Category Archives: Arts

Roundup: Duck Rescue, Book Shop Anniversary, Ann Chernow Birthday …

Posted on February 2, 2026 | 4 comments

On Saturday, Westport water pollution treatment plant supervisor Joe Tracy was making his rounds. It was cold; he was breaking up ice in one of the tanks.

He heard odd noises coming from the post-anoxic effluent basin. Stopping to investigate, Joe removed the heavy grating. Two mallard heads stared back up at him.

They were neck-deep in brown “foam” — trapped in one of the spillways.

Joe contacted on-duty Westport Animal Control Officer Peter Reid, across the street. He jogged over with a long net.

The ducks, a male and female — were transported back to Westport Animal Control, to warm up and be cleaned.

Officer Peter Reid, at Westport Animal Control.

Westport Animal Shelter Advocates volunteer Julie Loparo showed up with corn. She rocked the ducks like a baby in a warm towel.

WASA volunteer Sara Stockman arrived with frozen peas, and provided additional bathing.

Officer Reid happened to have a can of “gourmet” meal worms ready as well. He then took the mallards to Wildlife in Crisis. They were monitored, as they restored feather oil prior to release.

Thanks to all — starting with Joe Tracy — for going above and beyond, in weather that was cold even for ducks.

Ducks — before (left) and after rescue.

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The Westport Book Shop‘s 5th anniversary celebration continues this month.

Head to the Jesup Road store to see a special mosaic, by the legendary Miggs Burroughs. It celebrates the 60+ local artists who have exhibited there each month.

The Book Shop’s Short Story Club meets February 25 (6 p.m.). They’ll discuss 2
stories by Alice Munro: “What Is Remembered” and “The Bear Came Over the Mountain.”

Registration is required: Call 203-349-5141, or email RSVP@westportbooksaleventures.org.

And in honor of Valentine’s month, make a $10 donation to support the Book Shop — and its mission of providing training an employment for people with disabilities — and get a chocolate bar, courtesy of Wegman’s.

You can also honor a loved on on the “Heart of Heart” window display.

Westport Book Shop “Heart of Hearts” display.

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Ann Chernow — one of Westport’s great artistic treasures — turned 90 yesterday.

She celebrated with family and close friends. “06880” joins the rest of the town in saying congratulating an artist who has enriched us in so many ways — from her work and her volunteer efforts, to her always-smiling presence.

Happy birthday, Ann!

Ann Chernow (Hat tip and photo/Jamie Walsh)

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Perrin Delorey — a 4th grader at Greens Farms Elementary in 2018 who played baseball and hockey, and was a Cub Scout — died in a car accident shortly before summer break.

Those 4th graders are now Staples High School seniors. They have not forgotten him.

Perrin’s cousin and best friend, Philip Sullivan, have created n endowed scholarship in his name. The first “Do Your Best” Award will be presented by Staples Tuition Grants this spring.

More than $30,000 has already been raised, ensuring that the funds will be awarded in perpetuity.

A new fundraiser is planned, so that the grants will be the maximum allowed under STG bylaws.

A community skating event is set for February 10 (7:15 to 8:45 p.m.; Westport PAL Rink at Longshore).

Everyone is welcome — to skate, watch, and enjoy the DJ and food. A photographer will capture the community feel.

At 9 p.m., a Perrin Delorey Memorial Cup hockey game will add to the fun. Click here to purchase tickets, and learn more. 

Philip says, “one of the most special parts of this event is the range of community support behind it. There could be an entire story on the individuals, businesses and community groups that have donated precious time and money to help us raise the necessary funds to establish the award.”

He gives a special shout-out to Staples Tuition Grants, the Staples Class of 2026, Staples Service League of Boys,  Staples boys and girls hockey teams, Westport Parks & Recreation, Scout Troops 39 and 139; Videler Photography, the host committee of individual and family donors, “06880,” and “countless members of the community who have helped us get so far with our fundraising efforts.”

Perrin Delorey

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Wakeman Town Farm’s February calendar includes classes and activities for all ages. They include:

  • Storytime with Mosaic & Movement (ages 2-6; February 4)
  • Drop-in Knitting Circle (February 10)
  • Kids’ February break Needle Felting Workshop (ages 11-14; February 16)
  • Winter cooking for Minis and Kids (grades K-2; 2-4)
  • Mardi Gras Cooking (February 24)
  • Meet the MVPs of Garden Tools (February 25).

Click here; then scroll down for details.

“Cooking for Kids,” at Wakeman Town Farm.

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Neighbors and Newcomers of Westport — a great organization that welcomes new arrivals and longtime residents alike — has a busy February. Events include:

  • Galentine’s Day Luncheon (February 12, noon, Zucca Gastrobar
  • Dining-In Cooking Group (February 25)
  • Book Group (February 26)

To learn more click here, or email eventsnnwestport@gmail.com.

