McCray. He’s just been named FCIAC Girls Outdoor Coach of the Year.
Stuart Losen, a 57-year resident of Westport, psychologist, educator, ardent Democrat and passionate Giants football and Yankee baseball fan, died suddenly last week. He was 92.
He was raised in the Bronx, where he learned to run fast or box, “as the situation required,” his family says. He was a proud graduate of The Bronx High School of Science and City College, where he met his wife Joyce. They were married for nearly 70 years.
His obituary reads: “Warm and loving, with an endearing and extremely humorous side, Stu loved to make his children and grandchildren laugh with his silly antics, embellished or made-up recollections (“Stu facts”) and unique expressions. However, he also displayed shark-like qualities when it came to shooting pool.
“Throughout his life Stu was passionate about drumming and singing. As a young man he led the Mel Stuart Band as a Crosby-esque crooner. An avid storyteller, he told many tales about playing the Catskills, and Lake George. He was known for showing off his Gene Krupa paradiddles, recounting his lessons from Babatunde Olatunji and pulling out his Local 802 Musicians’ union card. He would sit in with bands at every opportunity, from calypso groups in the Caribbean to busking on the streets of Cambridge.”
He served in the army during and after the Korean War as a psychologist at Brooke Army Hospital in San Antonio, where he worked with returning American servicemen who had undergone “brainwashing” as prisoners of war. He later earned his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Buffalo in 1959.
Among the earliest to bring psychological services to Connecticut public schools, beginning in 1960, he initiated and developed programs first as a clinical psychologist in North Haven and for the bulk of his public-school career as director of special services for the New Canaan schools.
Stu published numerous articles, co-authored 2 professional books and 2 memoirs, and frequently appeared as an expert witness. served as the president of the Connecticut Psychological Association. He was an adjunct professor at Yale University, Southern Connecticut State College and Fairfield University.
In his private practice in Westport Stu has helped countless individuals, couples and families. Many maintained contact for years, writing to him of their life successes.
Following his professional retirement, Stu taught courses on comparative religion at the Lifetime Learning Institute at Norwalk Community College and participated in the writer’s workshop at the Westport Senior Center. An activist at heart, Stu supported many liberal causes.
Stu is survived by his wife Joyce; daughter Laurie (Joseph) Hutcheson; son Daniel (Sarah Novogrodsky) Losen; grandchildren Anna and Molly Burgess. Ave and Meredith Hutcheson, Samuel and Leonard Losen; brother-in-law Mel Garskof; nieces Hillary Garskof Strome and Allison Garskof and grandniece, Jessica Strome.
A celebration of Stu’s life will be held in person and livestreamed at the Abraham L. Green and Son Funeral Home in Fairfield today (Friday, june 3, 2 p.m.).
Contributions can be made to the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance, PO Box 200, White Horse Beach, MA 02381 or the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at UCLA, “UC Regents” to: UCLA Civil Rights Project, 8370 Math Sciences, Box 951521, Los Angeles, CA 90095.
You’re never too young — or old — to learn how to tie-dye.
For the 2nd summer in a row, 3 Staples students — soon-to-graduate seniors Theo Vergakis, Nick Prior and Jack Foster — offer interactive tie-dyeing sessions.
They supply 100% cotton t-shirts, a large selection of dyes, and all the tools.
You supply the group of 3 to 15 kids (or adults). The cost of $25 per person includes all materials.
And finally … Alan White, a drummer who worked with John Lennon and George Harrison before he was 21, then gained more fame for his long work with the band Yes, died last week near Seattle, after a brief illness. He was 72.
In April, “06880” reported on Westport native Brian Mayer’s work in Poland.
iThe New York tech executive was there, helping deliver supplies for Ukrainian refugees, and the army.
He’s still at it. Here’s his latest report:
I’m writing to you from one of the countless border crossing lines I’ve waited on in the last 2 weeks. I’m on my way to pick up several more suitcases of specialty medicine from Sauveteurs Sans Frontières. Then I’ll take it back to Ukraine for onward delivery to the east. I’ve gotten pretty good at these crossings, and it helps to have priority access when laden with humanitarian aid. My record cross time so far is 28 minutes. But you don’t want to hear about border logistics.
Stalin said that one death is a tragedy, and a million deaths is a statistic. I thought about this the other day when driving through Ivano-Frankivsk. Traffic ground to a halt for a funeral procession: A hearse was led by a priest and a coterie of singing babushkas, with a young widow draped in black and two dozen family and friends in tow. It was simple but mournful, routine in any other place. But this isn’t any other place.
This scene is repeated thousands of times in every town and small village, every day across Ukraine right now. Wives are becoming widows and children are becoming orphans. People are going back to work to find desks of coworkers empty; so many poker nights are now short a player. And all for the sake of a completely unnecessary war, and a 19th century imperial fantasy in the deranged head of one wrinkly old crackpot in Moscow.
I realized talking to my new friends here that the initial anger and shock that we all felt in the first couple weeks of this war has faded into the background. Anger and frustration are not productive emotions. You learn quickly that it doesn’t help make queues go faster or prices go down or gas become available or goods reach their intended destinations quicker.
Everything on the ground is harder than it should be, but you suffer it because you must, and there is no other option. You push forward because your anger has yielded to something more powerful and more useful: a desire to win, at all costs. A recent column said it best: Putin has to lose. There is no other option.
This is why so few expats I’ve worked with on the border have been able to stay away, even as some have taken much needed breaks back home in Europe or Canada or wherever they are from.
Many have pushed harder and deeper into Ukraine, taking on more and more dangerous missions, following the urgency: families that need evacuation, orphanages that need resettlement, soldiers that need medical care, children that need cancer treatment, villages and towns that need food, soap, toothbrushes, underwear and medicine, all before the Russians close in and martial law is imposed.
Brian Mayer
I am thankful I have a day job, which keeps me grounded and in a routine. After all, I have to be at a high speed WiFi connection at 4 p.m. Ukraine time every day. If I didn’t, I could see myself being pulled further east, as the demands from the front lines are impossible to ignore. ‘
Many of my new friends here quit their day jobs as receptionists and roofers and bricklayers and students and are now routinely dodging rocket strikes while shuttling crucial supplies across the pockmarked landscape. One of my new driver friends told me their joke: “In the UK, you drive on the left. In Europe, you drive on the right. In the Ukraine, you drive on the part of the road that’s still there.”
I’m closely watching how this war is affecting the expats here. There are no psychological services available for volunteers and aid workers, and certainly nothing to prepare many in civilian life for talking to rape victims or seeing corpses or having friends murdered.
When a volunteer Irish soldier showed me a picture of his mates and a Ukrainian family they rescued, then told me “10 minutes later everyone in this photo was dead,” and proceeded to tell me in excruciating detail what it was like to wear the same pair of underwear for two weeks and fight in the trenches with no food, because humanitarian groups consider feeding soldiers to be outside their purview — you don’t really have an outlet for hearing these sorts of stories, let alone experiencing them firsthand.
This is also the reason why everyone’s anger is pointed not at the Russians — after all, we are united in our common purpose against them and, as discussed, this anger is not productive — but at the governments and NGOs on our side that don’t seem to understand the reality on the ground. The governments continue to make humanitarian border crossings a nightmare, holding up trucks for days, especially the empty trucks going back to Poland to pick up more supplies.
Fuel price caps and various other regulations have worsened diesel shortages, and this whole supply effort runs on diesel. NGOs talk about donations going to “humanitarian purposes only” as if it is possible to separate civilian needs from the war effort. Humanitarian aid is useless if the Russians have cut off supply lines. Medicine is useless if the recipients are killed. Most importantly, soldiers are people too, and they need to eat and brush their teeth and have clean socks and underwear. Where is the help for them? And how can we possibly be expected to win this war without it?
I am also shocked by the failure of last mile logistics from NGOs here. I’ve now been at the warehouses of at least 4 major internatonal NGOs in Poland, all with the same general pattern: a supply drop of hundreds of pallets of humanitarian aid in a warehouse given to a project manager with absolutely no budget or even a plan for getting the supplies into Ukraine.
These poor project managers, many of them first timers, are being asked to move hundreds of pallets without trucks or forklifts or money or local contacts or translators, and many of them are even forbidden from crossing the border. How are these goods supposed to make it into Ukraine, let alone to the front lines where they are needed the most?
The truth is, that task is left to the volunteer drivers working here who are risking their lives every day to bring supplies to the front. They will receive no parade back home, no medals or recognition for their work, and certainly no accolades from the Ukrainian government. They’re paying for their own gas and lodging.
Aid convoys have been bombed and volunteers have been killed, and they will receive no military honors or benefits for their families back home. And many of these volunteers are expats who don’t need to be here. They are here because they see this war for what it is: a fight for our civilization and our values. And though diesel fuels their cars, it is duty that drives them to the front.
That is why we need your help more than ever, to cover food, medicine, and most importantly, diesel!
We just established our US aid umbrella, Ukraine Aid International, which means we can now take tax deductible contributions. Please Venmo @ukraineaidinternational or send tax deductible contributions to: Ukraine Aid International, 88 Partrick Road, Westport, CT 06880.
Thank you for all your support. (Hat tip: Nancy Diamond)
After a 2-year COVID-induced absence, Westport’s Independence Day fireworks — the biggest, best party in town — are back.
They’re a bit before the big day, though: June 30. That’s a Thursday. It’s a great way to blast off the holiday weekend. (July 4th is the following Monday.)