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It’s like one of those “back in the day …” photos: frozen Sherwood Mill Pond.

Matt Murray — who chronicles the ever-changing scene there — offers today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo.

But even he hasn’t seen it like this too often.

(Photo/Matt Murray)

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And finally … in honor of the great duck rescue (story above):

(If you click here, to make a tax-deductible contribution to “06880,” everything will be ducky. Thank you!)

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Posted in Arts, Children, Environment, Local business

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Online Art Gallery #303

Posted on January 31, 2026 | 1 comment

As the snow flew last weekend — and many Westporters lit fires, sipped coffee and hunkered down — our artists and photographers went to work.

They gathered their brushes, picked up their cameras, and created even more beauty and wonder out of all that lay around.

And while many of us grappled with the horrific news from the day before in Minnesota, some channeled their emotions into their work.

Today’s online gallery begins with nature, makes a brief stop for Valentine’s Day, and ends with humanity.

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 — art lovers want to know.

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside!” (Pat Saunders)

“A Long Winter’s View” (Cohl Katz — Available for sale; click here)

“Tired of Snow Yet?” (Copyright Ted Horowitz)

Untitled (Jerry Kuyper)

“Aurora Borealis” — digital illustration (Ken Runkel)

“Frigid Cold Water’s Edge”– impasto crafted with lace for the clouds; acrylic landscape on canvas (Dorothy Robertshaw — Available for sale; click here)

“Burnt Sienna” — acrylic and resin on 24 x 36 canvas (Patricia McMahon — Available for purchase; click here)

 

“Blue & Orange Color Splash” — acrylic on plastered wood panel (Eric Bosch)

Untitled — mixed media collage (June Rose Whittaker — Available for sale; click here)

“Landscape, Possibly” — digital (Tom Doran; Available for purchase; click here)

Untitled — collage made from all the “love” words in Westport Lifestyle magazine’s February issue (Frannie Faith Southworth)

“Angel Valentine Tree” (Lauri Wieser)

“Peaceful Panoramas” — acrylic (Ari Shervinrad — 2nd grade, One River Art student)

“Beneath the Rush” — under the I-95 Saugatuck River bridge (Nancy Breakstone; Available for purchase; click here)

Photographer Mike Hibbard says, “A blissful watering hole? No! It’s a hundred hippos farting non-stop. Do not light a match downwind of these beasts.”

“It’s Never Too Late to Get a COVID Shot!” — watercolor (Steve Stein)

“Boo Hoo” (Lawrence Weisman)

“Passport on I.C.E.” — sculpture (Mark Yurkiw — Available for purchase; click here)

“Enough is Enough” (Duane Cohen — Available for purchase; click here)

(Entrance is free to our online art gallery. But please consider a donation! Just click here — and thank you!)

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Westport Arts Scene, Part 4: Artists Collective Arises

Posted on January 31, 2026 | 3 comments

This is the final story in a 4-part series about the splintering of the Westport Arts Center, into what is now MoCA\CT and the Artists Collective of Westport. (Click on Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.) 

Our “06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung writes:

In 1996, Westport’s population was booming. Officials needed another school.

Despite a signed lease, and a promise from the schools superintendent that the Westport Arts Center would have the Greens Farms Elementary School building through 1999, he broke the lease and demanded they leave.

Greens Farms School, during its Westport Arts Center days — as portrayed by an artist with a studio there.

Greens Farms Elementary had been WAC’s home for almost 20 years.

Despite this, parents — many of them new to Westport — were upset that artists were taking up school space that could belong to their offspring.

Parents and other residents deemed the artists “frivolous,” and chastised WAC artists and board members.

The opponents did not know that the WAC had poured perhaps a million dollars — from studio rentals, dues, donations and ticket receipts — into repairs and maintenance.

Artur Holde Hall — an exhibit and performing arts space, in the former Greens Farms School gymnasium.

Greens Farms Elementary School was built in 1925. In 1991 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Any work needed had to preserve its integrity. Such work was costly.

Opponents failed to acknowledge the WAC’s unique contribution to the community. It brought together national award-winning painters, musicians from international symphonies, well-known cartoonists, illustrators from major publications, an art instructor from the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, and emerging talent.

One artist calls the decision to take back the school “a cultural crime.”

Compo Shopping Center offered WAC administrators a small office above Gold’s Delicatessen.

Artists, staff and board members took advantage of any exhibit space they could, including Earthplace and school auditoriums.

In 2002, they moved into their own space: a gallery on Riverside Avenue.

Westport Arts Center, on Riverside Avenue.

They remained there until 2019, when Mo\CA CT opened on Newtown Turnpike (see Parts 1 and 2). 

Once again, many artists had no home.

But not all.

In a prescient move in 2014, 5 artists and WAC artistic director Helen Klisser During created the Artists Collective of Westport. The goal was to retain the WAC’s values and mission.

Four years later — amid rumors of the WAC evolving into MoCA — two Artists Collective members incorporated the organization as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit.

Their aim was to be “a more collegial group” — member-driven, with “renewed respect for local artists.”

Today there are roughly 150 ACW members. Painters, sculptors, photographers and other artists in Fairfield County inspire and assist each other in their creative process.

Artists Collective of Westport member Nina Bentley with her work, at one of the group’s quarterly shows. (Photo/Dan Woog)

A founding artist says that while some members enjoy renown and commercial achievement, the collective’s true measure of success is “how many of our members donate their time and talents to the community, and how much wall space we give to local artists who might not have any other opportunities.”

The Artists Collective partners with the Westport Country Playhouse. They host pop-up exhibits, special events and monthly meetings at the Lucille Lortel Barn.

One member says the Collective “opened the door to this whole new group of people that I wouldn’t have had the chance to know.”

The Artists Collective of Westport also opens doors for area art-lovers to meet, enjoy — and buy the works of — local working artists.

Last month — nearly a decade after the Artists Collective was formed, and Mo\CA CT opened its doors —  Mo\CA’s outgoing and incoming executive directors, Pamela Hovland and Robin Jaffee Frank, attended the opening reception for the Collective’s holiday exhibit.

It was the first time a MoCA director had attended an Artists Collective exhibit.

Though the “divorce” was difficult, and my interviews with artists from those periods dug up still-raw emotions, both sides agree that MoCA\CT and the Artists Collective of Westport have made the town’s arts community more vibrant.

That is the power of a collective passion.

(“06880” regularly covers the Westport arts scene, in all its forms. We highlight the history of our town too. If you enjoy stories like these, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Posted in Arts, Looking back

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Roundup: Driving Edition: Speed Cameras, Snow Piles, Left-Turn Arrows …

Posted on January 28, 2026 | 9 comments

In 2023, the Connecticut legislature passed a law allowing municipalities to install red light and speed cameras and collect fines from drivers going more than 10 miles over the speed limit, or who run a red light.

So far, the state Department of Transportation has approved plans from 11 towns and cities. Three more are under consideration.

Where does Westport stand?

“06880” asked 1st Selectman Kevin Christie. He says: “Currently, traffic enforcement in Westport is handled through traditional methods by sworn police officers. The town does not operate any automated traffic enforcement cameras, including speed cameras, red light cameras, or school bus stop-arm cameras.

“The town is aware of evolving technology and ongoing state-level discussions regarding automated traffic enforcement systems. Westport has also established a Safety Action Plan, which is a prerequisite for any potential future consideration.

“At this time, Westport is not in the process of acquiring or installing automated traffic enforcement cameras. Any future consideration would require adoption of a local ordinance and a formal policy review.”

Traffic cameras

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The snowfall has stopped. The fallout continues.

On Kings Highway North, Marie Gross’ neighbors’ plow guy deposited a huge pile on the sidewalk next to the end of her driveway.

It’s so high, she can’t see oncoming cars.

She sent this photo …

(Photo/Marie Gross)

… and says, “you can barely see a panel van coming down the road.” She urges everyone — homeowners and plow companies alike — to be mindful when clearing snow.

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Speaking of driving, Arthur Hayes writes: “After a 3-year construction project, the left-turn arrows at 3 of the 4 approaches to the Post Road East/Roseville Road/Hillspoint Road intersection still are not functioning.

“We have the same left-turn disasters as before the project — just from newly constructed left-turn lanes. The only arrow that works is on the Post Road westbound approach.

“The project was presented by the state Department of Transporttation in July of 2019. After 6 1/2 years, my enthusiasm is waning.”

Left-turn arrows noted by Arthur Hayes still do not work.

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Budget season is beginning.

The Board of Finance meets Monday (February 2, 6 p.m., Town Hall Room 307/309; livestreamed at www.westportct.gov).

They’ll discuss proposed budgets from the Departments of Human Services, Parks & Recreation (including Wakeman Town Farm), and Public Works (including the sewer fund).

Budget deliberations are set Monday for several departments.

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MoCA\CT welcomes a wide range of artists — all abilities, and all ages.

How do they do it? Here are 2 examples.

A new Advanced Art Studio for Adults with Disabilities (Saturdays, 1:45 to 2:45 p.m.; suggested donation $25) encourages attendees to explore painting, drawing, sculpture and mixed media through guided projects and open-ended creativity.

With individualized instruction, the program celebrates self-expression, builds confidence, and fosters community. Click here for more information, and to register.

Meanwhile, the open call deadline for high school artists is February 13.

“The Sound of US: Youth Culture Now” show asks young people to choose 1 song from 2020 to today, and create an original artwork that explores its influence on youth culture. Fashion, language, activism, daily life — all are appropriate themes.