The event is a fundraiser for the Westport Police Athletic League. It’s run by our Parks & Recreation Department, with great help from the Westport Police and Fire Departments, and Emergency Medical Services.
The 2019 fireworks — the last time Westporters enjoyed the show. (Photo/David Squires)
Long time Westport residents Melissa and Doug Bernstein will once again sponsor and underwrite the fireworks. They say, “We’re beyond thrilled to partner again with PAL to bring this amazing celebration back to Westport. We can’t wait to see our incredible community celebrating together again at Compo Beach on June 30th!”
If you’ve been to the fireworks, you know what’s in store: thousands of people picnicking at Compo, and strolling from Soundview to South Beach; music, a marching band, and a “block party” with a great, neighborly vibe.
In a few hours, all those chairs will be filled with people. (Photo/Patricia McMahon)
If you’ve never been: Be sure to get a ticket. That’s the only way to park at Compo.
Ticket sales begin tomorrow (Friday, June 3, at Police headquarters (50 Jesup Road) and the Parks & Rec office at Longshore (near the 1st tee). The cost is $40 per vehicle.
Tickets are limited, and first-come, first-served. When they sell out, shuttle passes will be available from Longshore.
Westport PAL president Craig Bergamo (2nd from left) presents fireworks ticket #1 to Doug and Melissa Bernstein. Also shown (from left): Police Chief Foti Koskinas, 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Parks & Recreation director Jennifer Fava, Deputy Police Chief Sam Arciola.
The long legal battle to stop construction of 157 apartments on Hiawatha Lane may be over.
Hartford Superior Court Judge Marshall Berger issued a summary judgment ruling on Tuesday, in favor of developer Summit Saugatuck. The ruling may effectively end efforts by the plaintiffs — residents of the neighborhood off Saugatuck Avenue, near I-95 Exit 17 — to halt the project.
At issue were deed restrictions, limiting some properties in the area to single-family development.
At issue were deed restrictions of some properties in the area, limiting each lot to single-family development. At least 2 of those parcels are included in the Summit plans.
Owners of the other properties included in the deed restriction filed suit against Summit for breaching the restriction. They asked the court to prevent Summit from proceeding with the development, after its approved by Westport’s Planning & Zoning Commission.
Berger ruled that the easement did not reach the necessary legal requirements for it to be enforceable against the Summit properties. (Hat tip: Gloria Gouveia)
Artist’s rendering of one of the buildings at Summit Saugatuck’s Hiawatha Lane development.
Congratulations to Sasha Maskoff. The talented senior — a pianist who has played at Carnegie Hall (and last December’s spectacular Candlelight Concert), and tutors young students — is the 2022 Staples Key winner.
The award — donated by Westport’s Kiwanis Club — is considered the most prestigious at the high school. The other finalists were Jasper Cahn and William Heisler.
The honor was announced by principal Stafford Thomas, at last night’s annual awards ceremony. Arts, English, Math, Science, Social Studies, World Language and other awards were presented too.
Thomas also presented 15 Principal’s Awards, for outstanding service and contributions, to Slade Anastasia, Nick Augeri, Caroline Coffey, Catherine Cunningham, Amy Ginzburg, Emorej Hunter, Matthew Jordan, Elle Laub, Madeline Michalowski, ishan Prasad, Noah Robison, Ally Schwartz, Max Udell and Ella Williams.
Two members of each class received Staples Awards for Character: seniors Chloe Nevas and Nick Prior, juniors Jacob Baker and Miriam Hurley, sophomores Gianna Amatuzzi and Caroline Hechter, and freshmen Dylan Phillips and Mieszko Solowinski.
Staples High School principal Stafford Thomas, at last night’s awards ceremony. (Photo/David Pogue)
Stop twiddling your thumbs. Get tickets for Twiddle!
The Vermont-based band — which enjoys a strong Fairfield County following — will perform at the Levitt Pavilion on July 29-30).
Doors open at 3 p.m. for the Friday event. Twiddle will do 2 sets; they’ll be joined by Mihali and The Nth Power.
Saturday begins with a special 1 p.m. VIP acoustic set. Doors open to the public at 3 p.m. Twiddle will do 2 more sets. Dwight & Nicole and Eggy are on the bill too.
Member tickets are available now. Public tickets – with early-bird pricing — begins at noon today. Click here for details.
A few tickets are still available for Tower of Power’s “Stars on Tour” Levitt appearance this Saturday (June 4, 7:30 p.m.).
Click here for more information, including purchases for all ticketed shows.
Monday, June 20 (8 p.m.) is the new date for the Westport Library’s “Booked for the Evening” with Shonda Rhimes. It was postponed from earlier this week.
All seats have been sold for the in-person event. However, tickets are available to watch via Zoom. Click here for details.