Selected works will be exhibited at MoCA\CT, in tandem with their new exhibition, “Art, Jazz + the Blues” on February 26. Click here for more information, and to submit portfolios.

Adults with disabilities enjoy new opportunities at MoCA\CT.

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Alisyn Camerota has a new gig.

The former CNN journalist has joined the Scripps News Network, as special events anchor.

The Westport resident calls it “a dream gig for me at this moment in my life. I get to work with a team of talented, wonderful journalists, and interview super compelling people, and stay out of the daily stomach-churning stress of this never-ceasing news cycle.”

Her first interview, last Friday, was with former CNN colleague and longtime friend Don Lemon.

“You might have heard a thing or two about Don last week, when Trump and the Department of Justice were desperately, and futilely, trying to charge him with a crime for covering an ICE protest inside a St. Paul church,” Alisyn says.

“They failed.  But Don doesn’t believe their attempts are over.”

She’s got a Substack, too. Yesterday, she wrote about what went on — behind the scenes — as she and Lemon grappled with “the duality of grief.” Click here to read more, and subscribe.

Alisyn Camerota and Don Lemon in light — and serious — moments together.

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In the 4 months since “06880” wrote about the Staples Dance team, they’ve grown to over 25 students, in all 4 grades . This winter, Wrecker basketball fans are enjoying their creative, high-energy halftime shows.

This Sunday (February 1, Saugatuck Elementary School, 10:45 a.m.) they host their first-ever showcase fundraiser, featuring great performances by members. Proceeds support the team as they begin competitions, include the state championship.

Click here for tickets, and more information.

Staples dance team rehearsal.

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Speaking of Staples: Congratulations to Rohan Sareen.

Last week, the 11th grader headed to New York, to work with the Children’s Rescue Fund at the Lighthouse Shelter in Long Island City.

Using a pair of 3D printers, he taught 30 children how to prepare files, and safely run prints on their own. For most, it was their first exposure to 3D printing and hands-on engineering.

But this is just the beginning. The printers will be used in a new after-school program, giving many more children the chance to learn design, problem-solving, and real-world tech skills.

Rohan says, “the goal of the program is to spark curiosity and show how technology can turn ideas into something tangible. Seeing the children get excited about creating their own projects was incredibly rewarding.”

Rohan Sareen, with 3D printer and Lighthouse Shelter youngsters.

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With last year’s denial by the Planning & Zoning Commission of the controversial Hamlet project, plans for Saugatuck redevelopment have been shelved.

But what about the Norwalk Islands?

There had been vague mentions of excursions from a Hamlet marina, to a couple of nearby properties.

According to “Nancy on Norwalk,” 2 are now back on the market, just a few years after selling. The “rare move (is) tied to stalled development plans and renewed interest in the limited number of islands that remain in private hands along the city’s coastline.”

Calf Pasture Island — close to the Saugatuck River and Norwalk Harbor — has an A-frame structure. Betts Island includes a 1925 single-family home. The asking price is $3.5 million for each.

Click here for the full story. (Hat tip: Sal Liccione)

Betts Island

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Should we go in, or stay onshore?

That’s the question, at Sherwood Mill Pond — and for today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo feature.

(Photo/Nikki Gorman)

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And finally … thinking about the first 3 items above:

(Baby, you can drive my car. You can also click here, to make a tax-deductible contribution to support “06880.” Your choice, but I’d sure prefer the second option. Thank you!)

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Posted in Arts, Local politics, Police, Real estate, Staples HS, Transportation, Weather

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Adam Kaplan Carries The Coleytown Company Banner

Posted on January 27, 2026 | 1 comment

As a Bedford Middle School 8th grader, Adam Kaplan played Curly in “Oklahoma!”

A snowstorm postponed the show a month.

In that time, puberty hit. His voice changed. He sang in a different key than he’d rehearsed just a few weeks earlier.

That’s one of the perils of middle school theater.

Here’s one of the joys: Kaplan found a passion for performing. He became a Staples Players star. After graduating in 2008, he headed to Broadway. Kaplan played the lead role of Jack Kelly in “Newsies,” and was in the ensemble. He starred in “A Bronx Tale,” the national tour of “Kinky Boots,” and “Show Boat” with the New York Philharmonic.

Adam Kaplan (carrying a castmate on his back) strikes the same pose as on the Nederlander Theater door. 

It all started with middle school theater. Westport’s 2 programs are outstanding, and change many lives besides Kaplan’s.

But it does not come cheap.

Sets, lights, sound, directors, licensing fees — they all add up.

So on February 2 (7 p.m.)., Coleytown Company presents “Carrying The Banner: A Broadway Concert.

The evening — in support of the troupe’s March production of “Newsies” — features 4 original cast members from that show, with a live professional band.

One of those performers is Adam Kaplan.

“Middle school is brutal,” the actor remembers. “Hormones are raging. Kids are kids. Everyone is trying to figure themselves out. The arts are a safe space to do that.”

As arts funding is slashed across the country, Kaplan is proud that Westport continues to provide a “safe haven for kids who maybe don’t feel welcome in other areas,” at both the middle and high school levels.

At Staples, he “lived, breathed, ate and slept” the Players program. He made friends, hung out there, acted in shows like “Beauty and the Beast,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Diary of Anne Frank” — and helped build the website and develop the online ticket portal.

After Staples, Adam Kaplan made his mark on Broadway.

Now he looks forward to paying it all forward.

Kaplan went to Bedford, not Coleytown. His directors were Kevin Slater and Karen McCormick, not CMS’ Ben Frimmer.

But Kaplan has worked often with the Coleytown Company director. And, hey — middle school is middle school.

“Westport supported me and my friends,” he says. “The fact that I can come back to Westport, with castmates who were part of the original Broadway show, speaks to how much we care.”

Those cast members are familiar with Kaplan’s home town. During the Broadway run, he’d bring them here after the Wednesday night performance. They’d spend Thursday and part of Friday with Kaplan and his parents, then head back to New York.

After a “Newsies” performance, but still working.

Kaplan will not go right back to the city after the “Carrying the Banner” show. The next day, he’ll do a workshop with the Coleytown Company’s “Newsies” cast.

It won’t be his first. He’s done similar “Newsies” workshops with schools across the country (and a US Army base in Italy). The chance to do one in his hometown is extra special.

“I remember when (Players director) David Roth brought in artists to work with us,” Kaplan says. “It was one of the coolest things in the world. Doing it here is like coming full circle.”

Next month’s fundraiser is produced by Frimmer. He’s working with Broadway music director Mat Eisenstein (“Newsies,” “Frozen”) on this show. It features songs from “Newsies,” and other hits.

Proceeds will support costumes, sets, lighting, sound and more for Company’s spring production, along with future needs. Click here for tickets, and more information.

Staples Players produced “Newsies” in 2017. Adam Kaplan (front row center, blue shirt) joined the cast at rehearsal. (Photo/Kerry Long)

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Posted in Arts, Education, Entertainment, Staples HS

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Online Art Gallery #302

Posted on January 24, 2026 | 2 comments

As we prepare for another winter storm, today’s main theme is … winter.

Whether you’re relaxing with coffee by the fire, or ready to rush out and stock up on milk and eggs, today’s online art gallery is perfect for January.

Stay warm!

And if you get a chance this weekend, please send us your work.

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 — art lovers want to know.

“The Poetry of Barns, Simple — Hulls Road” (Tom Kretsch — Available for purchase; click here)

“Occupied by Silence” (Nancy Breakstone — Available for purchase; click here)

“Four Logs Huddling Together” (Jerry Kuyper)

“Winslow Park” — enhanced image (Dayle Brownstein)

“Mr. Snowflake” (Patricia McMahon — Available for purchase; click here)

“Winter” — paper collage (Jodi B. Rabinowitz — Available for purchase; click here)

Untitled (Duane Cohen — Available for purchase; click here)

“Boys & Their Boxes” — digital composition (Ken Runkel)

“Mum’s the Word” — digital collage (June Rose Whittaker — Available for purchase; click here)

“Winter Mountains” — shadowbox collage; painted canvas stripped, weaving/rattan inserts; with a piece from windstorm, from a 200+- year-old sugar maple (Dorothy Robertshaw)

“Plant Life Portrait” — acrylic (Ella Barborak — 9th grade; One River Art student)

Untitled — Photographer Mike Hibbard says, “This Alaskan braided river, fed by a glacier, is home to many animals. As I walked down the trail to the river, a huge grizzly bear stepped out of dense brush 20 feet in front of me, reared up, growled, and then … that’s another story!”

‘The Empire State Building/Excelsior Ever Upward” — watercolor (Steve Stein)

Untitled (Martin Ripchick — Available for purchase; click here)

Untitled (Lawrence Weisman)

“Interesting Ornament” (John Maloney)

(Entrance is free to our online art gallery. But please consider a donation! Just click here — and thank you!)

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Roundup: Saugatuck Water, Longshore Beer, Sporting Toasts …

Posted on January 23, 2026 | 1 comment

Saugatuck residents have coped with several hassles — road closures, delays and heavy traffic; noise and more — in the months since the Aquarion/Dave Tinker Construction water main project began on and around Riverside Avenue several months ago.

Yesterday may have been the worst. Hundreds of residents had no water for much of the morning.

The good news: The water is back on.

The bad news: The project is not yet over.

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Beer and other canned alcoholic beverages might be available at the Longshore golf course this summer.

The Recreation Commission voted 3-0 on Wednesday to approve their sale. Two seats on the 5-person board are vacant.

The proposal now goes to the Select Board, for a final okay.

Thirsty Longshore golfers may be able to buy beer this year.