Haleigh Donovan says she was fortunate to grow up in Westport. Among her many advantages: “tons of books,” in school and at home.
After graduating from Staples High in 2014, and with a major in communications and a minor in international studies 4 from the College of Charleston 4 years later, she headed to Thailand.
Her year teaching math and science to 1st graders was a “fantastic” experience. She is still in touch with students’ parents, via Facebook.
Haleigh Donovan, with her students in Thailand.
Haleigh returned to the US, and worked as a dining coordinator. She was furloughed during COVID, and pivoted to healthcare PR.
But that was not her passion. She remembered her excitement about teaching. Every Sunday, she was excited for the week ahead.
Last spring, she explored College of Charleston’s masters in elementary education program. Her parents — Dan and Nicole Donovan, both of whom also graduated from Staples — supported her fully.
This fall, she will teach 4th graders at Pinehurst Elementary School, in North Charleston.
Just 20 minutes from downtown Charleston, it’s a Title I school: low income, high need. Most students are Hispanic; many are not native English speakers.
Every student eats breakfast there. Before remote learning days, they’re sent home with food.
Haleigh is excited. And she wants to make sure her students have a solid classroom library.
The Donovan family is large. She began by asking her 5 siblings and many cousins – spread across the country — for contributions.
Haleigh Donovan (center) with her siblings, at her master’s degree graduation last month.
But they’re around her age. They don’t have many children’s books lying around.
So she’s asking “06880” readers for their picture and chapter books.
“I’m old-fashioned,” Haleigh says. “There’s nothing better than an actual book you can hold. I want to give these incredible kids access to those books.”
She is grateful for the opportunities she had growing up. She thinks back to her Staples senior internship at Coleytown Elementary School — where she also substitute taught this winter, when she was back in Westport.
There’s no reason, she says, her Pinehurst students should not have books too.
Haleigh invites anyone with books to contribute to her 4th grade classroom to email her: haleighdonovan@gmail.com.
She’ll be in Westport until mid-June. Then she’ll be back in Charleston, getting her classroom — and its library — ready for fall.
But Greens Farms Academy might win the prize for the coolest commencement speaker of 2022. At any level.
On Thursday, June 9, 90 seniors and their guests will gather on the front lawn at Beachside Avenue to hear inspiring words from …
… Darryl “DMC” McDaniels.
It’s certain that in GFA’s 97 years as an institution, no rapper has ever addressed the graduating class.
Darryl “DMC” McDaniels
Of course, McDaniels is much more than that.
An innovator, motivator and philanthropist, he broke cultural barriers with his legendary band Run-DMC.
The first rap group on the cover of Rolling Stone — and the first to appear on MTV — Run-DMC changed music, culture, fashion, language, and made American history.
They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2016 they received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
In between, McDaniels launched a comic book company. He is the author of an autobiography, memoir and children’s book.
“The opportunity to have Darryl as GFA’s commencement speaker is a multi-generational gift,” says head of school Bob Whelan.
“Many parents of graduating seniors are very familiar with him as a member of Run DMC, and his ground-breaking career that featured multiple firsts and countless hits. At the same time, ‘It’s Tricky’ is a familiar TikTok staple for today’s youth. Most importantly, Darryl’s message in his book ‘Darryl’s Dream’ about authenticity is timeless and a perfect message for our graduates.”
In addition to the positive messages McDaniels spreads through his books and speaking engagements, his philanthropic work sets an important example for GFA’s graduating class, Whelan notes.
He co-founded the Felix Organization , a nonprofit that provides inspiring opportunities and new experiences for children in the foster care system. He regularly talks with kids across the country about respect, responsibility and self-awareness, and has appeared before Congress and state legislatures in support of adoptees and foster children.
President Obama invited him to speak at the White House to a group of young men about fatherhood, and he worked with First Lady Michelle Obama on her “Get Fit” Campaign.
“Our school’s mission describes preparing young people for lives of purpose, and Darryl’s life story is one that highlights the importance of becoming the most authentic versions of ourselves,” says Whelan.
“He also speaks openly about the obstacles and challenges one faces along the journey, as someone who struggled with depression and has gone on to become a mental health advocate. He reminds young people that they can do hard things.”
This should be a great graduation, with an inspiring message.
And here’s hoping that when he’s finished speaking, and the Greens Farms Academy graduates line up to receive their diplomas, Darryl McDaniels gives them just one instruction: “Walk this way.”
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“Many parents of graduating seniors are very familiar with him as a member of Run DMC, and his ground-breaking career that featured multiple firsts and countless hits. At the same time, ‘It’s Tricky’ is a familiar TikTok staple for today’s youth. Most importantly, Darryl’s message in his book ‘Darryl’s Dream’ about authenticity is timeless and a perfect message for our graduates.”