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On Wednesday, we reported that Kyle Martino — the 1999 Staples High School graduate/Gatorade National Player of the Year/US men’s national team player would pitch his Street FC app on “Shark Tank” that night.

The competition was stiff. But Martino is an athlete. He knows how to win.

And he did. His app — which connects soccer players with pick-up games — was the night’s winner.

Click here or below, to watch the reveal:

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Speaking of sports: Congratulations to Sarah VonDohlen!

The Greens Farms Academy senior basketball star set what is almost certainly a state — and may be a New England record last Saturday.

Play at home in the Coyle Gym against Cheshire, she drained 11 3-point shots in the Dragons’ 76-30 romp.

With 33 points, Sarah outscored the entire opposition.

Her 11 3s were appropriate: That’s her jersey number.

PS: Want to see Sarah and her teammates in action? GFA hosts Kent this afternoon, at 5:15 p.m.

Sarah VonDohlen (#11), with teammates.

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When Mexicue closed over a year ago — after only 2 years — it left a lot of space to fill.

Beginning the first week in February, Felice will fill it.

The restaurant — next to Sushi Jin, and across Main Street from the similarly named, but also now closed, La Fenice gelato shop — is part of a New York-based chain. There are 16 locations, in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Port Chester and Florida. (Hat tip: Sal Liccione)

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Stop & Shop was calm this morning, as the sun rose shortly after its 6 a.m. opening.

It won’t be for long. Westporters are probably already descending on it — and grocery stores everywhere — in preparation for this weekend’s weather.

It will be fine today, with a high of 36. But the temperature plunges to 7 degrees tonight.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny too, with the thermometer reaching only 17.

Snow begins Sunday morning. We could get 15 inches, with a high temperature of 18.

Light snow will continue Monday morning.

Stay warm! Stay dry! And kids … the odds are good for a snow day Monday.

(Photo/John Richers)

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Bruce Brodie’s one-man art show borrows from Walt Whitman.

But it could not be more timely.

The 1972 Staples graduate is exhibiting 18 paintings at Craven Contemporary gallery in Kent, Connecticut.

The titles of the 18 paintings — all completed in 2025 — use words from the 19th century poet to invoke the seasons, sunlight, weather, heaven and earth, love, ardor and longing.

“The work was started in anticipation of changing times,” Brodie says. “It took shape amidst the persistent drumbeat aimed at consolidating power and curtailing freedoms. I looked to the skies to express my feelings, and find hope.”

The show opens this week, and runs weekends through March 15. Brodie will be at the gallery February 14 and 15. For more information, click here.

“He That Walks With the Tender and Growing Night” (Bruce Brodie)

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The other day, a bobcat wandered right up to Mark Laclair’s mudroom door.

Then he posed, for this “Westport … Naturally” photo:

(Photo/Mark Laclair)

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And finally … yesterday’s water situation in Saugatuck reminds us of:

(Want to ensure that “06880”‘s well does not run dry? Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)

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Posted in Arts, Longshore, Restaurants, Saugatuck, Sports, Staples HS, Weather

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Happy Anniversary, Westport Book Shop!

Posted on January 23, 2026 | 3 comments

The winter of 2021 was a big one for downtown bookstores.

In February, Barnes & Noble moved into the former Restoration Hardware. The space was closer to other retailers, though smaller than their previous store (now the Big Y supermarket).

A couple of weeks earlier — on January 25 — a different bookstore opened a few yards away.

Half a decade later, both are thriving.

No one cares about a big-chain corporate success. But a small, community-minded used book shop, with a special mission — that’s a different story.

Westport Book Shop is a partnership between the Westport Library and Westport Book Sales, the non-profit with 2 important missions: They raise funds for the library by running its book sales, and they hire adults with disabilities.

So it’s fitting that Westport Book Shop is just a few yards from the Library, across Jesup Green.

Westport Book Shop

The 5,000 or so books, in over 40 categories, come from donations to the annual book sales. There’s also a large selection of vinyl records, audio books, CDs and DVDs.

The view from inside Westport Book Shop, across Jesup Green to the library.

Books cover all major categories: fiction, non-fiction, biography, children’s, you name it.

The Book Shop also features the Drew Friedman Art Place. Miggs Burroughs curates rotating exhibits.

On January 28, the 60-plus artists and photographers who have been featured will honored with a special piece, by Burroughs. It remains up through February.

Miggs Burroughs with his own work, at the Westport Book Shop.

To celebrate their 5th anniversary, Westport Book Shop is offering a few specials. They’re fundraisers too — a great way for residents to show their love and support.

One is a raffle. The winner gets a new copy of “The New Yorker in Westport” book. Donated by its authors, Eve Potts and Andrew Bentley, it shows dozens of magazine covers, showing 50 magazine covers created by area artists, inspired by familiar local scenes. Accompanying each image are interesting stories, and facts about our town.

Tickets are $5. They’re available online and at the store, through Wednesday, January 28.

Also available at the store: items created especially for the anniversary.

There’s a snuggly Westport Book Shop logo hat; local artist Jack Geer’s image of the store as a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle, and a decal.

Special 5th-anniversary items.

It’s been a great 5 years for Westport Book Shop.

They’ve provided over 12,250 hours of employment and skills training for adults with disabilities.

And they’ve contributed over $350,000 to the Westport Library.

But that’s just the start.

They’ve got a $50,000 fundraising goal, to help continue their work. Click here to donate.

Then get ready for the next chapter.

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Posted in Arts, Library, Local business

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Westport Arts Scene, Part 3: Finding — And Losing — A Home

Posted on January 22, 2026 | 8 comments

Our town’s thriving visual arts scene includes 2 major institutions: MoCA|CT, and the Artists Collective of Westport.

How did they get there?

In part 3 of this 4-part series, “06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung explores the history. Click here to read her first story. Click here for the second piece.

After the Westport Arts Center became MoCA\CT, many members felt abandoned by the very board cobbled together to support them.

They felt that their Riverside Avenue gallery had been exchanged for a grander “regional culture center,” straddling the Norwalk border.

One member says, “All of us were shocked and upset by the relatively sudden decision by the Westport Arts Center, after 50 years, to divorce themselves from the very artists who were the heart and soul of that organization from day one in 1969.”

Early Westport Arts Center logo.

Being kicked out of their gallery, however, was not new to the WAC.

In the early 1980s, fewer students in Westport rendered unnecessary the Greens Farms Elementary School building. WAC paid $1 a year for the space.

In exchange, WAC paid for its upkeep.

A WAC board member at that time recalls, “The town only took care of the roof in that building. Everything else was our responsibility. So we had to deal with a rather ancient boiler. We painted walls and we did everything to make it look nice.”

The WAC rented classrooms to artists as affordable studio spaces, at $80-100 a month. Members would wander to other studios to spark ideas and share techniques.

Artist Sue Sharp, in her Westport Arts Center studio.

One of the first artists to rent space was Herz Emanuel. His sculptures and drawings are on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Whitney, an the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

He worked in the same space that — more than 25 years earlier — had been his son Adam’s 3rd grade classroom.

Other artists at the WAC included Howard Munce and Miggs Burroughs.

Sculptor Herz Emanuel, at work in his studio.

Pianist Heida Hermanns donated about $500,000, to turn the gymnasium into a 200-seat performing arts space for the Theatre Artists Workshop, and symphonies and orchestras. Named Artur Holde Hall, after her husband, and designed by architect Arthur Rothenberg, it was also used for visual arts exhibitions.

Jason Robards read “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” surrounded by works by Paul Cadmus, the controversial Weston artist whose works are now in the collections of the Whitney, Met and many more institutions.

Artur Holde Hall, as exhibition space.

The WAC was funded by studio rentals, ticket sales, and donations.

Best of all, the school superintendent — brightly, warmly, with a signed agreement — guaranteed their lease through 1999.

In 1992, executive director William “Clancy” Thompson told the New York Times, “I have never seen a model like it. I know of theater companies and ballet companies sharing facilities, but not a community of artists such as this, such fine performance space in a town with the wisdom to make the building available. It’s’ an unusual combination of factors, filled with promise.”

The center thrived.

Westport Arts Center, by a resident illustrator.

Until 1996 when the same superintendent broke the lease, and demanded that WAC compliantly leave the premises. The town schools were now packed with students.

Instead of building another school, officials decided to renovate this one.

Greens Farms School, as the Westport Arts Center.

Greens Farms School had been WAC’s home for almost 20 years.

However some parents — many of them new to Westport — were upset that  artists were populating school space that could belong to their children.

A then-WAC board member says, “They thought the Arts Center was full of frivolous housewives with all this money to burn, who wanted to become painters so they could rent from us.”

In fact, some of those “frivolous housewives” included Anne Chernow, a lithographer with works at the Met, and artists like Marianne Rothballer and Judy Kamerschen, well noted for their work in juried exhibits and shows.

Still, according to an accomplished WAC member, “We became pariahs. It was really horrible. People would come to exhibitions and grab anybody they realized was part of the board or an artist and tell us, you know, you’re not very nice people.”

How did the artists respond to the loss of their home? That’s part 4 of this series. Much of this information comes from a WAC film, produced by Katie Hacala and 4th Row Films.

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Posted in Arts, Looking back

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Roundup: LGBTQ Sports Hall Of Fame, Shark Tank, Free America …

Posted on January 21, 2026 | 67 comments

I don’t often post personal news. But several people insisted I include this, so here goes:

 

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Speaking of sports: A familiar Westport face popped up on “Shark Tank.” The episode airs tonight (Wednesday) at 10 p.m. (ABC-TV, and streaming on Hulu).

Kyle Martino — the soccer star who won MLS Rookie of the Year honors, and played with the US national team — vied to win $250,000 for his app. Street FC connects players looking for pick-up soccer games, in cities around the country.

Martino — who was 1999 Gatorade National Player of the Year at Staples — was shown in a photo with his brother (and former teammate) Wes.

And though he described his love for pick-up (unstructured) soccer, Martino did not mention that it was honed while growing up in Westport — the town where he once again lives, and directs Street FC (and many more soccer-related projects) from.

Click here for an Instagram reel of Martino’s pitch.

Kyle Martino, on “Shark Tank.”

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Bitter cold did not deter a small crowd from gathering yesterday on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge.

They were part of a nationwide “Free America” protest. It coincided with the first anniversary of President Trump’s second inauguration.

Protest on the Post Road bridge. (Photo/Rowene Weems)

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The Sweet Remains — Greg Naughton’s band, and longtime Fairfield County favorites with their Crosby Stills & Nash/Simon & Garfunkel/Eagles/John Mayer/Jason Mraz-type harmonies and warmth — are this Saturday’s Westport Country Playhouse headliners (January 24, 8 p.m.).

Tickets are selling fast, for the group with over 65 million Spotify streams. Their latest album, “Embers,” was produced by Grammy Award winner Andy Zulla.

Tickets are $40, $45, and $55. To purchase, and for more information, click here.

The Sweet Remains

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DanceBody has shimmied into Westport.

The new studio celebrates their new 25 Sylvan Road South space with an opening party tomorrow (Thursday, January 22, 5 to 7 p.m.).

The event includes music, cocktails and “good energy.” Children are welcome.

DanceBody “blends functional training with the joy and artistry of dance, to deliver a workout that is as effective as it is empowering.” It focuses on “full-body movement, coordination, strength, and endurance. Classes incorporate aerobic conditioning and resistance training in a “dance-driven, constant progression (that) creates an energizing environment that builds both confidence and community.”

DanceBody began in New York City. This is its first suburban studio. For more information, click here.

DanceBody

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What’s ahead at MoCA\CT?

Plenty. The calendar includes:

“Community Conversation With Kathryn Turley-Sonne & Rachel Churner” (January 29, 6 p.m.): A panel discussion on the exhibition “Enough Already: Women Artists from the Sara M. + Michelle Vance Waddell Collection,” and the groundbreaking feminist work of Carolee Schneemann featured in it.

“Film Screening of Eva Hesse, with a Q&A with filmmaker Marcie Begleiter” (February 6, 6 p.m.): Documentary on the life and impact of an influential sculptor.

“Westport Writers Workshop, with Amanda Parrish Morgan & Liz Matthews”
Inspired by the current Mo\CA exhibit. Attendees will write from what draws them in, and share work in an encouraging, creative environment. All writers are welcome — “no pressure, just possibility.”

“Opening Reception: Art, Jazz & The Blues” (February 26, 6 p.m.; $10). The exhibit explores powerful intersections between visual art and music, drawing from the rich holdings of the Westport Public Art Collections.

The exhibition centers on “Giants of the Blues,” 7 sweepin group portraits by Westport native Eric von Schmidt honoring blues, jazz and folk musicians from the 1920s to the 1960s (currently hung in his alma mater Staples High School’s auditorium foyer).

Complementing von Schmidt’s paintings are 40 works from the WestPAC collection depicting musicians, inspired by musical themes, or exploring the resonances between musical and visual forms.

Among the local and international artists: Ann Chernow, Eric Chiang, James Daugherty, Lisa Daugherty, Stevan Dohanos, Frances Gershwin Godowsky, Joan Miró, Robert Rauschenberg, Barbara Rothenberg, Eric von Schmidt, Larry Silver and Tracy Sugarman.

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Not everyone goes out for a romantic dinner on Valentine’s Day.

So Marilyn Zavidow is throwing a Valentine’s Theatre Party, at the Westport Country Playhouse Lucille Lortel Barn.

“Valentines and galentines all” are invited to the February 14 (7 p.m.). “Karma Kabaret.” Chris Coogan plays piano, John Mobilio is on bass, at this :thought-provoking, heart-evoking musical tour de force.”

It’s followed by a “bubbly and chocolate” after-party.

Tickets are $30. Click here to purchase.

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Our “Westport … Naturally” winter wonderland series continues today, with this spectacular capture by the great Alison Wachstein:

(Photo/Alison Wachstein)

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And finally … we welcome DanceBody to Westport (story above) with this similar-sounding song:

(Arts, entertainment, politics, sports: today’s Roundup has it all. It’s what we do at “06880” — and we do it 24/7/365. If you like it, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Posted in Arts, Entertainment, Local business, Politics, Sports, Staples HS, Westport Country Playhouse

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